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•Be an exemplary leader.

TRANSFORMATIONAL leaders inspire followers toachieve extraordinary outcomes and, in the process,develop their own leadership capacity. They foster em-ployees’ confidence to produce creative outcomes andsustain a competitive edge in an ever-changing health-care environment.

The American Nurses Association’s (ANA’s) NursingAdministration: Scope and Standards of Nursing Prac-tice list the characteristics of transformational leadersas open communication, inspiration, enthusiasm, sup-porting positive change, and empoweringothers through shared decision-making.Closely aligned with transforma-tional leadership is exemplaryleadership, which is describedby Kouzes and Posner as in-cluding these five practices:modeling the way, en-couraging the heart, in-spiring a shared vision,enabling others to act,and challenging theprocess.

Transformational lead-ership, a core compo-nent of the AmericanNurses Credentialing Cen-ter (ANCC) Magnet Recog-nition Program®, supportspractices and behaviors thatimprove nursing and organiza-tional outcomes, such as job satisfac-tion, organizational commitment, pro-ductivity, and turnover. As a nurse leader, youcan be intentional in cultivating your personal leader-ship style, leading by example and creating a positiveand empowering esprit de corps that supports nursingexcellence.

This article will help you become intentional incultivating your transformational leadership skillsand practices. And we recommend using Kouzes

and Posner’s theoretical framework and assessmenttool to support your professional development.

See for yourself: Self-assessmentThe Leadership Practices Inventory-Self (LPI-S) was devel-oped by Kouzes and Posner to measure specific leader-ship behaviors. It includes the five exemplary leadershippractices and 30 statements rated on a 10-point Likertscale (1 = almost never; 10 = almost always). The state-ments are posed to help respondents see how well theyengage in each of the five practices. (See Assess yourself.)

Cultivating the five practicesThe exemplary leadership model offers a clear pathfor anyone wishing to cultivate a transformational lead-

ership style. The following summaries of thefive exemplary leadership practices in-

corporate select criteria from thetransformational leadership com-

ponent of the 2019 Magnet®

Application Manual.

Modeling the wayYou model the way bysetting the example forothers to follow, demon-strating open communi-cation and enthusiasmfor nursing excellenceand patient care. Experi-enced nurse leaders inter-

viewed about this practiceprovide visibility on the

units with daily rounding,timely multidisciplinary huddles

for significant events, and consis-tent follow-up with staff about con-

cerns so that they know their leaderscare. In addition, these leaders are transparent

with staff in positive and difficult situations, resulting intrust, respect, and collaboration.

Leading by example: When a nurse leader wantedhis staff to “commit to sit” with patients for a few min-utes to increase engagement, he purposely sat with pa-tients when he rounded and modeled behaviors that hewanted his staff to learn and adopt.

Inspire others throughtransformational leadership By Joanne T. Clavelle, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, and MariLou Prado-Inzerillo, DNP, RN, NEA-BC

Leading the Way

Modeling the way

Transformational leadership

Enabling others to act

Inspiring a shared vision

Encouraging the heart

Challenging the process

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Encouraging the heartYou encourage the heart by enabling input into keydecisions from all levels of the organization, appreciat-ing individual contributions, and celebrating accom-plishments. You can use this practice to improve pa-tient care and the practice environment by consistentlyrewarding staff (use a mix of strategies when recogniz-ing individual accomplishments; some may not want tobe publicly acknowledged), making eye contact, estab-lishing personal connections through shared interests,sharing family pictures, and connecting with staff dur-ing good and bad times.

Leading by example: When one of her nurses achievednational certification, a nurse leader recognized this ac-complishment by sending a congratulatory global emailto her direct reports and posting the individual’s pic-ture within the department. This motivated others toachieve similar accomplishments and has contributedto 12 other nurses achieving national certification with-in a 3-year period.

Inspiring a shared visionYou inspire a shared vision for the future when you caneffectively envision it yourself and describe it to othersin a way that elicits excitement. Your passion for mak-ing a difference is evident, and you enlist others in see-ing exciting possibilities for the future so that everyoneis aligned in purpose and action.

Leading by example: One nurse leader exemplifiedthis behavior when three of her clinical units were con-solidated into one service line. She solicited staff inputon what this new structure should entail, generated ex-citement about the new competencies they would gainby caring for patients both on and off of the intensivecare unit, and explained how the patients and organi-zation would benefit overall. In 1 month, 100 RNs ea-gerly cross-trained for all three clinical units.

