Effect of leadership styles on turnover intention among staff nurses in private hospitals: the moderating effect of perceived organizational support.

Leadership styles have often been proven to support employees in performing their duties better and with more efficiency while enabling them to have extended organizational tenures. Staff nurses are an essential resource of hospitals to ensure proper administration and quality patient health care. The study aims to determine how transformational and authentic leadership styles affect the staff nurses' turnover intention in private hospitals. In addition, it also finds the moderating effect of perceived organizational support. An explanatory quantitative research design with a cross-sectional investigation and a stratified sampling strategy was used for the study. Data from 296 nurses from the eight chosen private hospitals in the Kingdom of Bahrain were gathered using a questionnaire with 24 items. Smart-PLS was employed to conduct PLS-SEM (partial least squares structural equation modeling) to measure direct and indirect effects. The result indicates that transformational, authentic leadership styles and perceived organizational support significantly negatively affect nurses' turnover intention. The study confirms the negative moderating effect of perceived organizational support between transformational leadership and turnover intention and the positive moderating effect of perceived organizational support between authentic leadership and turnover intention. Managers should concentrate on the leadership style to avoid its impact on turnover intention. By considering human resource practices such as communication and training strategies to cope with the negative effect of turnover intention, organizations can enhance employee engagement, improve job satisfaction, and foster a more stable and productive work environment. The present research revealed the adverse impact of turnover intention within hospitals by examining its association with leadership styles. The research made a significant contribution to the existing literature by delving into the impact of leadership styles on turnover intention, focusing on the moderating effect of perceived organizational support. The study's findings shed light on the intricate relationship between leadership practices and employee turnover, providing valuable insights for both scholars and practitioners in the field. The study used a cross-sectional design to collect data and ensured the absence of standard method variance. The research enhanced the social dominance theory (SDT) by examining how perceived organizational support moderates the relationship between leadership styles and turnover intention.

Transformational nurse leadership attributes in German hospitals pursuing organization-wide change via Magnet® or Pathway® principles: results from a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Budget constraints, staff shortages and high workloads pose challenges for German hospitals. Magnet® and Pathway® are concepts for implementing organization-wide change and redesigning work environments. There is limited research on the key elements that characterize nurse leaders driving the implementation of Magnet®/Pathway® principles outside the U.S. We explored the key attributes of nurse leaders driving organization-wide change through Magnet®/Pathway® principles in German hospitals. METHODS: Using a qualitative study design, semi-structured interviews (n = 18) were conducted with nurse leaders, managers, and clinicians, in five German hospitals known as having started implementing Magnet® or Pathway® principles. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed in Atlas.ti using content analysis. For the analysis, a category system was created using a deductive-inductive approach. RESULTS: Five leadership attributes and eleven sub-attributes were identified as main themes and sub-themes: Visionary leaders who possess and communicate a strong vision and serve as role models to inspire change. Strategic leaders who focus on strategic planning and securing top management support. Supportive leaders who empower, emphasizing employee motivation, individualized support, and team collaboration. Stamina highlights courage, assertiveness, and resilience in the face of challenges. Finally, agility which addresses a leader's presence, accessibility, and rapid responsiveness, fostering adaptability. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates leadership attributes explicitly focusing on instigating and driving organization-wide change through Magnet®/Pathway® principles in five German hospitals. The findings suggest a need for comprehensive preparation and ongoing development of nurse leaders aimed at establishing and sustaining a positive hospital work environment.

Fostering green transformational leadership: the influence of green educational intervention on nurse managers' green behavior and creativity.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the influence of green transformational leadership educational intervention on nurse managers' green behavior and creativity. BACKGROUND: Organizational creativity is greatly influenced by leaders and their personality attributes. Additionally, innovative employee behavior is crucial for organizational performance and survival, which in turn promotes long-term organizational growth. METHOD: A quasi-experimental design was conducted by using pre-test, post-test, and follow-up for a group that included 116 nurse managers who completed the intervention. Data were collected through the green transformational leadership knowledge questionnaire, green transformational leadership scale, green behavior questionnaire, and green creativity scale. RESULTS: Following the implementation of the Green Transformational Leadership educational intervention, there was an improvement in responses connected to the nurse manager's use of green behavior and creativity. Three months after the intervention ended, the improvement was still present. CONCLUSION: Nurse managers who had good knowledge about green transformational leadership showed increased green behavior and green creativity, which enhanced the organization's success. This study showed the significance of developing and improving the skills of managerial creativity for the nurse supervisor of a hospital through training in transformational leadership. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: The concept of "green transformational leadership" refers to leadership behaviors and strategies aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and responsibility within an organization or a specific context. In the case we mentioned, it involves implementing educational interventions targeted at nurse managers to enhance their understanding and adoption of green practices, as well as fostering green behavior and creativity among them.

