Leadership approaches for modern nursing practice
This article identifies leadership as a key responsibility of all nurses, including those working in cardiovascular care—whether they are in a leadership role or whether they have to exercise it in their practice. It identifies that, contrary to early theories, leadership knowledge and skills may be taught and learned. It identifies the core definitions of leadership as being influenced by the person, result, position, purpose or process. It goes on to discuss two key approaches to leadership that suit modern nursing practice: contingency theory and transformational leadership. These approaches are demonstrated as pertinent to modern nursing practice because they focus on the development of people and the team, and require emotional intelligence.