Communication And Emotional Intelligence In Nursing Leadership

Communication and Emotional Intelligence Another important component to being an effective leader is communication and the ability to reason about emotions to enhance thinking. Emotional intelligence, a concept that has continually evolved since it was first introduced, is a complementary tool possessed by many nursing leaders. Emotionally intelligent leaders possess the skills necessary to manage their own emotions as well as those of the people who they work with (Heckemann, Schols, & Halfens, 2015). Although emotional intelligence and communication is essential in any field, it may be more important in healthcare where feelings “affect individual as well as institutional health” (Feather, 2009, p. 379). Emotional intelligence enhances the

Of these tasks and duties, perhaps one of the most difficult is that of decision-making. On any given day, nurse managers make countless ‘on the spot’ decisions that have the capability to impact patients, staff, and the organization as a whole (Shirey, Ebright, & McDaniel, 2013). Unfortunately, during these times of stress, changes are made in one’s ability to make mindful and well thought out decisions. Understandably so, making decision in the multifaceted world of healthcare affects the overall decision-making process. Hedberg and Larsson (2004) explained that in previous literature, nurse decision-making has been affected by three primary components: the decision maker themself, the task, and the setting where the decision-making takes place. Reflecting specifically on the decision-maker, their knowledge, experience, intuition, and cognitive capacity all influence their ability to make a decision (Hedberg & Larsson, 2004). Additional barriers to sound decision-making as described by Shirey et al. (2013) included subtle cues or signals in the environment causing one to make a certain decision over another; pattern recognition; tradeoffs, or choosing one more important activity over another; past experience; and