Hardiness, leadership style and gender as predictors of leader performance in military academy cadets.

The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is widely considered the premier leader development institution in the United States. Since first admitting women in 1976, few studies have examined factors that may influence female cadets to perform as leaders in this environment. The present study analyzed archival data collected during a unique longitudinal study of leader development conducted at West Point during the years 1993-2000, the Baseline Officer Leader Development Study (BOLDS). Personality hardiness, transformational and transactional leadership styles were evaluated as potential predictors of performance as leaders, according to supervisor ratings. Regression results showed that female cadets excel as leaders, outperforming male cadets as a group. Hardiness and transformational leadership style predicted leader performance for both male and female cadets. Additional analyses indicated it is the transformational leadership element of "charismatic" (or idealized influence) leadership that accounts for this finding. The transactional component "management by exception-active" also predicted leader performance, but for male cadets only. This study confirms that hardiness and charismatic leadership style are important for leadership performance of both male and female cadets. For male cadets, leader performance was also tied to actively identifying and addressing failures in subordinates. Leader development programs for both men and women may thus be enhanced by including programs to develop personality hardiness and transformational leadership qualities.

A systematic review of leadership styles in healthcare sector: Insights and future directions.

In light of the ongoing global health crisis, the significance of leadership within the healthcare sector has intensified. Given this consideration, the significance of appropriate leadership styles cannot be overstated. The objective of this paper is to critically review published studies on leadership elements in the healthcare sector. Using Bibliometrix R package and VOS viewer, we conducted bibliometric and network analyses on publications retrieved from the Web of Science (WOS) database, with content analysis integrated throughout the paper to deepen understanding. Ultimately, 243 articles were identified as relevant. The findings revealed transformational leadership emerges as the most extensively discussed leadership style. 91% of the articles' theme focus on quantitative research methods. This study synthesizes the influencing factors of the three most frequently discussed leadership styles-transformational, authentic, and ethical leadership-emphasizing the importance of job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior. And provides direction for future research through thematic analysis.

Factors influencing work engagement of nurses in general hospitals: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: This study aimed to examine the level of work engagement and to identify the factors influencing the work engagement of nurses. BACKGROUND: Work engagement plays a crucial role in enhancing the efficiency of outcomes and the standard of care in nursing and healthcare services. METHODS: A descriptive predictive design and stratified random sampling was used to select 206 nurses from three general hospitals in Naypyitaw, Myanmar.. Research instruments consisted of the demographic data form, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Global Transformational Leadership Scale, the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support, and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire. The results were explored by applying descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Overall work engagement was at an average level. Transformational leadership and psychological capital could affect work engagement, explaining 19.34% of the total variance; however, perceived organizational support, age, and work experience did not show any impact on it. CONCLUSIONS: The findings recommend that nurse administrators should focus on transformational leadership and psychological capital in formulating strategies to increase nurses' work engagement. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: The outcomes might provide baseline information for nurse administrators and policymakers by formulating management strategies to enhance nursing leaders' awareness, knowledge, and skills about transformational leadership behaviors and to keep nurses holding self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience of psychological capital in healthcare organizations, which ultimately increase nurses' engagement at work.

Individual-level positive psychological capital that enhances managers' transformational leadership effectiveness on nurse career success.

