Running head: THE NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP
Exploring the Nature and Importance of Leadership
Simonette P. Elgert
Siena Heights University
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THE NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP
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Exploring the Nature and Importance of Leadership
The mission of Siena Heights University is to assist people to become more competent,
purposeful, and ethical through a teaching and learning environment which respects the dignity
of all. Faculty and students are expected to participate actively in mission-driven programming to
heighten their commitment to these goals.
Leadership is an important concept in the achievement of the University’s mission. It is
defined as the ability to inspire confidence and support among the people who are needed to
achieve organizational goals (Dubrin, 2010). According to Siena Heights University’s mission,
in order to achieve its goals, both faculty and students are expected to participate. As stated in
Dubrin’s (2010) sixth edition of Leadership Research Findings, Practice and Skills, a major point
about leadership is that it is not found only among people in high-level positions, but that it is
needed at all levels in an organization and can be practiced to some extent even by a person not
assigned to a formal leadership position. This goes to show that in order to attain organizational
goals, there must be an equal two-way responsibility and connectivity between the leader and the
followers. According to Peter Block, in a partnership the leader and the group members are
connected in such a way that the power between them is approximately balanced (Dubrin, 2010).
In their study, Winston and Patterson (2006) defined a leader as one or more people who
selects, equips, trains, and influences one or more follower(s) who have diverse gifts, abilities,
and skills and focuses the follower(s) to the organization's mission and objectives causing the
follower(s) to willingly and enthusiastically expend spiritual, emotional, and physical energy in a
concerted coordinated effort to achieve the organizational mission and objectives (Discussion
section, para. 4). Competent leaders have the ability to make changes and transform, to move
numbers and to improve work environment. In order for a leader to accomplish positive
THE NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP
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transformations and changes, he or she must possess the right characteristics and traits of what
makes a successful leader, i.e. trustworthiness, warmth and emotional intelligence to name a few.
In all 3 journals I read in preparation for this research paper, it all stated that for one to achieve
organizational mission and goals, the leader must enlist the followers to participate and
contribute. Cloud (2006) stated that we are often unaware of how big the people part is in getting
work done as well. It is just as vital. So, if your character is going to meet the demands of reality,
it is going to have to be able to negotiate the world of people. And that can only be done
successfully through connectedness. In order to move people, the leader must use “people skills”
and be accountable for their actions. In the “Blueprint for Nursing Leadership” distributed
responsibility emphasizes service, autonomy, integrity, trust, competence, loyalty, and
effectiveness with a global perspective. Inherent in our blueprint is an accountability loop that
starts at the top, with leadership owning their own accountability and evaluating their selfeffectiveness (Nursing Administration Quarterly, 35, 193).
Siena Heights University’s mission is aligned to that of what I would like to achieve as a
Clinical Nursing Manager. My goal is to continue to be competent and be effective in my role as
a leader. I would like to be able to lead with meaning and purpose and be able to apply my moral
principles and values. With what I learned from all my readings, in order to achieve leadership
effectiveness, I will need to participate in continued learning and growth by doing my part as a
student, and partnering with the instructors. This is the concept of connectedness. My role as a
student mirrors that of my role as a leader. This is the concept of responsibility and leadership.
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References
Aroh, A. M., Occhiuzzo, D., & Douglas, C. (2011). Blueprint for nursing leadership: Creating a
culture of accountability. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 35, 189-196.
doi:10.1097/NAQ.0b013e3181ff3af0
Cloud, H. (2006). Building trust through connection. Integrity: The courage to meet the demands
of reality (pp. 45-73). New York, NY: Collins.
Dubrin, A. (2010). The nature and importance of leadership. Leadership: Research findings,
practice, and skills (pp. 2-30). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Winston, B., & Patterson, K. (2006). An integrative definition of leadership. International
Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(2), 6-66. Retrieved from
http://www.regent.edu/acad/globalpublications/ijls/new/vol1iss2/winston_patterson.doc/
winston_patterson.htm