Introduction
Strong nurse leadership is essential for every health care organization that strives to improve the quality of care, enhancing patient safety and satisfaction. The success of leadership in encouraging employees for change and development depends on the leaders’ skills, personal attributes, and style. This paper summarizes the article written by Kroning et al. (2020) dedicated to applying gracious leadership in medical settings. The principles of this approach will have a positive impact on my future professional nursing practice if incorporated.
Assigned Article Summary
The article provides insights into the advantages of the gracious leadership style used in health care. Kroning et al. (2020) discuss attributes of gracious nurse leaders and show how they promote the organization’s goals among employees. They define gracious administrators as those who motivate health care professionals by maintaining strong relationships with them “through empathy and compassion, serving as role models for desired behaviors and sharing their organization’s vision in an inspirational way” (Kroning et al., 2020, p. 48). Although servant leadership has similar attributes, gracious leadership not only prioritizes employee needs and relationships but also considers solutions that maximize positive outcomes for the health care facility and patients. They should be giving, respectful, appreciative, caring, insightful, optimistic, understanding, and supportive in relation to the nurse staff.
Nurse leaders should build strong bonds with the frontline staff using effective teamwork strategies to avoid staff burnout and healthcare-related stressors. Gracious leaders provide examples of empathetic and respectful behavior that foster the establishment of a sound work environment. Fairly treated nurses feel valued, “they thrive in a healthy work environment, which subsequently increases productivity” (Kroning et al., 2020, p. 49). For that reason, the authors recommend following principles of gracious leadership to establish more effective labor relationships built on a compassionate, respectful, and caring environment.
Impact of Assigned Article Content on Future Practice
The content of the assigned article is beneficial for my future nursing practice since it shows how to encourage others and align their goals to ones of a health care organization. To my mind, this leadership approach can be successful in times of crisis when health care facility faces various challenges. For instance, in case of high pressure due to lack of staffing, I, as a nurse leader, will try my best to remain compassionate and empathetic, provide adequate feedback and support to my colleagues. This method will strengthen our relationships; make frontline staff feel valued and motivated to change for the better. To ensure patient safety, the nurse leader should engage and support health care professionals by establishing a good work culture. Now I understand that exemplary behavior is one of the most important features of nursing leaders. If administrators strive to create a healthy environment based on mutual respect and collaboration, they should start with themselves.
Conclusion
To conclude, gracious leaders are able to maximize their effectiveness and influence by creating a hospitable work environment instead of maintaining the typical top-down structure of authoritarian leadership. It is applicable in health care, especially in times of crisis, since it mitigates stressors’ effects and pressure put on health care employees. Gracious administrators play the role of teachers, coaches, and mentors caring more about employees and organizations than about their own power. Employers who feel treated fairly and heard by leaders are engaged, continuously learning, productive and collaborative. I will incorporate described principles in my future medical practice to establish efficient communication between team members.
Reference
Kroning, M., Carey, A., & Crawford-Rosso, S. (2020). Showing the way with gracious leadership. The Peer-Reviewed Journal of Clinical Excellence, 50(4), 47-49. Web.