AIMS: This study investigated the impact of nurse managers' transformational leadership on the subjective career success of staff nurses, particularly through exploring potential variations in this relationship based on nurses' positive psychological capital. BACKGROUND: Amid a challenging nursing environment, nurses' perceptions of career success affect their individual psychological satisfaction and improve work performance. Human resource strategies often include factors for workers' subjective career success, e.g., managers' transformational leadership and individual-level positive psychological capital. METHODS: This cross-sectional study collected survey data in 2021 from 348 staff nurses in 40 wards of a Korean tertiary hospital. The survey instruments included the Transformational Leadership tool, the Subjective Career Success Inventory, and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire. Multilevel hierarchical regression analysis and a simple slope test were used to examine moderating effects. The STROBE checklist was used for reporting. RESULTS: Nurses reported significantly higher subjective career success when they worked in units where unit managers' transformational leadership was greater. This relationship strengthened when nurses had high positive psychological capital. DISCUSSION: To enhance staff nurses' perceptions of career success, both managers' transformational leadership and individual nurses' positivity should be emphasized in nursing practice and education. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND NURSING POLICY: Comprehensive efforts to highlight managers' transformational leadership and staff nurses' positive psychological capital can enhance subjective career success, which in turn improve nurses' job performance and intention to stay. Nursing policymakers should value transformational leadership among managers so nurses can achieve their subjective goals. An organization-wide institutional system should be developed so nurses can receive support to strengthen their positivity. Future research should include interventions to foster managers' leadership and nurses' positive capital.

Embracing Transformational Leadership in Nephrology Nursing.

In nephrology nursing, effective leadership ensures optimal patient care and cohesive teamwork. Despite this, nurses often overlook their leadership potential, leading to underrepresentation in health care leadership roles. This article explores the significance of nursing leadership in nephrology care and delves into the principles of transformational leadership as a fitting approach. Transformational leadership emphasizes inspiring and motivating teams toward shared goals, fostering innovation, and individualized consideration. Each aspect of transformational leadership is discussed, including how it can be applied to nephrology nursing leaders, emphasizing their role in shaping organizational culture, promoting home modalities, and fostering professional development. By embracing transformational leadership, nephrology nursing can enhance patient outcomes, address workforce challenges, and cultivate a new generation of influential leaders. This article advocates for adopting transformational leadership to meet the evolving needs of nephrology care and supporting the professional growth of nephrology nurses in leadership roles.

Transformational leadership, well-being, morale, and readiness: The mediating role of empowerment.

Transformational leadership is embedded in the value system of the Canadian military ethos. Research suggests that transformational leadership can be viewed as a form of empowering leadership facilitating empowered psychological states among their followers, which in turn, enhances their performance, wellbeing, and engagement. The current study examined the associations between transformational leadership and Canadian Armed Forces members' psychological distress, morale, and pre-deployment readiness and the mediating role of psychological empowerment in these relationships. A path analysis model of the data collected through a pre-deployment survey completed by Canadian Armed Force (CAF) members (N = 2,391) revealed that transformational leadership was associated with lower psychological distress and greater morale and these relationships were partly explained by increased feelings of empowerment, namely higher levels of autonomy, competence, and meaning. Furthermore, transformational leadership was also associated with higher perceptions of pre-deployment readiness, and this was partly explained by increased feelings of meaning and competence. The results of this research suggest that transformational leadership is an effective strategy to bolster psychological resources and readiness in the CAF.

Taken to the extreme: Transformational leadership, psychological capital, and follower health outcomes in extreme contexts.

The purpose of this study is to examine the boundary conditions of transformational leadership, follower psychological capital, and their effects on follower mental health outcomes. Specifically, we utilize archival, multi-wave data from a military sample to examine whether the negative relationship between transformational leadership and adverse follower stress outcomes increases as the context shifts from a relatively safe environment to one in which follower lives are at risk. Additionally, psychological capital, a constellation of personal psychological resources, is also assessed to account for individual buffers against extreme stressors. Findings from the current study suggest that the negative relationship between transformational leadership and follower stress increases significantly when the context shifts to a high-risk, mortality-salient environment.

'A journey of self-discovery and transformation': A theoretical and comprehensive evaluation of the Queen's nursing institute Scotland community development programme.

