Leadership style

1. Interview date and time

         My appointment with the nurse leader Mrs. Kylie Shah was scheduled on 10th 3:00 PM at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore Maryland. I managed to arrive fifteen minutes before the set time to recap my interview questions and to compose myself. Her secretary informed her that I was ready for the interview, and she welcomed me to her spacious and bright office. Her beautiful office appearance, as well as her warm welcome smile and handshake, made me relax. I got a chance to hold this interview because of her busy schedule, so I had to thank her first for squeezing in some time for me.

2. Description of the person’s leadership role

         Mrs. Shah started working at this organization on May 17, 2003, as a patient advocate manager. Her work involved improving the customer satisfaction level and the overall image of the hospital in Baltimore neighborhoods. She then rose to the position of a nurse leader in 2008. She directs nurses working in the long-term care facility that has 100 beds and 57 of them are certified nurses. She has a staff of 59 certified nursing assistant and 18 nurses. She has more than twenty years experience in the nursing field and very knowledgeable about case management, Medicaid and Medicare services. She has also worked in various sub-acute units and also stepping in other nursing duties whenever faced with staff shortages. When nurses come to her with a problem, she involves them in generating solutions. It is clear that she is a person of honesty and integrity, and she treats every person with dignity and respect.

         She says that her leadershipstyle is participative and democratic. She also says that she is willing to ask her nursing staff for their decision-making input to improve patient care and the environment. This kind of transformational leadership style enables him to achieve objectives by inspiring and motivating staff more than coercing them. She has genuine concerns for patients and nurses. Her nurses are loyal to her because of her honesty and personality.

3. Leadership responsibilities

         As a nurse leader, her responsibility includes being a role model to those under her. She adopts various characteristics necessary in solving the problem at hand. No matter the kind of situation she has to set realistic goals, act with integrity and provide clear communication. She recognizes the success of her team, encourage others and inspire her team. It is with the goal of providing the best and most appropriate care. The nurse leader functions as a clinical generalist who manages and provides care for the direct care setting to communities, families and patients. She coordinates and manages a comprehensive client care for clinical cohorts and individuals. She uses a holistic and comprehensive view of caring for patients.

         She assesses families and patients to determine any anticipated risks, implement and design plan for care provide oversight in care provision and oversees the outcomes of healthcare delivery. The nurse leader also implements the mass customization principles so as to ensure clinical care efficiency to populations. She uses the risk assessment and risk anticipation strategies to implement, design and evaluate the overall plan for care. The leader delegates and provides oversight for care delivery daily. She provides the necessary communication and communication with other members of the team and others within the Microsystems to ensure the best outcomes for a cohort of patients or an individual patient. She is also responsible for evaluating evidence for practice, uses quality improvement strategies and evidence –based practices to improve to improve outcome. He identifies the area for new practices and policies and involves in the development of these policies. She finally ensures that the professional policies and standards have a positive impact in patient care within the Microsystems level.

         4. Challenges for leader/lessons learned

         The main challenge that Mrs. Shah faces as a nurse leader is the staffing problem. She says that nurses today lack the same work ethic as compared to those of the past (Personal communication, 2012). It is a great problem that faces many leaders in the country today. It true that the citations by the American Nurses Association and Media that with the elevation of nurse shortage, it will reach a point where it will difficult to correct. I asked her ways of resolving this problem, and her response is that leaders in the healthcare organization should listen to their staff and discover their wants and needs. They also need to be taken seriously with matters of compensation, and reward. She states that when nurse leaders show their support to nurses, they will cultivate in them a sense of moral support (Drenkard, & Esposito-Herr, 2004).

5. Implementing change

         Mrs. Shah recognizes the challenge involved when implementing change. She cited an example when she advocated for a change from paper-based recording to electronic based recording. She states that she managed to bring about the desired change through her effective leadership style. She says that all leaders have to play an important role when initiating change processes. By leading a transition leaders are required to translate the strategic vision of the new system into a tangible product that will be of benefit to all staff members. Leaders have to develop a workforce that understands the project portals. Leaders should understand how to overcome barriers. She says it worked by communicating at all time with the frontline staff. Mustain et al. (2008) mentions that apathy, competing priorities, and fears are the three main barriers leaders face when introducing an electronic record system in their organization. These problems generate negative behavior when implementing change. Nurse leaders have to address promptly the issues that nurses face to ensure effective implementation of new changes.
6. Reflection

         From this interview, I have learned that leadership change and motivational theories are intertwined. The leadership style of a leader needs to change depending on the situation at hand. The leader should provide direction in cases of new changes by acknowledging the complexity of the implementation process. The leader should also show integrity in services to ensure patients safety as well as concern for nurses. A caring and listening kind of Leadership style will, therefore, determine the retaining of nurses and their motivation to work (Haidar, 2006).

         As an aspiring nurse leader, I have to seek out training in practical skills and improving my academic qualification. I need improvement in my listening skills and be knowledgeable on how to understand other people in a much better way. I also need to be competent in new technologies so as to provide proper mentorship in the adoption of new technologies.

References

Haidar, E. (2006). Leadership and Management of Change. Journal of Community Nursing, 20(13)
Heller B, Drenkard K, and Esposito-Herr, B. (2004). Educating Nurses for Leadership Roles. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 35(5), 203
Mustain J et al. (2008) assessment of readiness for change for to electronic medical records. Nursing Administration Journal; 38: 9, 379-385.