Idealised influence

This component of transformational leadership relates to the positive influence that the leader is able to have on their team, inspiring colleagues to demonstrate behaviours that contribute to the team’s shared vision. The leader may influence team members through role modelling and/or charisma, and by using language that encourages and empowers them. Such language should be inclusive, positive, energetic and enthusiastic about the team’s shared goal (Wong et al 2013, Asif et al 2019).

A central element of idealised influence is the development of trust between leader and team members. The leader may foster trust by showing passion and enthusiasm for their work and by demonstrating a level of authenticity and integrity which others will want to emulate. In this way, the leader embodies the idea of a highly competent and dynamic practitioner and exemplifies the standards of the nursing profession (Ilies et al 2013).

Inspirational motivation

Inspirational motivation refers to the idea that a transformational leader who can effectively communicate shared values is likely to inspire staff and encourage them to ‘buy into’ a shared vision (Fischer 2017). This component of transformational leadership relates to how a leader instils enthusiasm in a group of staff by encouraging all members to contribute to the best of their abilities. This is achieved by reinforcing objectives, emphasising the shared mission and fostering a ‘can-do’ attitude.

If the whole team buys into the leader’s vision, the theory is that they will endeavour to achieve it (Avolio and Bass 2001). It is hoped that the shared vision cultivated by the leader will inspire creative thought processes and expand the capabilities of the team, enabling them to overcome challenges; for example, when a service for people with learning disabilities needs to extend its operating hours or introduce a new care pathway despite limited resources (Ryan and Danaher 2019).

Intellectual stimulation

A transformational leader should be able to encourage innovation and creativity in problem-solving among team members (Fischer 2017). They should be able to inspire critical thinking and stimulate team members to develop new ideas. Intellectual stimulation involves the transformational leader challenging the status quo in practice and developing a team which is prepared for change by expanding the capacity of its members to adapt and giving them the confidence to ‘push the boundaries’ of their abilities (Avolio and Bass 2001).

The leader should be prepared to ask questions that encourage team members to respond creatively, support team members to come up with inventive solutions to challenges, and empower them to believe in their ability to bring about change (Broome and Marshall 2017).

Individual consideration

This component of transformational leadership relates to the leader’s ability to focus on the needs of individual team members by responding to their unique experiences and facilitating their professional development (Northouse 2021). The leader should tailor the approach they use to meet the specific needs of individuals, nurture their growth and make them feel included (Collins et al 2019).

Individual consideration involves the transformational leader creating an environment in which individual team members feel valued and giving them the confidence to perform well and bring their ‘authentic self’ to their role. A transformational leader should be aware of their own level of emotional intelligence and how their communication style may be perceived by others; a lack of emotional intelligence may mean that they unconsciously undermine the efforts of colleagues or fail to recognise the emotional challenges a staff member is experiencing.

Role modelling best practice

Role modelling is a fundamental aspect of transformational leadership for influencing staff behaviour and improving team performance (Avolio and Bass 2001). Through leading by example, learning disability nurse leaders can raise the performance of individual team members and encourage them to strive towards achieving a shared goal, such as delivering high-quality care for people with learning disabilities (Ryan and Danaher 2019). By challenging in a confident and professional manner any misconceptions colleagues or visitors may have about the care of people with learning disabilities – for example, negative views about the value of blood tests or vaccinations – learning disability nurse leaders can set a positive example and empower team members to act in the same way. Similarly, consistently adhering to standards of professional behaviour such as optimal timekeeping and politeness in interactions with colleagues will encourage team members to adopt similar behaviours (Boamah 2022).

Empowering team members and colleagues

Transformational leaders can use their communication skills, emotional intelligence and problem-solving abilities to motivate others and bring about change (Avolio and Bass 2001). They should be able to empower individuals and teams to take the necessary steps towards achieving the team’s shared vision. This is where the emotional intelligence and communication skills of learning disability nurse leaders are paramount (Ryan and Danaher 2019).

