Introduction
In the contemporary world, the role of a leader is considered to be vital. It is possible to notice that in the healthcare area, such factors as emotional intelligence and transformational leadership behaviors are essential for successfully managing organizations and nurses. This essay will examine formal leadership theories and behaviors they introduce, discuss how they correlate to such factors as emotional intelligence and transformational type of leading, and evaluate their collective impact on healthy work environments creating.
Examination of the Leadership Theories and Introduced Behaviours. Emotional Intelligence.
The first theory is “Great man,” which implies that some people are born with internal characteristics necessary to manage others, and the referential behavior is based on charisma, intelligence, and natural social skills (Cherry, 2016). Trait theory is similar to the previous one, and it emphasizes extraversion, self-confidence, and courage in behavior. Contingency theory reflects adaptable behavior, and the leader is the one who acts better for a particular environment, while similar situational theory enables one to choose the better style of decision-making, such as authoritarian or democratic ones (Cherry, 2016). Behavioral theory is opposite to the first one and is based on the qualities of a leader that can be learned. Participative one suggests taking the input of others into account (Cherry, 2016, para. 11). Management theory focuses on supervision and group performance and is based on a system of awards and punishments.
The last, but most important, in the view of this work, the theory is a transformational one. It is focused on the connection between leaders and followers, conceived through motivation, inspiration, and helping, emphasizing group members’ performance (Cherry, 2016). Such leadership is a style in which the needed change is defined, and a vision of how-to guide is created and implemented (Broome & Marshall, 2021). Transformational leaders a charismatic and inspiring and make people trust them. Their behavior is focused on the stimulation of intellectual activity, creating a feeling of confidence around them, considering every distinct worker’s value, and positively influencing others in any way (Broome & Marshall, 2021). Such leaders can assist in creating a healthy work environment by affecting employees with their professional and human qualities, guiding, inspiring, and acting as role models.
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability that assists in utilizing every of the mentioned leadership theories and can be considered a necessary quality for any successful leader. According to Frangos (2016), it enables us to “perceive emotions accurately, to access or generate feelings when they facilitate thought, to understand emotion and emotional knowledge and to regulate emotions” (para. 6). There are four following competencies of EI that comprise this ability: self-awareness, which assists in self-evaluating, self-management that enable to manage internal state, social-awareness, or the opportunity to read the emotional environment, and relationship management that help to include desirable responses in others (Frangos, 2016, para. 8). Therefore, it is vital to understand workers’ feelings to lead them successfully, and such ability is based on EI and its four competencies. Leaders required for a healthy work environment shall possess strong EI to ensure that implementing one or several leadership theories in practice will be well-grounded and successful.
Conclusion
Leadership theories, which can potentially be utilized by workers who aim to assist and manage others, are vital for healthy work environment creation. One of such transformational theories enables inspiring and motivating employees, creating a vision based on which guidance can be provided, and utilizing professional and human qualities to be a model for other organization members. EI, which is a ground for every of the mentioned theories, enables their successful utilization in practice. Together, all the factors result in the particular behavior that can effectively impact an organization. Every mentioned theory might be more or less appropriate for a specific leader, organization, or environment, resulting in different outcomes. For the healthcare sector, transformational theory, based on well-developed EI, might be an effective approach.
References
Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Cherry, K. (2016). The Major Leadership Theories. Web.
Frangos, N. (2016). Leaders, Emotional Intelligence & Transformational Leadership – Part 1. Linkedin. Web.