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Running head: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP 1

Nursing Leadership Philosophy: Transformation Leadership

Melissa Towe

Delaware Technical Community College


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Nursing Leadership Philosophy: Transformation Leadership

The Transformational Leadership Theory is the theory that I would most like to emulate

in my future nursing practice. However, for that to hold any real significance I think it is

important to define what leadership means to me. I believe that leaders are people who

consistently inspire and motivate others through the quality of their own actions. Most people

have heard someone tell them to: do as I say, not as I do. That statement is the opposite of what

leadership is. I think to be a successful leader you must practice what you preach, you must lead

by example, and you must have a lifelong commitment to whatever it is that you chose to pursue.

Even in preschool I could tell you that I would choose nursing. I have been pursuing a career in

nursing from as early on as the government would allow me to. I obtained the credentials of a

certified nursing assistant before I turned 18. I immediately enrolled myself in an associate’s

degree program to become a registered nurse. Upon passing my boards and becoming an RN, I

took some time off to enter the nursing work force and adjust to adult life. I returned to pursue

my bachelors in nursing and I have no intention of stopping there. My goal is to obtain a

master’s in nursing before I turn 30. I view nursing as a profession in which I hold all nurses

accountable for actively being professionals. In order to do that, I believe that you have to make

a commitment to lifelong learning, to knowing and utilizing evidence-based-practices, and to

always providing the best quality of care available. “Just as nurses need to continuously update

their knowledge and act from an evidence-based approach rather than practice wisdom, the same

is true when it comes to nursing leaders” (Doody & Doody, 2012, p. 1213). I think the

transformational leadership theory most accurately incorporates the concepts I value most, the

following will explain why.


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Transformational leadership was developed by James Burns, an “American historian and

political scientist” (Cooke & Walker, 2013, p. 1). It has been applied to the nursing practice from

as early as 1988 (Krepia et al., 2018). This theory is currently recognized by the Institute of

Medicine as the most effective leadership style (Finkelman, 2105). I chose this theory because I

truly believe that I already demonstrate several of the characteristics that it is known for.

Characteristics of a transformational leader include: confidence, self-direction, honesty, loyalty,

energy, empowerment, commitment, and an ability to develop and implement a vision

(Finkelman, 2015). I think that mastering this type of leadership should be the end game, or the

ultimate goal, for nursing professionals like myself. This type of leadership yields: employees

who are invested in their role within the organization and who seek opportunities to improve

themselves, a work environment that fosters a positive attitude on change, and on the importance

of each individual (Finkelman, 2015). It produces an organization that is committed to high

quality patient care, patient outcomes, and staff satisfaction (Finkelman, 2015).

The role of the nurse as a transformational leader

In my opinion, one of the most important roles of a nurse leader is to inspire and motivate

others to be the best versions of themselves. In order to be successful in that role, the nurse

leader must be: kind, confident, persuasive, and capable of creating “extraordinary ideas that

arouse affection and commitment to the vision and goals to which the leader aspires” (Doody &

Doody, 2012, p. 1213). The transformational leadership theory applies four dimensions/concepts

to the role of the nurse which include “idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual

stimulation, and individualized consideration” (Krepia, Katsaragakis, Kaitelidou, & Prezerakos,

2018, p. 190). The concepts that make up each one are detailed below.
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Idealized influence speaks to staff behaviors when they feel they can trust, respect, and

identify with the nurse leader (Schwartz, Spencer, Wilson & Wood, 2011). Leaders reach

idealized influence by fostering an open and trusting environment, and being committed to the

organization while remaining available, supportive, and empathetic to their staff (Schwartz et al.,

2011). I think an incredibly important part of leadership is having an open-door policy, meaning

ensuring that your staff know that you are readily available for anything, at any time, and that

you are happy to hear them out on their concerns/problems and suggestions. Personally, having a

supervisor that displays that attitude and is ready to listen to my concerns and be available to

help, made such a positive difference in my experiences. Leaders should always display “a

supportive role, especially in times of need as leaders have a duty to care for their staff” (Doody

& Doody, 2012, p. 1214). I liked this quote for its call to action of leaders and their duty to care,

not just for patients but for their staff members too. I would like to believe that I currently model

some of these principles; I’m known as a supervisor who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty, I’m

always willing to jump in and lend a hand to my staff when they need it. My goals for the future

are to hold on to the attitude that no task is below my paygrade. I want to remain the hands-on

type of supervisor/leader, I want to always model kindness and helpfulness as these are two traits

that require very little effort to model, but influence such wonderful changes/outcomes.