Enabling others to actYou enable others to act when you enlist them to par-ticipate in new opportunities and engage them in collab-orative activities, creating a sense of trust and em pow -erment. You’re dedicated to the concept of structuralempowerment and professional governance, and youemphasize professional obligation, accountability, inter-professional collaboration, and shared decision-making.Examples of this leadership practice include advocatingfor resources to support unit and organizational goals,leadership development, mentoring, and successionplanning. The unit culture should be open and support-ive to employee input on new initiative implementation.

Leading by example: When one nurse leader allowedher staff to schedule themselves, she noticed that sickcalls decreased dramatically. Self-scheduling enabledher staff to assume accountability and responsibility fortheir unit staffing.

The Leadership Practices Inventory-Self (LPI-S) allows you to assess your current leader-ship style and pinpoint areas you can focuson to cultivate a transformational leadershippractice.

The LPI-S includes 30 statements rated ona 10-point Likert scale (1 = almost never; 10 =almost always) that reflect the five leadershippractices (model the way, encourage theheart, inspire a shared vision, enable others toact, and challenge the process). For example:• I set a personal example of what I expect

of others (model the way).• I find ways to celebrate accomplishments

(encourage the heart).• I show others how their long-term inter-

ests can be realized by enlisting in a common vision (inspire a shared vision).• I give people a great deal of freedom and choice in deciding how to do their work (enable others to act).• I experiment and take risks even when there is a chance of failure (challenge the process).• I seek out challenging opportunities that test my own skills and abilities. • I spend time and energy making certain that the people I work with adhere to the principles and standards we have agreed on. • I search outside the formal boundaries of my organization for innovative ways to improve what we do.• I make certain that we set achievable goals, make concrete plans, and establish measurable milestones for the projects and

programs that we work on.

Learn more about the LPI-S at leadershipchallenge.com/UserFiles/LPI360_English_v5.pdf.

Source: Kouzes, Posner 2013

Assess yourself

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Challenging the processWhen you challenge the process, you’re not alwayssatisfied with the status quo. You take risks and experi-ment with new ideas, and you learn from mistakes in away that identifies new opportunities and supportspositive change. You identify your ability to influenceorganizational policy, using data to make decisionsand lead strategic organizational changes.

Leading by example: When two clinical units wereexperiencing communication challenges, a nurse leaderhelped improve the relationship between the two clini-cal specialties when she encouraged nurses from onespecialty to conduct mobile rounds in the other. Beingphysically present and engaging in conversations withtheir colleagues provided key insights into each spe-cialty’s roles, which led to mutual feedback and coop-eration. After two nurses became engaged in earnesttransparency to engage and improve communication,their efforts became contagious, motivating everyone tofoster more collaborative relationships.

Take the first stepNo matter your role, position, or experience, you cancultivate a transformational leadership style. The LPI-Sprovides insights you can use today to intentionallydevelop these leadership characteristics. Taking this

step will start you on your journey to inspiring yourteams, encouraging initiative and innovation, and im-proving care.

Joanne T. Clavelle is regional vice president/CNO at West GetWellNetwork inBethesda, Maryland. MariLou Prado-Inzerillo is vice president of nursing opera-tions at New York–Presbyterian in New York City.

Selected referencesAmerican Nurses Association. Nursing: Scope and Standards of Prac-tice. Silver Spring: Maryland; 2010.

Bass BM, Riggio RE. Transformational Leadership. 2nd ed. 2005; Lon-don: Psychology Press.

Clavelle JT, Drenkard K, Tullai-McGuinness S, Fitzpatrick JJ. Transfor-mational leadership practices of chief nursing officers in Magnet® or-ganizations. J Nurs Adm. 2012;42(4):195-201.

Clavelle JT, Porter O'Grady T, Weston MJ, Verran JA. Evolution ofstructural empowerment: Moving from shared to professional gover-nance. J Nurs Adm. 2016;46(6):308-12.

Kouzes JM, Posner BZ. LPI: Leadership Practices Inventory: Develop-ment Planner. 4th ed. 2013; San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer.

Kramer M, Schmalenberg C, Maguire P. Nine structures and leader-ship practices essential for a magnetic (healthy) work environment.Nurs Adm Q. 2010;34(1):4-17.

Mittal S, Dhar RL. Transformational leadership and employee creativi-ty: Mediating role of creative self-efficacy and moderating role ofknowledge sharing. Management Decision. 2015;53(5):894-910.