NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
Chamberlain University NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION– Step-By-Step Guide
This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Chamberlain University NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.
How to Research and Prepare for NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Chamberlain University NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.
After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.
How to Write the Introduction for NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
The introduction for the Chamberlain University NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.
How to Write the Body for NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
After the introduction, move into the main part of the NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.
Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.
How to Write the Conclusion for NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.
How to Format the References List for NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.
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Provide an introduction to the reflective essay. Consider your personal leadership competencies Explain two specific examples of how leadership competencies will impact your practice in the selected MSN track. Provide a conclusion to the reflective essay.
Sample Answer for NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
In research, the literature review describes existing knowledge about the topic, reveals gaps and further research questions to be answered, and provides a rationale for engaging in a new study. The literature review provides evidence to answer clinical questions and make informed decisions in evidence-based practice. Quality improvement studies also begin with searching the literature to gather available knowledge about a problem and explore interventions used in other settings. The appearance of journals that predatory publishers publish has introduced the danger that reviews of the literature include inadequate, poorly designed, and low-quality information being used as “evidence”—raising the possibility of risky and harmful practice. A helpful literature review requires searching various reliable and credible databases such as MEDLINE (through PubMed or Ovid) and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), among others relevant to the topic. The ease of searching using a web browser (now commonly referred to as “googling”) has increased the risk of finding sources published in predatory. Low-quality journals that have not met the standards of research and scholarship can be regarded as credible and reliable evidence ( Oermann, Wrigley, Nicoll, Ledbetter, Carter-Templeton, & Edie, 2021).
Reflective Essay: Leadership
Advance practice nurses should possess certain leadership competencies that allow them to offer high quality and patient-centered care interventions in their clinical practice. Nurses in advanced practice should possess competencies that include adaptability, capacity to impact others, effective communication, self-care skills and ability to health colleagues to grow, and having a positive attitude. Through these competencies, they develop effective knowledge, better practice skills and attitudes to become successful leaders. Nurses and nurse leaders should conduct self-analysis and reflection to understand their strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this reflective essay is to discuss my personal leadership competencies through self-analysis, and the consequences of the competencies for advanced nurse practitioners.
Personal leadership Competencies that will impact Selected MSN Track
Effective and successful leaders in any profession demonstrate competencies that allow them to execute their roles well and inspire their employees or followers. For instance, effective leaders should be good communicators, possess knowledge, be motivational, honest, and uphold high levels of integrity and positive attitudes. Over the years that I have practiced as a nurse and now focus on my MSN track, I have gained experience and knowledge in nursing practice that I believe position me in a strategic place to inspire others in the profession. The experience has allowed me to become competent in a host of areas and develop different attitudes in different circumstances. My emotions, feelings, beliefs and values have helped to shape my perspective as a nurse and leader.
I believe that as a leader, I have developed a positive and understanding approach to life. I focus on building relationship and interactive engagement with patients and colleagues. Being a leader comes with a host of changes and sometimes, it is difficult for team members. However, I have developed essential coping approaches that enable me to remain positive and understanding as colleagues and even my senior managers try to navigate the delicate balance in care provision between resource allocation and quality care delivery. I have nurtured a change mentality and believe that the only constant thing in nursing profession and practice is embracing change. Accepting change is significant for a leader for they can motivate and inspire others struggling due to change and build a positive perspective. Successful leaders understand and work towards the wellbeing of their followers or employees (Dufour et al., 2019). The leader’s perspective on change has direct impact on staff and patient outcomes. A leader is vital because of the support role that he or she plays in the care delivery system.
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Another robust area that I have possessed is developing relationships through mutual respect and understanding. As a leader, one cannot inspire and motivate others as well as provide direction if they do not build relationships with both patients and colleagues. Maintaining positive interactions and relationships within the workplace environment is critical to job satisfaction for nurses. The implication is that a nurse leader should show support to followers and ensure that they understand their duties and responsibilities to attain better outcomes (Phillips et al., 2017). Through better and friendly relationships, members of the nursing team can express their ideas, identify weak areas that need improvement and demonstrate a positive attitude to care provision in general.