AIM: To evaluate adoption, implementation and maintenance of the Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland development programme. DESIGN: A comprehensive, longitudinal, qualitative evaluation. METHOD: Participants from the first two cohorts were interviewed at different stages to explore adoption, implementation and maintenance. Managers of participants engaged in interviews to explore service changes. Facilitators took part in a focus group exploring delivery. A member-checking event was held. Data collection was between March 2017 and October 2019. Data analysis was thematically followed by the application of Normalization Process Theory. RESULT: Ninety-four interviews, two focus groups and a member-checking event were conducted. Prior to the programme most participants were burnt-out and considering leaving. Engaging led to a journey of self-discovery and transformation. The programme was perceived to change their way of thinking, personally and professionally, unlike any training and development previously experienced. Participants were rejuvenated and reinvigorated, sharing their learning with colleagues, service users and family, implementing new working practices and furthering their careers. They developed communities of practice amongst their cohorts with strong bonds; enabling them to build and sustain learnings. CONCLUSION: Participants experienced a journey of self-discovery and transformation unlike anything before due to the personal investment in them. Participants were rejuvenated and reinvigorated with many moving into new roles. The programme equipped them with a range of leadership and resilience skills. IMPACT: The Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland Development Programme had a profound impact on participants, personally and professionally, which was perceived as lifelong. These findings and programmes are transferable beyond Scotland and to different professions.

The impact of leadership styles on employee safety behaviour among Chinese healthcare workers: The moderating role of cooperation facilitation.

With the support of social exchange theory and social impact theory, this study aimed to examine the impact of transactional and transformational leadership on safety behaviour with the moderating role of cooperation facilitation in Chinese healthcare workers. This study used a simple random sampling method and data were collected from healthcare workers in Zhenjiang city, Jiangsu province, China. A total of 376 questionnaires were utilised and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was used for data analysis. The result showed that transactional and transformational leadership positively impact safety behaviour of health care workers. The findings also indicated that cooperation facilitation positively moderates the relationship between transactional and transformational leadership on safety behaviour. This study provides an insightful contribution that leadership must encourage the workers to cooperate in safety-related activities to make the work environment healthier and safer. Lastly, this study also discussed some theoretical and practical implications for researchers and policymakers.

The association between nurse managers' transformational leadership and quality of patient care: A systematic review.

AIM: To examine and summarize the reported association of nurse managers' transformational leadership and quality of patient care based on the perceptions of registered nurses. BACKGROUND: Transformational leadership behaviors of nurse managers result in staff nurses' satisfaction and retention and patient satisfaction. Patient safety and quality of care are vital to high-performing healthcare organizations. Perceptions of registered nurses are important because nurses are frontline healthcare providers fundamental to patient safety and quality of care and are considered the final line of defense in preventing adverse events and errors and improving the safety of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We  searched the CINAHL, ProQuest, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science databases for evidence published between 2018 and 2022 in the English language. We adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines in carrying out this meta-analysis. RESULTS: Nine quantitative studies were appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklists and were included in the final review that involved a total sample of 3633 registered nurses. The included studies were reported across Asian, Middle East, and European countries within the past five years. The association between the transformational leadership behaviors of nurse managers and the quality of patient care was found in varying degrees (i.e., insignificant, weak, indirect, and strong direct association) based on the perceptions of registered nurses. CONCLUSIONS: There is a direct and indirect association between the transformational leadership behaviors of nurse managers and the quality of patient care internationally. This association is influenced by confounding and mediating factors, including gender, organizational culture, structural empowerment, and job satisfaction. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICIES: Healthcare organizations need to support nursing leaders to have a stronger transformational leadership style by considering several factors that influence their leadership to improve the quality of patient care their staff nurses provide at the bedside.

A stepped-wedge randomized trial investigating the effect of the Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation (LOCI) intervention on implementation and transformational leadership, and implementation climate.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluates the Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation (LOCI) strategy and its effect on implementation leadership, transformational leadership, and implementation climate. METHODS: A stepped wedge cluster randomized study design enrolling 47 first-level leaders from child- and adult-specialized mental health clinics within Norwegian health trusts across three cohorts. All therapists (n = 790) received training in screening of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress, and a subgroup of therapists (n = 248) received training in evidence-based treatment methods for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). First-level leaders and therapists completed surveys at baseline, 4, 8-, 12-, 16-, and 20-months assessing leadership and implementation climate. General linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate whether the LOCI strategy would lead to greater therapist-rated scores on implementation leadership, transformational leadership, and implementation climate. RESULTS: After introducing the LOCI strategy, there was a significant increase in therapist-rated implementation and transformational leadership and implementation climate. The increase was sustained at all measurement time points compared to non-LOCI conditions, which demonstrated a steady decrease in scores before LOCI. CONCLUSIONS: The LOCI strategy can develop better transformational and implementation leadership skills and contribute to a more positive implementation climate, which may enhance successful EBP implementation. Thus, LOCI can help leaders create an organizational context conducive for effective EBP implementation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered: ClinicalTrials NCT03719651 , 25th of October 2018. The trial protocol can be accessed from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6417075/ .

