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Leadership Attributes in Health Care
The nursing career is a journey based on many choices and challenges; patients' physical
and emotional issues, personal issues, and Organizational issues are some of the challenges a
leader will encounter. Regardless of the role assumed, important choices are often presented in
the healthcare leadership field. Within the many moving parts of leadership, ethics plays an
important role in shaping the pathway of choice-making. Ethics often deals with morality and
with concepts of what is right or wrong. Integrity could be defined as possessing the quality of
honesty, and fairness, and upholding strong moral principles. According to Giddens, “ethical
integrity is a core element of all types of leadership”; thus, having ethical integrity is essential
(Giddens, 2021, p. 386). As a good leader, having integrity is essential to establish trust and
provide patients and followers/colleagues with a sense of trust and security. One may ask:
What are some examples of integrity? A great example of integrity is accountability. Leaders
with integrity will hold themselves accountable for any mistakes, instead of blaming others.
Leaders are always faced with decision-making situations. According to Yoder decisionmaking uses a “systemic process to choose among options” (Yoder-Wise, 2019, p. 258). It is
important to be able to think critically and have a professional judgment in identifying options
to be an effective problem solver and practice decision-making effectively. For example, in a
situation where there might not be set rules, a leader who leads with intention of fairness, may
use a shared decision-making approach. A shared decision-making approach is shown to
“enhance employee’s happiness, work performance, professionalism, and accountability.”
(Yoder-Wise, 2019).
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In leadership, communication skills are another main attribute to possess to achieve
desired goals. For example, clear communication is key to effective leadership. A good leader
not only speaks clearly but also patiently listens to his followers, fostering trust in both
employees and the Organization.
Change is necessary for situations and for people to evolve. Leadership skills are the
core of effective change, especially in the workplace. An example of leading changes is to use
effective communication skills to influence the changes in the correct pathway to achieve the
desired goal. For example, transformational leaders could use empathetic, respectful, and clear
communication to guide the change desired to achieve the necessary goals.
Critical thinking is a core skill necessary in all areas of life. According to the Canadian
Journal of Nursing and Leadership, “critical thinking is an energetic process that aims to form a
judgment through the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue and is widely accepted to be
necessary”, especially within leadership. (Giannouli & Giannoulis, 2021, p. 1). As a leader, when
confronted with making a hard decision, it is important to see the situation while choosing a
good decision-making approach; consider not only the Organization’s policies, procedures, and
goals, but also considering how the issue at hand affects the followers' colleagues and patient
care.
Professionalism is expected from a successful leader. In leadership, professionalism is
the key to quality and efficiency because it involves being competent and skilled in the chosen
profession, and especially competent in influencing while making changes within the
Organization towards the desired goal. Professionalism involves all the attributes described
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above, such as clear communication, the ability to think critically, and effectively practicing
efficient decision-making.
Healthcare Organizations are complex entities that have many layers. Some of these
layers can be classified by the mission and financial structure of the Organization. Orlando
Health is a HealthCare Organization whose mission is to improve the health and quality of life of
the communities they serve. They are also a non-profit organization, which means that the
earned profits do not go to shareholders, but are used for the growth of the organization, such
as new equipment purchases, new buildings, etc. Orlando Health also possesses an internal
environment that promotes a culture of fairness. They pride themselves on excellence in quality
patient care and promote a work-life balance, making it an excellent fit for a leader.
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References
Giannouli, V., & Giannoulis, K. (2021). Critical Thinking and Leadership: Can We Escape Modern
Circe’s Spells in Nursing? Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership, 34(1), 38–44.
https://doi.org/10.12927/cjnl.2021.26456
Giddens, J. (2021). Concepts for nursing practice (3rd ed.). Elsevier.
Yoder-Wise, P. (2019). Leading and managing in nursing (7th ed.). Elsevier.