Although each leader has his or her strengths and weaknesses, there are several common methods used by any effective leader in managing and communicating with a team. Jim Kouzes highlights that a good leader should model the way, inspire a vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart (BaySunday, 2012). The execution of these actions also depends on the skills and approaches of the leader, although their purpose is specific. However, all these actions can only be successfully implemented if leaders have the trust and respect of their team, which motivates its members to follow the leader’s recommendation.
A leader’s personal credibility depends on their words and actions in relation to followers and interactions with other parties. As Middlebrooks (2018) notes, a significant part of a leader’s credibility comes from the perception that they care and is most often reflected in the little things. Consequently, I will establish my personal credibility by treating people with respect, celebrating victories, backing minor mistakes of my employees, finding out their causes, and eliminating sources. At the same time, commitment to the organization and its mission will be central to all communications and team processes. Therefore, by my example, I will model the way for others by showing professionalism and commitment to the organization.
The leader also must inspire employees to have a shared vision. One of the most effective tools for this purpose is to create a vision statement and use it to set goals and make decisions. As Marshall and Broome (2016) point out, a shared vision provides perspective and helps employees to use it as a guideline in completing daily tasks. Hence, a short and well-formed idea of a vision statement is a way to inspire a shared vision.
At the same time, the leader must challenge processes to bring changes at the individual and organizational levels. On an individual level, as a leader, I can give nurses tasks that are their weak points, for example, communicating with relatives, and supervise them to develop their skills. At the team or organization level, I can offer innovative, evidence-based solutions for patient care or work organization. In this way, each team member and the hospital will develop continuously. In addition, as a leader, I must enable others to act, and the way to achieve this goal is to build trust and teamwork (BaySunday, 2012). Thus, employees will act in the knowledge that they have the support of the team and the leader both in the implementation of projects and in the event of failure of initiatives.
Nevertheless, the main task of a leader is to support and recognize the contribution and victories of each team member. This move is essential because a sense of importance motivates people to act, increases trust and loyalty to the team and the leader. For this reason, as a leader, I will recognize and praise any achievements of my followers by various means. Small accomplishments may be recognized with the simple phrase “Good job,” larger ones with a public announcement of accomplishments, or even a promotion. Thus, using these approaches will help me to be effective leaders influencing the team through trust, guiding, and mentoring. Consequently, each team member will be able to develop their strengths by having the freedom to choose their way, but they will work towards the organization’s goals and health in general.
References
BaySunday. (2012). Jim Kouzes, author: “The leadership challenge” [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Marshall, E. S. & Broome, M.E. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.
Middlebrooks, A. (2018). Discovering leadership: Designing your success. Sage Publication.