"Today's professional nurses assume leadership and management responsibilities regardless of the activity in which they are involved" (Koernig-Blais, Hayes, Kozier, & Erb, 2006, p. 2). D. Martin. is the nurse manager for The Spirit Medical Transportation Services (Spirit) of Saint Joseph's Children's Hospital in Marshfield, Wisconsin. She started her career as an ICU nurse, and from there moved into medical transportation. She worked as a staff flight nurse in three different programs, including Spirit, for 15 years before assuming the assistant nurse manager role for Spirit, and in the past year moved into the position of manager.
In an interview with D. Martin she discussed achieving of a position of leadership in our nursing community. The interview included questions about her background, and the role she has today.
Leadership StyleD. Martin (personal communication, March 6, 2008) describes a leader as someone who is able to work effectively with other people and facilitate getting the job done.
British nurse in nurses' station.
Czech nursing students.
A German nurse in scrubs.She further discusses the leader needing to have interactive communication skills. These skills she describes as two parts; first is active listening, making eye contact and giving full attention to the person speaking; the second is being able to talk and make a point with sounding condescending.
Through her examples, D.Martin has a democratic or participative leadership style. Leaders with a democratic style act as a catalyst or facilitator to guide the group towards achieving group goals (Koernig-Blais et al, 2006). Democratic leadership may be less efficient than other types of leadership, but it does allow for a spirit of collaboration and creativity from group members. This type of leadership can be extremely effective in the healthcare setting (Tappen, 2001, p. 26)Personal Philosophy and Important Qualities of LeadershipWhen questioned about important qualities or characteristics of a leader, D. Martin (personal communication, March 6,