The other competence that I possess is the ability to communicate effectively and offer feedback where necessary to nurses. Provision of timely feedback impacts the performance of nursing care directly. As a leader, timely communication allows nurses to execute their roles and responsibilities in the most successful manner and enhance patient experience (Stuart et al., 2020). While it is delicate to communicate well and maintain friendship with colleagues, I believe that with increased support and use of effective nursing strategies, I will attain quality care outcomes and enhance nurses’ experience in care provision.
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Conversely, I struggle with being flexible and not to focused on the systematic way of doing things. A leader should be accommodating and flexible to attain a better way of dealing with subordinates and articulating her issues for better performance. I am focused on details and believe in a certain level of perfection. However, I require the same from my colleagues and staff without giving room for improvement. I should work on this area to ensure that I generate effective interactions with subordinates and ensure that through flexible approaches, they can improve their overall performance.
Implications for Advanced Nursing Practice
My advanced practice nursing specialty is to become a nurse executive. Leadership competencies will affect my future as a nurse executive through my perspective on the profession and the trust that I will build with colleagues and even patients. The implication is that I should work on my weak area so that the staff consider me as a reliable resource to help them understand and improve their performance. Being honest and transparent promotes trust and rapport even when sometimes people do not agree based on certain issues or positions. Secondly, my leadership competencies will impact my future as a nurse executive by allowing me to succeed and perform better. I must continue doing self-analysis and evaluation to become a successful leader in my specialty. Performing self-assessment and working on my weak areas will provide many benefits to me as a future leader.
Conclusion
Leadership competencies are important for one to succeed in their role as leaders. Identification of one’s strengths and weaknesses is critical for anyone to succeed in their role as leaders. The essay has provided the chance to understand my positive areas and sections that need improvement. The assignment has been critical in helping nurture and understand the kind of a leader that I am or I should be in the future.
References
Dufour, E., Duhoux, A., and Bolduc, J. (2019). Measured and perceived effect of audit and
feedback on nursing performance: A mixed methods of systemic review protocol. Systemic Reviews, 8(38), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-019-0956-1
Phillips, A., Yen, P. Y., Kennedy, M., & Collins, S. (2017). Opportunity and approach for
implementation of a self-assessment tool: Nursing Informatics Competencies for Nurse Leaders (NICA-NL). Study on Health Technology & Informatics, 232, 207-211. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28106599/
Stuart, W., Moore, B., and Sims, B. (2020). Understanding nurse perception of leadership
empathy. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 44(1), 78-86. DOI: 10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000396
Sample Answer 2 for NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
Leadership skills are considered important in management as it helps individuals achieve personal and professional success in an organization. Even though people tend to have different leadership skills, it is important to take into account leadership styles that befit a given set of an organization to improve the quality of management (Parush & Koivunen, 2014). Often, inculcating effective leadership styles requires one to undertake self-reflection to learn about different approaches that will guide in making decisions. However, based on the trait theory of leadership, the ability to lead a team is a concept that one can acquire and develop throughout time. Guided by this argument, I will use self-assessment tools to assess my leadership strengths. I will avail results of the self-assessment tests and provide a brief explanation of areas for improvement to develop my future leadership styles.
Selected Self-Assessments and the Results
Emotional intelligence assessment is the first option to gauge my ability to lead. The self-awareness test is based on the analysis of emotions and how they influence our interactions with people. Emotions determine how a leader manages anger issues and also helps one to solve conflicts among subjects (Presbitero, 2017). Emotional intelligence also explores the ability of a person to communicate effectively with members of a team and therefore is considered one of the vital skills in leadership. Based on the test undertaken, my emotional intelligence results are 120 and this reveals that I am flawless. In other words, I follow perfection in achieving the outcomes of a given task. I also strive to ensure that activities are done as per the plan and also try as much as possible to avoid mistakes in doing my work.
The second self-assessment test taken involves a personality assessment. This assessment focuses on the analysis of traits of an individual to ascertain whether a person is fit for leadership or can settle as a subject to be led by others. According to leadership theories, people can have inherent traits that give them a competitive edge of others (Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014). Personality traits like confidence can make one stand out to be a good leader especially in situations where tough decisions are to be made. As per the test undertaken, my personality assessment tests indicate that I am an advocate. In essence, I tend to evaluate the circumstances before making a judgment. I also use intuition to direct mental energy in solving pertinent issues that arise in the current place of work. My identity reveals that I am confident when making decisions in the organization.
