Describe what is meant by 'leadership styles,' and discuss their Essay

Describe what is meant by 'leadership styles,' and discuss their applicability and importance to effective nursing leadership - Essay Example Working conditions in the current hospital setting are very poor and this has demoralized nurses as most of them are opting out of their professions. The hospitals have heavy workloads and they have limited resources, a condition that makes it difficult for nurses to attend to the high number of patients effectively. This has in turn resulted to poor performance in hospitals and has also put patients’ health at risk as noted by Gullatte (2005). Effective strategies that will address these issues should be developed and implemented if nurses have to be retained in their places of work according to Gullatte. One way of solving issues affecting health care systems and nurses in general is through mentoring and developing positive nursing leadership. Nurses leadership in this respect must be looked at both as a professional responsibility and a collective endeavor. There are different styles of nursing leadership which include: transformational leadership, congruent leadership, transactional leadership and servant leadership just to mention a few. The following sections of this paper will be dedicated to analyzing the different leadership styles that can be applied in nursing. Bass and Riggio (2006) claim that transformational leadership encourages change in social systems and individuals. It is the most preferred style of leadership in the healthcare setting since it enhances performance and motivates employees. Its main aim is to create value and instill positive change in employees so that they can develop into people with leadership qualities. Transformational leadership involves establishing of a vision so that employees can work towards attaining certain goals. It also involves developing people so that they can be able to adapt to changes that occur in their places of work. Transformational leadership also builds relationships which in effect lead to interactions which