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rocess MagentaProcess Yellow rocess YellowProcess Black rocess Black 8 unit 1 ■ Professional Considerations “George,” responded Molly, “you know that inactivity has many harmful effects, from emboli to disorientation, in our very elderly population. Let’s try to figure out how to encourage more self-care and even family involvement in care so the UAPs can still have time to walk patients and prevent their becoming nonambulatory.” Molly based her action on important values, particularly those of providing the highest quality care possible. Stewart and colleagues (2012) urge that caring not be sacrificed at the altar of efficiency (p. 227). This example illustrates how great a challenge that can be for today’s nurse leaders. The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics (2001) provides the moral compass for nursing practice and leadership (ANA, 2001; Bjarnason & LaSala, 2011). Box 1-2 summarizes a contemporary list of 13 distinctive leadership styles, most of which match up to the eight theories just discussed. Caring Leadership Caring leadership in nursing comes from two primary sources: servant leadership and emotional intelligence in the management literature, and caring as a foundational value in nursing (Greenleaf, 2008; McMurry, 2012; Rhodes, Morris, & Lazenby, 2011; Spears, 2010). While it is uniquely suited to nursing leadership, it is hard to imagine any situation in which an uncaring leader would be preferred over a caring leader. Servant-leaders choose to serve first and lead second, making sure that people’s needs within the work setting are met (Greenleaf, 2008). Emotionally intelligent leaders are especially aware of not only their own feelings but others’ feelings as well (see Box 1-1). Combining these leadership and management theories and the philosophy of caring in nursing, you can see that caring leadership is fundamentally people-oriented. The following are the characteristics and behaviors of caring leaders: ■ They respect their coworkers as individuals. ■ They listen to other people’s opinions and preferences, giving them full consideration. ■ They maintain awareness of their own and others’ feelings. ■ They empathize with others, understanding their needs and concerns. ■ They develop their own and their team’s capacities. ■ They are competent, both in leadership and in clinical practice. This includes both knowledge and skill in leadership and clinical practice. As you can see, caring leadership cuts across the leadership theories discussed so far and encompasses some of their best features. An authoritarian leader, for example, can be as caring as a democratic leader (Dorn, 2011). Caring leadership is attractive to many nurses because it applies many of the principles of working with patients and working with nursing staff to the interdisciplinary team. Qualities of an Effective Leader If leadership is seen as the ability to influence, what qualities must the leader possess in order to be able to do that? Integrity, courage, positive attitude, initiative, energy, optimism, perseverance, generosity, balance, ability to handle stress, and self-awareness are some of the qualities of effective leaders in nursing (Fig. 1.1): ■ Integrity. Integrity is expected of health-care professionals. Patients, colleagues, and 1. Adaptive: flexible, willing to change and devise new approaches. 2. Emotionally Intelligent: aware of his/her own and others’ feelings. 3. Charismatic: magnetic personalities who attract people to follow them. 4. Authentic: demonstrates integrity, character, and honesty in relating to others. 5. Level 5: ferociously pursues goals but gives credit to others and takes responsibility for his/her mistakes. 6. Mindful: thoughtful, analytic, and open to new ideas. 7. Narcissistic: doesn’t listen to others and doesn’t tolerate disagreement but may have a compelling vision. 8. No Excuse: mentally tough, emphasizes accountability and decisiveness. 9. Resonant: motivates others through their energy and enthusiasm. 10. Servant: “empathic, aware and healing,” (p. 76) leads to serve others. 11. Storyteller: uses stories to convey messages in a memorable, motivating fashion. 12. Strength-Based: focuses and capitalizes on his/her own and others’ talents. 13. Tribal: build a common culture with
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