Inspirational motivation occurs when the leader themselves defines the goals of the

organization and demonstrates a positive attitude towards the processes and means of achieving

those goals (Schwartz et al., 2011). A transformational leader will then clearly define the

organization’s vision to their staff while encouraging/challenging, and holding them accountable

for contributing to the achievement of those goals (Schwartz et al., 2011). By having a positive

attitude toward the organization’s visions/goals, the nurse leader can inspire and motivate others
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to share that same attitude, thus building an even tighter bond throughout their team.

Transformational leaders don’t just stop at the organization’s goals, in fact, a big part of

transformational leadership is a focus on the individual. Leaders that model this behavior will

utilize inspirational motivation to encourage individuals to work towards their own

aspirations/achievements (Doody & Doody, 2012). These leaders have a beautiful opportunity to

create an attitude/work environment where everyone is committed to the same things. A work

environment that fosters this level of team spirit and commitment yields employees that feel

inspired, significant, and passionate (Doody & Doody, 2012). I strive to be this type of leader

currently. I don’t think that it is necessary to have a supervisory position in order model this

piece of transformational leadership. In fact, I try each day to inspire others even if it’s

something as simple as a compliment or a vote of confidence to someone who needs it. In the

future, I hope to be able to hold a position where my potential outreach is at a larger scale.

Leaders who motivate, empower and encourage those around them breed future generations of

leaders. Transformational leadership is not an innate process, meaning that leaders can train staff

“to recognize the characteristics of this type of leader, to develop awareness of the creative

intensity and of the factors that limit the achievement of goals and the realization of a vision”

(Krepia et al., 2018, p. 191).

Intellectual stimulation is a key piece of transformational leadership. Intellectual

stimulation occurs when a leader inspires their staff to challenge themselves, to think outside the

box, to participate in decision making, and in quality improvement (Schwartz et al., 2011).

Leaders that encourage their staff to challenge the norms will have staff that are inspired to

continue their education as their opportunities for growth inside their organizations continue to

unfold before them. Transformational leaders should also provide opportunities for staff
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participation in decision making matters/executive committees as this provides opportunities for

“learning new skills and to be empowered” (Doody & Doody, 2012, p. 1213). This aspect of

leadership encourages evidenced-based practice by challenging staff members to look at

problems/solutions in new ways (Doody & Doody, 2012). In my opinion, this is one of the most

important roles a nurse leader can have. As a nurse, providing safe, efficient, and high quality

patient care should be our top priority. This can only be accomplished if nurses maintain their

commitment to lifelong learning by staying current on research and evidenced based practices.

“From an educational perspective it is vitally important to instill… the desire to implement

evidenced-based findings into practice to ensure quality care practices” (Cooke & Walker, 2013,

p. 1). I think it’s important to stay up to date, so I’m subscribed to several nursing and medical

journals. I get weekly and monthly updates via email and invitations to attend medical/nursing

conferences. I also have a membership with NURSE.com for continuing education credits that

are required to keep an active RN license. In the future, I plan on keeping these subscriptions,

and in addition to that I think an excellent but achievable goal would be to attend at least one

health conference per year. Not only are these conferences a great way to stay up to date on

evidenced based practice, but also a great way to network and meet other professionals. This is a

key aspect as “professional development is important to improving patient outcomes and

advancing” (Schwartz et al., 2011, p. 746).

Lastly, individualized consideration puts an important and beneficial focus on the needs

of the staff member as an individual (Cooke & Walker, 2013). This is done by supporting

individuals in reaching their own personal and professional goals, and acknowledging their

individual accomplishments (Schwartz et al., 2011). Recognition of staff members as individuals

improves worker satisfaction and thus improves staff attitudes and improves nursing practice
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outcomes (Krepia et al., 2018). When staff members feel empowered and valued as individuals,

self-efficacy improves and so does the quality of their work (Doody & Doody, 2012).