The third self-awareness test selected was a value assessment. The evaluation approach provides a brief description of the motivation of a person. The assessment is vital as it determines the behavior of a person based on what one considers as more important in life (Sutherland & Jelinek, 2015). As per the tests on value assessment, my results indicate a high score for instrumental values. The premise means that I use logic, intellect, and self-control when making a judgment in the health facility. I am also ambitions, honest, courageous and forgiving when working with colleagues.
Leadership Style that aligns to Philosophy of Care
Flawless as a result of my emotional intelligence test closely aligns with my philosophy of care. The approach focuses on perfection and yielding positive results. Flawless trait encourages people to do good by following the clearly developed standards of procedure in an organization (Tuleja, 2014). With this, limited conflicts related to insubordination and neglect of duties are avoided. Besides, flawless trait strengthens the working of a given system as it requires people to work as per the stipulated protocols.
Incorporating Elements of Flawless Trait during Practice of Leadership
Even though human beings may not achieve 100% perfection, the flawless trait will enable me to motivate my team to achieve the best as per their abilities. Often, clinical practice requires utmost accuracy by using the available clinical guidelines to optimize quality care to patients (Sutherland & Jelinek, 2015). With the flawless trait, I will motivate my team to be accurate in using the recommended practice of care to avoid errors in clinical procedures related to negligence (Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014). The style will also help me to organize shift hours among the health care team. Through this approach, shift hours will be equitably distributed to limit burnout due to unbalanced distribution of duties. I believe this will foster positive interactions among the healthcare staff and enhance cooperation among the team as they strive to provide quality services to patients (Parush & Koivunen, 2014).
Areas for Improvement
Through the self-assessment tests, I realize that I need to improve my personality. Particularly, I need to develop an identity of being assertive and confident, especially when making tough decisions that support the life of patients (Tuleja, 2014). Besides, I need to improve my tactics in dealing with colleagues at work. I tend to use negative judgment towards health staff who are not perfect in their work and this often compromises the effectiveness of my leadership (Presbitero, 2017). I also have the challenge of using intuition to make a judgment in all situations within the health setting. I believe that some situations require observation rather than intuition to solve and therefore I purpose to be more observant when dealing with health staff.
Conclusion
The effectiveness of a leader depends on the personality traits that they possess. The assessment revealed the personality traits that I possess while also showing the areas that need improvements. The assessment conducted herein therefore allows me to know that kind of a leader that I am and what I can do to improve.
References
Nanjundeswaraswamy, T. S., & Swamy, D. R. (2014). Leadership styles. Advances in management, 7(2), 57.
Parush, T., & Koivunen, N. (2014). Paradoxes, double binds, and the construction of ‘creative’managerial selves in art-based leadership development. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 30(1), 104-113.
Presbitero, A. (2017). It’s not all about language ability: motivational cultural intelligence matters in call center performance. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(11), 1547-1562.
Sutherland, I., & Jelinek, J. (2015). From experiential learning to aesthetic knowing: The arts in leadership development. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 17(3), 289-306.
Tuleja, E. A. (2014). Developing cultural intelligence for global leadership through mindfulness. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 25(1), 5-24.
Sample Answer 3 for NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
Developing leadership skills implores one to be self-aware to recognize strengths, weaknesses, and values. Further, understanding emotional intelligence and learning styles allow one to be a more effective leader, especially in nursing in particular, and healthcare in general. Being self-aware is a gradual and ongoing process that needs introspection (Wagner, 2018). Through self-introspection, one gets that chance to know their behaviors and seek approaches that attract them to people and allow them to enhance their abilities, meet professional goals and improve overall performance. Leading teams as advanced by the traits leadership theory implores one to enhance their self-awareness and use effective approaches to integrate all stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to provide a self-retrospection of my leadership skills and abilities as an emergency room nurse for over ten years based on self-assessment using different tools.
