Transition to Professional Practice: Leadership Term Paper

The importance of the workplace in mental, emotional, physical, social and economic welfare of employees cannot be under estimated.

Research shows a correlation between the health of the workplace, the well-being of the personnel, and the health of patients. Leaders and managers who are impatient, defensive, and unsupportive, have poor supervision and guidance skills, lack control, or fail to recognize the contributions of workers enhance workplace stress level. Organizations with unhealthy workforces run the risk of incurring increased costs due to higher rates of absenteeism, presence at work but inadequate work performance, loss of productivity, work-related accidents, and high incidence of health-related litigation.

Conclusion

The most influential nursing leaders I have encountered practiced transformational leadership. This form of leadership is intended to create positive change in the followers whereby they take care of each other's interests and act in the interests of the group as a whole. Essentially the leader's task is consciousness-raising on a wide plane. The leader's fundamental act is to induce people to be aware or conscious of what they feel and to feel their true needs so strongly, to define their values so meaningfully, that they can be moved to purposeful action. In this leadership style, the leader enhances the motivation, moral and performance of the group.

Allowing individuals to actively participate in the decision making process their higher level needs may be addressed. There is power in group intelligence. The smarter and more skilled each member of the organization becomes the better the organization as a whole. Leaders who wish to motivate employees should emphasize recognition, achievement and growth. Followers provide the "horsepower" to organizational performance. Leaders who want to build high performing teams need to develop an awareness and appreciation of the important role followership plays in group dynamics and team performance.

References

Houser, B.P. & Player, K.N. (2004) Pivotal moments in nursing: Leaders who changed the path of the profession, volume I. Sigma Theta Tau International. Retrieved December 3, 2011 from http://www.nursingknowledge.org/Portal/CMSLite/GetFile.aspx?ContentID=62755

Raines, F.C. & Taglaireni, E.M. (2008). Career pathways in nursing: Entry points and academic progression. Online journal of issues in nursing. Vol. 13, Issue 3, 1. Retrieved December 3, 2011 from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/det

Ridgeway, S. (NDI) Loretta Ford, founded the nurse practitioner movement. Working nurse. Retrieved December 3, 2011 from http://www.workingnurse.com/articles/Loretta-Ford-Founded-Nurse-Practitioner-Movement

Tomey, A.M. (2009, January). Nursing leadership and management effects work environments. Journal of nursing management. Vol. 17, Issue 1, 15-25. Retrieved December 3, 2010 from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&hid=111&sid=a90a538d-d6b7-4716-ad42-4c158b7cf856%40sessionmgr4