Transformational leadership as a mediator between work-family conflict, nurse-reported patient safety outcomes, and job engagement.

PURPOSE: Work-family conflict (WFC) is an important issue in nursing administration and management that is associated with reduced work effectiveness and patient safety issues. To date, very few studies have attempted to explain the mechanisms underlying these relationships. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of work-family conflict (WFC) on patient safety outcomes and job engagement via the intermediary role of transformational leadership (TL). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Seven hundred fifty-four nurses from 10 acute care hospitals in the Philippines were included in this cross-sectional study. FINDINGS: A higher perception of WFC was associated with increased adverse events, reduced quality of care and decreased job engagement. WFC was indirectly associated with quality of care, adverse events and job engagement through the intermediary of TL. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study underscore the important role of nurse managers' TL in sustaining work-family balance and, in turn, improving patient safety outcomes and enhancing job engagement among nurses. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Institutional measures to foster patient safety outcomes and sustain the nursing workforce should involve enhancing nurse managers' leadership behaviors through theory-driven interventions, periodic leadership assessment, and implementation of leadership development activities. WFC may be addressed by creating empowering work conditions, providing adequate coaching and mentorship to nurses, and implementing work-family friendly policies in the workplace.

The impact of transformational leadership on nurse faculty satisfaction and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic: A moderated mediated analysis.

AIMS: To examine the effects of nursing deans/directors' transformational leadership behaviours on academic workplace culture, faculty burnout and job satisfaction. BACKGROUND: Transformational leadership is an imperative antecedent to organizational change, and employee well-being and performance. However, little has been espoused regarding the theoretical and empirical mechanisms by which transformational leaders improve the academic workplace culture and faculty retention. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey design was implemented. METHODS: Nursing faculty employed in Canadian academic settings were invited to complete an anonymous online survey in May-July 2021. A total of 645 useable surveys were included in the analyses. Descriptive statistics and reliability estimates were performed. The moderated mediation model was tested using structural equation modelling in the Analysis of Moment software v24.0. Bootstrap method was used to estimate total, direct and indirect effects. RESULT: The proposed study model was supported. Transformational leadership had both a strong direct effect on workplace culture and job satisfaction and an inverse direct effect on faculty burnout. While workplace culture mediated the effect of leadership on job satisfaction and burnout, the moderation effect of COVID-19 was not captured in the baseline model. CONCLUSION: The findings provide an in-depth understanding of the factors that affect nursing faculty wellness, and evidence that supportive workplace culture can serve as an adaptive mechanism through which transformational leaders can improve retention. A transformational dean/director can proactively shape the nature of the academic work environment to mitigate the risks of burnout and improve satisfaction and ultimately faculty retention even during an unforeseen event, such as a pandemic. IMPLICATION: Given the range of uncertainties associated with COVID-19, administrators should consider practicing transformational leadership behaviours as it is most likely to be effective, especially in times of uncertainty and chaos. In doing so, academic leaders can work towards equitable policies, plans and decisions and rebuild resources to address the immediate and long-term psychological and overall health impacts of COVID-19.

Factors influencing intention to stay of male nurses: A descriptive predictive study.

Nurse shortages and nurse attrition are high in many countries, and there is also a dearth of male nurses in the profession. This study aimed to examine the level of intention to stay and ten predictors of this among male nurses in China. A descriptive, predictive study was administered to 480 registered male nurses. Eight research instruments were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were employed to analyze the data. The overall intention to stay in the nursing profession as perceived by male nurses was at a moderate level. Binary logistic regression demonstrated that work group cohesion, transformational leadership, career growth, and job satisfaction were significant predictors, explaining 32.2% of the total variance for intention to stay. The findings of this study provide suggestions for nursing administrators and policymakers to develop appropriate strategies or interventions to increase the intention to stay for male nurses to stay in the profession, based on the four predictors.

