Welcome to Leadership in the Literature, a roundup of recent articles/multimedia on leading and managing from Allina Health Library Services.
 

  1. What sets inspirational leaders apart? | 2025 | Harvard Business Review
    (Available in MN only, email library@allina.com for a copy outside of MN)
    When people around the world are asked to reflect on both inspiring leaders and infuriating leaders, they point to three factors that distinguish the former from the latter. Inspiring leaders are visionary: They see the big picture and offer an optimistic, meaningful view of the future. This fulfills the human need for meaning and purpose. Inspiring leaders are exemplars of desired behavior: They are calm and courageous protectors, authentically passionate, extremely competent but also humble. This fulfills the human need for protection and passion. Finally, inspiring leaders are great mentors: They empower, encourage, and are empathetic toward others, but they also challenge others to be the best version of themselves. This fulfills the human need for support and status. Each of us can develop the capacity to be inspiring in all three dimensions of leadership.
     
  2. What's the role of kindness in the healthcare context? A scoping review | 2025 | BMC Health Serv Res
    The role of kindness in healthcare is receiving increased attention. Indeed, international research shows that a culture of kindness has a positive impact on healthcare organizations, healthcare staff members, and patients. Benefits include better patient outcomes, as well as a humanized work environment, which helps to prevent stress and burnout among healthcare workers. Studies across different settings suggest that healthcare managers need to foster not only technical and organizational skills, but also social skills such as empathy and kindness. The purpose of this scoping review is to provide an overview of the current research landscape regarding initiatives based on acts of kindness in healthcare organizations. We will also explore whether this is a topic of interest to academics, which countries have conducted the most research on the subject, the practical implications for healthcare management, and potential directions for future research.
     
  3. Who are you as a leader? | 2025 | Harvard Business Review
    (Available in MN only, email library@allina.com for a copy outside of MN)
    Social scientists have recently developed a new appreciation for how your conception of yourself can affect your professional and personal lives. The good news is that recent research has shown that you can curate your identity in the workplace in ways that will improve your performance as a leader, the trust you're able to inspire in others, and even your overall well-being. The author discusses this research, including some of his own, and presents best practices for curating a multifaceted identity that will serve you well professionally and personally. At the center of this approach is the construction of what Ingram calls the identity map—a simple device that allows people to identify, visualize, and ultimately leverage the many interconnected elements that make up their sense of who they are. 
     
  4. Driving for results: Building a partnership-driven leadership model for recruiting and retaining Black newly licensed registered nurses | 2025 | Nurse Leader
    A health care system in the Southeastern United States explored the impact of nursing education, recruitment, and strategic initiatives focusing on Black newly licensed registered nurses (BNLRNs). Strategies included recruiting from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, cultivating academic-practice partnerships, infusing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into the Nurse Residency Program curriculum, creating formal mentoring programs, and health system inclusion council initiatives. Outcomes included an increase in the number of BNLRN hires and first-year retention rates. Leadership implications are vast; understanding workforce trends will innovate the future of nursing education and support for BNLRNs.
     
  5. Improving patient outcomes without breaking the bank: The rise in chronic diseases drives the use of novel therapies | 2025 | Healthcare Executive
    (Available in MN only, email library@allina.com for a copy outside of MN)
    The article focuses on the increasing prevalence of specialty drugs, with three-quarters of FDA-approved drugs in 2023 falling into this category. Topics include the rising cost of gene therapies, the challenges healthcare providers face in improving access to these expensive treatments, and creative solutions like partnerships to reduce costs and improve patient care.
     
  6. Emergency department boarding reflects ongoing strains | 2025 | NEJM Catalyst
    Emergency care has been in the spotlight since patient volume in emergency departments expanded in 2020 with Covid-19 patients, then waned as other ill and injured people avoided hospitals rather than risk exposure to the virus. As the public health emergency eased, ED volumes rebounded with patients who had delayed care in prior years or whose mental health suffered during the stress and isolation of the pandemic. For a current look at emergency care, NEJM Catalyst in November 2024 surveyed its Insights Council, a global group of clinicians, clinical leaders, and executives at health care delivery organizations.
     
  7. The role of artificial intelligence in supporting the core mission of nursing | 2025 | The Journal of Nursing Administration
    Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize nursing practice and care delivery by streamlining workflows, enhancing patient insights, and reducing cognitive burden. However, leaders must recognize that the adoption of AI introduces both promise and uncertainty. Nurse leaders must navigate the tension between driving innovation and addressing concerns about ethical implications, reliability, and the need to preserve high-quality, person-centered care. This article examines how leaders can thoughtfully integrate AI to support the core mission of nursing: to protect, promote, and optimize health for patients and communities.
     
  8. ‘We listened and supported and depended on each other’: a qualitative study of how leadership influences implementation of QI interventions. | 2025 | BMJ Quality Safety
    There is growing recognition in the literature of the ‘Herculean’ efforts required to bring about change in healthcare processes and systems. Leadership is recognised as a critical lever for implementation of quality improvement (QI) and other complex team-level interventions; however, the processes by which leaders facilitate change are not well understood. The aim of this study is to examine ‘how’ leadership influences implementation of QI interventions.
     
  9. How to develop your leadership style | 2025 | Harvard Business Review
    (Available in MN only, email library@allina.com for a copy outside of MN)
    Bosses often sense that something is missing in an employee's tool kit but can't put a finger on what it is. They say something like "You need certain important intangibles" or "You don't have enough gravitas," but they fail to provide advice or guidance. What they're talking about is leadership style. In every interaction, we send signals to others that fall into two categories: power and attractiveness. Powerful markers are associated with confidence, competence, charisma, and influence but also arrogance, abrasiveness, and intimidation. Attractiveness markers are related to agreeableness, approachability, and likability but also diffidence, lack of confidence, and submissiveness. The more consistent our signals, the more distinctive our style. This practical guide offers concrete advice for developing a dynamic and effective leadership style that draws from both types of markers for maximum impact.
     

Multimedia

  1. What you're missing by focusing on the average | 2024 | TED Talks - TED@BCG (video)
    Are you looking at the right data when making big decisions? Data deconstructor Sharon Zicherman challenges our reliance on averages, showing how they can be misleading — especially in life-changing moments. By rethinking the way we interpret data, he reveals a smarter approach to assessing risk and making better choices.