Abstract
There are many leadership development programs, but only some focus on the unique perspective of nurses. The organization that served as the project site has leadership development programs for aspiring nurse leaders, a leadership core for newly appointed nurse leaders, and executive coaching for executive-level nurse leadership. The project site identified a need for a leadership development program focused on nurse managers. This project aimed to fulfill that need. The project goal was to increase nurse manager application of the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership to operationalize transformational leadership principles and foster Joy in Work. The leadership development program consisted of an in-person education session, participant completion of the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) Self-Empowered self-assessment tool, an LPI report review and action planning session, a midpoint check-in session, individual debriefs, and a focus group debrief. The participants evaluated each session of the leadership development program through confidential paper surveys completed immediately after each session. Due to the complexity of the nurse manager position, individualized leadership development plans were needed and utilized. Participant feedback showed that the leadership development program helped increase participant confidence to operationalize transformational leadership principles by applying the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership in daily leadership activities.
Nurse leaders skilled in transformational leadership principles are needed to support staff in the complex healthcare environment adequately. This project designed, implemented, and evaluated an effective leadership development program to help nurse managers apply the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. By participating in the leadership development program, the nurse managers gained tools to operationalize transformational leadership principles and became more self-aware of how they present themselves as leaders. Self-awareness is the first crucial step for leadership growth and development.
Well-prepared nurse leaders will have an ongoing positive impact on their units, organization, and healthcare. The return on investment can be seen in increased nurse retention, decreased nurse turnover, improved staff engagement, improved patient satisfaction, optimized patient quality outcomes, and streamlined operations. These are also the outcomes tied to Joy in Work. Measuring outcomes tied to Joy in Work was limited due to the implementation timeline for this project. Future research recommendations include comparing Joy in Work outcomes for units with nurse managers participating in a leadership development program to units with nurse managers not participating in a leadership development program. Leadership development programs are integral to adequately preparing nurse leaders to support their staff in the ever-changing healthcare environment.
Notes
Reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Beta Nu
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Leadership, Nursing Leaders, Leadership -- Education, Program Development, Leadership Training
Recommended Citation
Roebuck, Nicole E., "Nurse Leader Application of the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 98.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/98
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-03-03
Nurse Leader Application of the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership
Washington, DC, USA
There are many leadership development programs, but only some focus on the unique perspective of nurses. The organization that served as the project site has leadership development programs for aspiring nurse leaders, a leadership core for newly appointed nurse leaders, and executive coaching for executive-level nurse leadership. The project site identified a need for a leadership development program focused on nurse managers. This project aimed to fulfill that need. The project goal was to increase nurse manager application of the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership to operationalize transformational leadership principles and foster Joy in Work. The leadership development program consisted of an in-person education session, participant completion of the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) Self-Empowered self-assessment tool, an LPI report review and action planning session, a midpoint check-in session, individual debriefs, and a focus group debrief. The participants evaluated each session of the leadership development program through confidential paper surveys completed immediately after each session. Due to the complexity of the nurse manager position, individualized leadership development plans were needed and utilized. Participant feedback showed that the leadership development program helped increase participant confidence to operationalize transformational leadership principles by applying the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership in daily leadership activities.
Nurse leaders skilled in transformational leadership principles are needed to support staff in the complex healthcare environment adequately. This project designed, implemented, and evaluated an effective leadership development program to help nurse managers apply the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. By participating in the leadership development program, the nurse managers gained tools to operationalize transformational leadership principles and became more self-aware of how they present themselves as leaders. Self-awareness is the first crucial step for leadership growth and development.
Well-prepared nurse leaders will have an ongoing positive impact on their units, organization, and healthcare. The return on investment can be seen in increased nurse retention, decreased nurse turnover, improved staff engagement, improved patient satisfaction, optimized patient quality outcomes, and streamlined operations. These are also the outcomes tied to Joy in Work. Measuring outcomes tied to Joy in Work was limited due to the implementation timeline for this project. Future research recommendations include comparing Joy in Work outcomes for units with nurse managers participating in a leadership development program to units with nurse managers not participating in a leadership development program. Leadership development programs are integral to adequately preparing nurse leaders to support their staff in the ever-changing healthcare environment.
Description
In this session, you will learn about a leadership development program designed with the unique perspective of nurses in mind. The leadership development program focused on nurse leader application of the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership to operationalize transformational leadership principles and foster Joy in Work.