There is no denying that a career in nursing is one of the most demanding yet gratifying careers in the healthcare sector. Undeniably, the role of nurses in the healthcare industry is crucial.
Nurses are responsible for performing high-pressure jobs, including conducting medical tests, administering and noting vitals, assisting patients, and more.
Do you know there exist 350,000 registered nurses in Australia as of 2020? Thus, they are the largest group of health professionals in Australia – contributing to about 54% of all registered health professionals.
Unfortunately, the healthcare system in Australia and worldwide will experience plenty of challenges in the coming years. These challenges may include an increase in the aging population, rising healthcare costs, increased rates of chronic diseases, emerging technologies, etc.
Therefore, nurse leaders are responsible for encouraging and inspiring other nurses and strengthening their teams to meet these challenges. Only then can they improve patient outcomes.
So are you a nurse leader or currently pursuing further education to become a nurse leader? In that case, it is relevant to note that different leadership styles exist in the nursing industry.
Understanding and developing a leadership style can improve teamwork, boost staff empowerment, and reduce turnover rates.
Thus, without further ado, let's discuss the common Australian leadership styles in nursing so you can decide which one will work best for your career:
Transformational
Transformational leaders act as role models and inspire their teams. These leaders motivate their team to give their best to accomplish the mission or goal. They don't assign tasks. Instead, they have a high level of confidence, encourage innovation and even forgive mistakes made by the team. Nurse leaders who adopt this style communicate openly and are good at raising staff morale.
However, note that this style will work best in an established environment so that leaders can encourage further growth and improvement. Comparatively, it might be tough to implement this style in brand-new organizations.
Autocratic
Autocratic, also known as an authoritarian leadership style, is the one in which the leader makes all the decisions and gives directions and orders to the team members. In this leadership style, input from others is little to zero. Moreover, there is no space for mistakes under this leadership style.
Although authoritarian style might get associated with negative thoughts and feelings, the truth is, when used correctly, it can bring positive outcomes. For example, the autocratic leadership style works best in emergency medical situations where there is a need for a clear and strong voice and rapid decisions.
Democratic
One of the most effective leadership styles in nursing is democratic, in which leaders value input from team members when making a decision. Although these leaders make the final decision, they take input from their team by asking them for feedback or allowing them to share ideas and opinions. In this way, employees can feel valued and try to give their best at the job.
Democratic leaders prioritize their team; they want to make their team feel comfortable. Sometimes, also known as participative leaders believe in working collaboratively.
Laissez-faire
Laissez-faire also called the Delegative leadership style, is a hands-off approach. The word Laissez-faire is of French origin, meaning leaving it alone. Thus, unlike the autocratic leadership style, these leaders take a stand-back approach.
Laissez-faire leaders trust and encourage their teams to innovate and tolerate mistakes. As a result, they give freedom and autonomy to their team members. This leadership style is best suitable when the staff is well-experienced and well-qualified. However, these leaders step in and take charge of the situation when necessary.
Servant
Another leadership style other than democratic that focuses on building relationships with team members is the servant. However, like transformational leaders, servant leaders lead by example and motivate their team members.
In this leadership style, the leaders prioritize others' needs over themselves, care for them, and provide the tools and resources they need for success. The servant leadership style works best when nurse leaders have diverse team members.
Situational
No wonder the healthcare industry is continuously evolving and improving. And the best thing is nurse leaders don't have to restrict themselves to a single leadership style. Instead, they can and should change their style according to the situation. Thus, a situational leader is flexible and adjusts their leadership style according to the situation's demands and needs.
These leaders first analyze the situation before making a course of action. However, this leadership style also has drawbacks. For example, situational leaders frequently shift away from long-term goals.
Visionary
As the name suggests, visionary leaders have compelling visions and focus on the end goal. Since they have a clear idea of the future, they communicate effectively and give the right direction to the team members. It is similar to the transformational leadership style since nurse leaders motivate their team members and provide them with the proper guidance in this leadership style.
The advantage of this leadership style is that everyone in the team has a sense of purpose that drives them to move forward and achieve the goal.
Coaching
Coaching leadership is a type of leadership that focuses on the development of team members. Instead of giving directions and orders to the team members, coach leaders understand their team member's strengths and weaknesses and guide them on the path to success.
These leaders evaluate the performance of team members, provide feedback, and thus set goals for their professional development. As a result, the coaching leadership style boosts a positive working environment.
Unfortunately, the cons of this leadership style are that leaders need time to make it effective, and it can only work if employees are open to feedback and willing to accept it.
Transactional
The most structured and systematic leadership style is transactional, also called managerial leadership. In this leadership style, the primary focus is on praises and rewards for achieving the goals or consequences and punishments for failing.
Transactional leaders' primary focus is ensuring the team gets the work done without much change. Therefore, these leaders strictly support standards, protocols, and rules.
Since transactional leaders are not flexible, it has some disadvantages, too. For example, team members can't reach their full potential, negatively impacting job satisfaction.
Summing up
Making sure the patients are secure and receiving top-most quality is the primary responsibility of a nurse. In contrast, nurse supervisors or managers have an extra challenge. They are responsible for maintaining the organization's efficiency, satisfying patients, and retaining employee morale. How the manager or supervisor accomplishes these goals can have a considerable impact. In other words, leadership styles directly impact staff satisfaction and patient outcome.
When it comes to leadership style, there is no right or wrong. Each nursing leadership style has its strengths and weaknesses. A pro tip for choosing the right leadership style for you and your team is to learn your team's wants, needs, strengths, and weaknesses.