Rational and Brief Summary for Selection of Each Assessment
The performance of self-assessments allows leaders to recognize their leadership style and use it to enhance performance among the followers or subordinates. Continual and routine self-reflection allows leaders to understand their actions and adjust how they interact and work with others which improve their potential to meet desired objectives. Taking different assessments is essential as it shows a leader various skills that they possess and aligns them with the expectations from employees and others (Wagner, 2018). Healthcare is fast transforming based on reforms, rising demand for care due to an aging population, and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases like the ongoing Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (Kül & Sönmez, 2021). Great leaders must adapt their styles with the change and focus on influencing those around them to attain optimum performance.
The three self-assessments that I selected include Personality Assessment, Learning Style Assessment, and value assessment. The outcomes of each test helped me introspect on my leadership style that entails strengths and weaknesses. Good leaders inspire and motivate their teams based on the type of leadership model they adopt. The Personality Assessment test identified me as a consul where I am extraverted, feeling, observant, and with judgmental traits. Consuls value their responsibility and focus on doing things perfectly. They understand their responsibilities, follow rules, use warmth and social intelligence to help people know their roles and obligations. While people may have different styles, a leader should enhance their proficiency to engage the followers. Taking this assessment allowed me to understand that I exhibit the personality trait of consul as I strive to attain robust practical skills, a strong sense of duty, and following laid protocols by the organization.
The second test was the VARK learning style assessment where my style is multimodal as I use different strategies in learning. The strong preferences identified through VARK included reading and writing, kinesthetic, aural, and visual. The results were a true reflection as I am task and practical oriented as I engage nurses and patients with a view of getting insight for better decision-making. As an effective leader, I ensure that my associates have all the information required and guide them in role modeling to attain our goals through a teamwork approach (VARK Learning, n.d). The third test was value assessment which offers a brief description of one’s motivation. The assessment is critical since it determines one’s conduct based on what they consider important in life. The outcomes from the test indicate that I apply logic, intellect, and exercise self-control when making decisions and judgments in healthcare provision. I am also ambitious, honest, forgiving, and courageous in working with others. These tests demonstrate the need for leaders to be transformational and ready to serve others while adjusting their approaches based on the issues at hand.
Leadership Style
Care provision entails helping others gain better health because of their mental, emotional and physical health needs. Caring leaders show a genuine concern for others. Leaders have the passion to know that those working with them are effective and encourage them to do their best (Alloubani et al., 2019). At the core of my care philosophy is the acronym ICARE which translates to inclusion, integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence. Being in a diverse nation means that I should value inclusion and show integrity by conducting myself in a fair, trustworthy way, and upholding professional and ethical standards. As a nurse, I must act with empathy, understanding, and attentiveness towards others; especially patients and colleagues. Accountability implies being responsible for my actions and working with colleagues to deliver the best care while respect entails treating patients, their families, colleagues with dignity and sensitivity (Boak & Crabbe, 2019) Excellence implies being a role model and rising beyond the ordinary personal efforts.
Based on my care philosophy, the leadership style that aligns most is the servant leadership model. Nurses are care providers who interact more with patients than any other professional. In her article, Best (2020) explores the role of a servant leader in nursing to bring nurses together to execute their responsibilities well. Servant leaders focus on the positive outcomes of others and serve selflessly, putting the interests of others before theirs. For instance, nurses prioritize the interests of their patients while nurse leaders focus on enhancing the experience of their subordinate nurses to enhance performance. Servant leadership is relationship-oriented leadership. The optimal goal of servant leadership is the well-being of the followers (Solbakken et al., 2021). Therefore, this leadership style attracts me because its best characteristics include influence, respect, humility, courage and self-awareness, and a democratic approach to issues.
Incorporating Elements of Servant Leadership in Practice
Nurse leaders are a fundamental part of care delivery and should demonstrate effective approaches to influence others. In this case, incorporating aspects of servant leadership entails modeling the values associated with the model like humility and respect. Engaging nurses to enhance understanding and sharing their perspectives on the best approaches to issues in the organization are imperative to exercising this leadership model (Booher et al., 2021). An effective servant leader should build strong bonds with colleagues and see things through their eyes. It means that they should share their vision and ask for employees to integrate their perspectives and areas that need corrective measures.