Transformational leadership as it applies to patient care

The transformational leadership theory is “one of the five domains that must be addressed

in the current Magnet Recognition Program” (Schwartz et al., 2011, p. 738). Magnet Recognition

is part of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and is “the highest and most

prestigious distinction a healthcare organization can receive for nursing excellence and high-

quality patient care” (Drenkard, 2010, para. 1). To know that the ANCC/Magnet views

transformational leadership highly enough to include it in their requirements is an incredible

thing in my opinion. A recognition program that is awarded only to organizations with the

highest standards and the most exceptional patient care, views transformational leadership as a

key part of that foundation, and I think that is amazing. I have chosen a leadership theory that is

so important to an organization’s success, that the American Nurses Credentialing Center has

backed it (Schwartz et al., 2011). Transformational leadership lays the necessary foundation to

establish all the other domains that make up the Magnet model (Schwartz et al., 2011).

I feel that the endorsement from the ANCC should speak to the abilities of transformation

leadership as it applies to health care organization structure, process, and of course accreditation.

However, it does not necessarily speak to how it ties in with bedside nursing. Transformational

leaders are hands-on, they support creative environments that push boundaries, they foster shared

governance and shared responsibility (Doody & Doody, 2012). In doing these things, they allow

nurses to practice with confidence in their abilities to “lead changes in mission, strategy,

structure, and culture,” all of which contribute to bedside nursing and advocating for their

patients (Doody & Doody, 2012, p. 1217).


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I think being a patient advocate is one of the greatest opportunities we get as nurses. The

ability to impact someone’s life by simply doing our jobs is so gratifying to me. Staying on top

of evidenced based practice through commitment to lifelong learning is essential in being able to

truly advocate for our patients. As professionals, we cannot advocate for a newer, cheaper, or

more effective alternative for our patients if we don’t know those options are out there. That is

why staying committed to lifelong learning is of utmost importance.

In conclusion, transformational leadership is “a process that motivates followers by

appealing to higher ideas and moral values where the leader has a deep set of internal values and

ideas and is persuasive at motivating followers to act in a way that sustains the greater good

rather than their own interests” (Doody & Dody, 2012, p. 1212). This model of leadership is one

that I hope I will be able to emulate as I advance in my nursing career. I believe this theory

encourages lifelong learning, commitment to exceptional patient care through evidenced-based

practice, and the ability to be an outstanding patient advocate. I also believe that it fosters respect

for the individual and utilizes positive means of motivation towards achieving organizational

goals. There is plenty of “evidence that transformative leadership promotes organizational

learning and innovation, as well as the establishment of positive cycle of leadership

development” (Cooke & Walker, 2013, p. 1). This continued production and integration of

transformation leaders is pertinent to the advancement of health care and the quality of care that

our patients receive.


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References

Cooke, M., & Walker, R. (2013, March). Research, transformational leadership and knowledge

translation: a successful formula. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, pp. 1–2.

https://doi-org.libproxy.dtcc.edu/10.1111/scs.12027

Doody, O., & Doody, C. M. (2012). Transformational leadership in nursing practice. British

Journal of Nursing, 21(20), 1212–1218. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.

libproxy.dtcc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=c8h&AN=104433248&site=ehost-live

Drenkard K. (2010). Magnet® Going for the gold: the value of attaining Magnet® recognition.

American Nurse Today, 5(3), 50–52. Retrieved from https://www.americannursetoday.

com/going-for-the-gold-the-value-of-attaining-magnet-recognition/

Finkelman, A., (2015). Leadership and Management for Nurses: Core Competencies for Quality

Care, 3rd Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Krepia, V., Katsaragakis, S., Kaitelidou, D., & Prezerakos, P. (2018). Transformational

leadership and its evolution in nursing. Progress in Health Sciences, 8(1), 189–194.

https://doi-org.libproxy.dtcc.edu/10.5604/01.3001.0012.1114

Schwartz, D. B., Spencer, T., Wilson, B., & Wood, K. (2011). Transformational

leadership: implications for nursing leaders in facilities seeking magnet designation.

AORN Journal, 93(6), 737–748. https://doiorg.libproxy.dtcc.edu/10.1016/j.aorn.

2010.09.032

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