These personal traits can be complemented by the use of a carefully designed and implemented clinical and managerial supervision model (Wade 2023). Supervision offers an opportunity for learning disability nurse leaders (as supervisors) to discuss how they can support each team member (as supervisees) on an individual, humanistic level. The leader should seek an authentic connection with the individual team member based on shared values. Supervisor and supervisee can learn about each other’s vision for the learning disability service and how their visions may align (Launer 2018, Featherbe 2023).

Transformational leadership encourages open and honest communication. Applied to supervision, this enables the supervisee to learn, reflect and ultimately consider how they can contribute to the team’s shared goal. Learning disability nurse leaders should take an individualised approach to staff mentoring as part of the supervision process and discuss learning and development opportunities based on each team member’s needs and interests. This will enable team members to feel empowered to contribute to the team’s mission. It can also reduce the risk of burnout and have a positive effect on staff retention (Conroy et al 2023).

Encouraging creative problem-solving

By encouraging creative problem-solving among team members, a transformational nurse leader can contribute to addressing some of the challenges involved in providing high-quality services for people with learning disabilities and their carers. One example of these challenges is the adaptation of the home environment to a service user’s sensory needs so that the need for moving elsewhere or admission to a care facility can be avoided where possible.

Adapting the home environment to a service user’s sensory needs could involve, for example, discussing with their carer the idea of ensuring access to a personalised ‘quiet space’. A transformational nurse leader should address any misconceptions and assumptions about the abilities and needs of people with learning disabilities while encouraging innovation and the individual talents of team members (Ystaas et al 2023).

The transformational leader of a learning disability nursing team will provide positive and constructive feedback on colleagues’ performance and encourage innovative problem-solving through the feedback process (Launer 2018). They will also recognise the individual emotions, communication style and needs of each team member. Where appropriate they will encourage team members to take on more complex roles and develop new skills; for example, by empowering social care colleagues to enhance the quality of life of people with learning disabilities by supporting these colleagues to teach life skills to service users and most importantly to coach service users to develop their own life skills in line with their likes, dislikes and goals (Savarimuthu 2020).

Empowering services users and their carers

In learning disability nursing there is a focus on the potential for service users and their carers to be involved in service development, and empowering them to do so is considered a crucial nursing role (Northway and Hopes 2022). Empowering service users and their carers is a core component of the care provided by learning disability services (RCN 2021). Patient empowerment also features in The Code: Professional Standards of Practice and Behaviour for Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Associates, primarily in standard 2.3 of the ‘prioritise people’ section, which states that nurses should ‘encourage and empower people to share in decisions about their treatment and care’ (NMC 2018b).

Learning disability nurses often act as advocates for service users and their carers, and are well-positioned to offer alternatives to harmful narratives and incorrect assumptions around learning disabilities; for example, the assumption that people with behavioural needs cannot live safely in the community or that people with complex disabilities cannot have a good quality of life (Doody et al 2019). Promoting inclusion by considering the lived experiences of people with learning disabilities often requires practical adaptations, such as closer involvement of carers in decision-making and the use of communication tools such as social stories. Ensuring that the voices of people with learning disabilities are heard and considered in service design and development can be challenging. Taking on that challenge is one way for learning disability nurses to demonstrate their leadership abilities (Jukes and Aspinall 2015, Doody et al 2019).

There should be opportunities for service users and their carers to contribute to leadership practices in a team or organisation. With the appropriate communication in place, people with learning disabilities can provide valuable insights into the overall environment and culture of a service (Martin and Hanley 2022). The transformational leader of a learning disability nursing team can use their communication, emotional intelligence and creative thinking skills to promote the inclusion of service users and their carers; for example, including their views in the development of a team’s shared mission statement or inviting them to provide feedback about proposed changes to the service. Incorporating the views and lived experiences of people with learning disabilities can have a galvanising effect on staff, who may be motivated to deliver high-quality care in response to feedback. It can also challenge nurse leaders to think critically about decisions affecting a learning disability service (Jukes and Aspinall 2015).