Leading in times of crisis: How perceived COVID-19-related work intensification links to daily e-mail demands and leader outcomes.

The COVID-19 crisis brought numerous challenges to work life. One of the most notable may be the acceleration of digital transformation, accompanied by an intensification of e-mail usage and related demands such as high e-mail workload. While research quickly started to examine the implications of these changes for employees, another important group of stakeholders has been overlooked: leaders. We focus on leaders during the COVID-19 crisis and examine how COVID-19-related work intensification links to leaders' e-mail overload appraisal and finally exhaustion and transformational leadership, a leader behaviour especially needed in times of crisis. In a 5-day diary study in September 2020, 84 leaders responded to daily surveys on 343 days. Results of multilevel analysis showed that perceived COVID-19-related work intensification was positively linked to worktime spent dealing with e-mail and appraised e-mail overload. E-mail overload appraisal was positively related to leaders' exhaustion, but unrelated to their transformational behaviour. Day-specific time spent dealing with e-mail, however, was negatively related to transformational leadership. E-mail overload appraisal mediated the relationship between COVID-19-related work intensification and exhaustion. Turning the focus on leaders during the COVID-19 crisis, our study has important implications for the design of work of leaders in times of crisis and beyond.

Building research capacity and culture: Exploring nurses' experience of implementing a nurse-led clinical trial.

AIM: To explore the experiences of a nursing team who implemented an international nurse-led clinical trial in practice and understand the facilitators to their involvement. BACKGROUND: The role and responsibilities of the clinical nurse are advancing to encompass research activity to help inform evidence-based practice. However, several personal and organisational challenges can inhibit nurses' capacity to implement and undertake research within clinical practice. METHODS: Three focus groups were conducted with members of a nursing team (N = 18). Thematic analysis was employed, and themes were identified and agreed upon by the research team. RESULTS: Five themes were identified: 'Previous experience of and attitudes to participation in clinical research', 'Decision-making regarding participation in the clinical trial', 'Facilitators of participation in the clinical trial', 'Challenges of research in nursing practice' and 'Future orientation towards research'. CONCLUSION: Through their experiences of implementing a nurse-led clinical trial within practice, nurses recognized a number of facilitators and challenges to their participation. The perceived relevance of the clinical trial to the nurses' practice, potential to improve patient care and appreciation of the nurse leader's expertise and understanding of their context were key motivators. Reciprocal trust with the nurse leader who was encouraging, motivating, supportive and accessible resulted in the engagement and commitment of the nursing team. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: This paper offers a perspective that can inform senior nursing management teams when implementing and conducting evidence-based research amongst nursing teams and in doing so meet the needs of developing research capacity amongst clinical nurses.

Relationship between nursing mentorship and transformational leadership of mentor: A cross-sectional study.

AIM: The purpose of this research was to explore nurses' mentorship, mentors' basic psychological needs satisfaction and transformational leadership. Moreover, this study evaluated the moderating role of a protégé's mindfulness. BACKGROUND: Previous research had only focused on the benefits that protégés reaped from the mentoring relationship, neglected the mentor's benefits. METHOD: We conducted an analysis of a cross-sectional sample comprising 366 frontline nurses in China. Descriptive, correlation and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS 22.0. Mediating, moderating and conditional process analyses were conducted using Process Macro 3.3. RESULTS: Mentorship is associated with mentors' transformational leadership through the satisfaction of their basic psychological needs (ß = .13, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.05, 0.23]). The indirect association of mentorship and transformational leadership is stronger for protégés with low mindfulness levels (ß = -.05, 95% CI: [-0.08, -0.02]). CONCLUSION: The establishment of healthy associations between mentors and protégés facilitates the fulfilment of the mentors' basic psychological needs, enhancing the former's transformational leadership, especially for protégés with low mindfulness levels. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Mentors should provide more meaningful knowledge about the organisation and protégés' career path, obtain information to help tailor the advice and put more energy into building trust-based relationships with protégés.