Martha Rogers Leadership Style, Essay Example

Introduction

Over the years, there have been individuals who have in some very special ways influenced different fields of knowledge in ways that no one would imagine anyone being able to achieve. Such individuals always find their way to works of history and their contribution to bettering humanity will forever be recognized centuries long after they are gone. One such individual to be forever recognized for their contribution in the field of medicine is Martha Rogers who lived an exceptional life and made major contribution in nursing. She was an exceptional theorist, researcher and author. Most of her work especially her theories have shaped knowledge in the nursing profession. Her theories also have had an immense impact in the general performance of nursing. Her book, An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing is now a must read for anyone who wishes to make a good career in the nursing.

Given that there have been other exceptional individuals, such as Florence Nightingale, who had already made a major impact to the development of nursing, Martha Rogers’ ability to redefine nursing and nursing procedures through providing a clear understanding of what goes on in nursing makes her to be a leader in the nursing profession.

To clearly prove that Martha Rogers deserves to be considered a great leader, it is imperative to note some of the special features that qualify one to be a leader and compare them to some of the highlights of features of the live of Martha Rogers.

Description of leadership

The term leadership has different meanings to different people. However, the most held view of the leadership is when an individual in special ways is able to influence others to follow him/her. When an individual is able to influence the actions and behavior of others such that they follow what he/she does or believes then there is leadership (Yoder-Wise, 2003). Leadership is the process that an individual is able to a change the views, behavior, character and knowledge of others with the objective of attaining a certain goal. Such transformation is achieved through the leader communicating their opinion, knowledge on what is to be achieved for the followers can emulate. This means that the leaders should be aware what is to be achieved and the best way that the stated objectives can be realized. The leader fills the followers with the knowledge that they posses on what is to be achieved and how it is to be achieved and the followers act upon the guidance of the leaders. Besides excellent communications skills, guiding others towards achieving a stated goal also requires that a leader has a shared vision, knowledge and passion for target goal.

 Analysis of Martha Rogers’s leadership in nursing

With the characteristics of leadership having been clearly established, we now analyze some of the traits of Martha Rogers to establish whether she is worth to be a leader. Being a girl in early 1930s and having passion for medicine makes her to be an exceptional individual. Though she did not eventually finish her degree in Medicine due to the pressure, she still showed an individual who was determined, visionary and always knew what she wanted in life.  Such traits always form the backbone of any exceptional leader as many individuals always get inspired by such extraordinary passion and would wish to follow the same path in life (Marriner-Tomey & Raile-Alligood, 2006).

Most exceptional leaders motivate and influence their followers towards stated goal accomplishments. The leader helps the followers by providing the necessary support to the followers so that the path towards the goal to be accomplished is made easier. A leader therefore, through their constant guidance helps their followers aim at a given goal and how the stated goal can be achieved. Martha Rogers in this case perfectly fits to be leader as she has helped many of her followers identify their objective in life and the ways that they can best achieve this objective (Feldman, 2008) many individuals would wish to be nurses after a careful examination of her career. She points out the target in her profession, that is, to be able to provide effective care to those who are not in a position to take care of themselves because of medical conditions. She ensures that the path to the objective is made simple to the followers. Her numerous theories on nursing help her followers achieve their objective. Also her effective communications through numerous publications to her audience on nursing knowledge have immortalized her in the world of care giving. Like a true leader, she helped her followers identify their objective, and provided guidance on how such objective can be achieved. Her numerous publications on nursing topics and nursing theories have simplified the path to effective care giving.

Rogers for a long time still remains a respected individual for her contribution to the nursing profession. Rogers was independent and determined individual. She always sought to be perfect in whatever she did despite all the skepticism around her. Rogers is considered an original thinker in nursing for efforts of thinking and synthesizing and re-synthesizing knowledge in nursing to a complete new thought. Most individuals in the nursing profession today consider her to be ahead of her time and out of this world.

Leaders are known to elevate the performance of their followers to a higher level of achievement. They also improve morality of their followers through their inspiring behavior, way of live and also their communication to their followers. Rogers until today still improves the performance of those in the nursing profession through her inspiring life, work, and her great teachings and publications. Her writings guide everyone in the nursing profession while her theories have minimized the number of research to be conducted in nursing.

Summary 

Martha Rogers made a lasting contribution to the science of health care giving despite the heavy skepticism that surrounded her. She lived an inspiring life such that she still has followers long after her death. She managed to inspire those in the nursing profession to provide effective care to patients. Like a true leader she constantly communicated to her followers through her writings to provide constant guidance towards attaining efficacy in health care giving. Her theories also qualify her to be a true leader. This is because many leaders strive to make the path towards the achievement of an objective easier for their followers.

Given all the above qualities of leadership that and how they have been shown in the life of Martha Rogers, It is without doubt that she is a good example of a great leader in the nursing profession. She will be forever remembered for simplifying knowledge in nursing and also for her publications that aid in improving provision of quality care.

References

Feldman, H. R. (2008).  Feldman, H. R. & Jaffe-Ruiz, M (ed). Nursing leadership: a concise encyclopedia. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

Marriner-Tomey, A. (2004). Guide to nursing management and leadership. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Marriner-Tomey, A  & Raile-Alligood (2006). Nursing theorists and their work. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences.

Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2003). Leading and managing in nursing. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences.