How to implement compassionate leadership in nursing teams
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

How to implement compassionate leadership in nursing teams

Emma Collins Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Keele University, Keele, England
Vanessa Foo Lecturer in adult nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Keele University, Keele, England
Marie Hotchkiss Lecturer in adult nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Keele University, Keele, England
Sally Phillimore Assistant director of undergraduate programmes and lecturer in adult nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Keele University, Keele, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your understanding of the components of compassionate leadership

  • To recognise how engaging in compassionate leadership might be beneficial for nurse leaders and teams

  • To consider the steps you could take to implement compassionate leadership in your practice

Rationale and key points

This article explains how to implement compassionate leadership in nursing teams. Compassionate leadership is an approach that aims to empower and support staff through four main behavioural principles – attending, understanding, empathising and helping.

• Compassionate leadership can be practised by all nurses, irrespective of their role or position, and with individuals or groups.

• For the nurse, understanding and reflecting on their own leadership style is the starting point for compassionate leadership, after which nurses may consider leading others.

• Implementing compassionate leadership can empower teams, enhancing team members’ performance, motivation and well-being.

• Compassionate leadership can also support improved outcomes for patients, since motivated nurses are more likely to provide high-quality care.

Reflective activity

‘How to’ articles can help to update your practice and ensure it remains evidence based. Apply this article to your practice. Reflect on and write a short account of:

• How this article might help you to introduce compassionate leadership into your nursing team.

• How you could use this article to educate nursing colleagues and students about the role of compassionate leadership in nursing teams.

Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2024.e2133

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

e.j.collins@keele.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Collins E, Foo V, Hotchkiss M et al (2024) How to implement compassionate leadership in nursing teams. Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2024.e2133

Disclaimer

Please note that information provided by How to articles is not sufficient to make the reader competent to perform the task. All clinical skills should be formally assessed according to policy and procedures. It is the nurse’s responsibility to ensure their practice remains up to date and reflects the latest evidence

Published online: 19 September 2024

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