Spirituality and Effective Leadership in Healthcare: Is There a Connection?

Abstract

Does the level of a leader's spirituality affect his or her effectiveness as a leader? The existence or nonexistence of a link between leadership and spirituality is an emerging issue in the healthcare leadership and management literature. This article defines effective leadership and spirituality and reviews the literature for both healthcare and other organizations in the discussion of this link. It concludes that healthcare leaders who are more developed in terms of their actualized spirituality simultaneously implement the five practices of effective leaders: challenge the process, inspire a shared vision, enable others to act, model the way, and encourage the heart. Moreover, they achieve more positive results for their organizations.