Areas of Improvement and Steps to Improve
The assessment was instrumental in helping me understand different aspects of my leadership model. The assessment on value and personality demonstrated that I seek perfectionism and will focus on all details to ensure a task is delivered as expected. However, this approach may lead to micromanaging nurses and not allowing them to exercise their full practice authority and skills. Therefore, it is an area that I need to improve. While it is right to ensure that people take responsibility for their actions, having an understanding and friendly approach improves perception about corrective measures. Consequently, I seek more skills and training to ensure that I have a holistic approach to care provision. Training will enhance my skills to apply the servant leadership model and inspire my colleagues to attain the set goals and objectives in care delivery.
Characteristics of Effective Nurse Leaders in Nursing
Effective nurse leaders allow their followers to attain set goals and objectives based on their characteristics. These leaders are emotionally intelligent, practice integrity, use critical thinking to develop their ability to make decisions based on different factors, and are dedicated to excellence. The next characteristic of effective nurse leaders is that they possess communication skills to enhance collaboration, sharing of information, and vision. The leaders have professional socialization, respect, professionalism, and are mentors. Nurse leaders possess values and norms that endure them to followers to deliver patient-centered.
Nurse leaders use motivational strategies to cater to the different personalities of their followers and trainees. Mentorship allows nurse leaders to empower their trainees and guide them to understand their roles. They also cultivate a continuous learning environment (Kül & Sönmez, 2021). Professionalism allows nurses to execute their duties and responsibilities most effectively in the boardroom. Nurse leaders are committed to their passion and purpose as ways to illustrate their dedication to excellence.
Different Leadership Theories and Styles
The leadership theories study the qualities of effective leaders. Psychologists analyze and develop leadership theories with common qualities or behavioral patterns of effective leaders like personality traits, actions, situations, decision-making process, and environment. Imperatively, the leadership theory that supports a professional nurse leader is the transformational model. The transformational theory of leadership or relationship model focuses on effective leadership as an outcome of positive interactions between leaders and their team members (Booher et al., 2021). Transformational leaders motivate and inspire their followers through enthusiasm and passion and are models for their teams.
The leadership style emanating from this theory is transformational which encourages team members to attain set goals. Transformational leadership is critical in nursing because of the current reforms and the need for more care provision based on demand. Transformational leaders provide encouragement, set clear and achievable goals, offer recognition and support, models fairness integrity, provoke positive emotions in others, and inspire followers to attain their goals. The implication is that transformational leaders focus on creating and achieving change in their care environment for patients and their subordinate nurses.
The theory shapes the nurse leader in collaboration, conflict resolution, decision making, and negotiations in different ways. Through the transformational model, leaders share their vision, inspire others and collaborate because of a shared vision and purpose (Wagner, 2018). Transformational leaders ensure that all are engaged to minimize conflicts in organizations. They also prefer collective decision-making through sharing information and negotiations for a win-win situation when a conflict arises.
Conclusion
Knowing one’s leadership style is critical to enhancing care provision and attaining better patient outcomes. Leaders need effective approaches and styles to enhance care provision and self-assessment is instrumental in efforts by leaders to understand their strengths and weaknesses. As illustrated, effective nurse leaders use servant and transformational leadership approaches to enhance care and attain quality.
References
Alloubani, A., Akhu-Zaheya, L., Abdelhafiz, I.M, & Almatari, M. (2019). Leadership styles’
influence on the quality of nursing care. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 32(6), 1022–1033. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-06-2018-0138
Best, C. (2020). Is there a place for servant leadership in nursing? Practice Nursing, 31(3), 128-
Boak, G. &Crabbe, S. (2019). Experiences that develop leadership capabilities.
Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 40(1), 97–106.
https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-07-2018-0254
Booher, L., Yates, E., Claus, S., Haight, K., & Burchill, C. N. (2021). Leadership self‐perception
of clinical nurses at the bedside: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(11-12), 1573-1583. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15705
Kül, S., & Sönmez, B. (2021). The effect of nurse managers’ servant leadership on nurses’
innovative behaviors and job performances. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-07-2020-0318
Solbakken, R., Bergdahl, E., Rudolfsson, G., & Bondas, T. (2018). International nursing: caring
in nursing leadership—a meta-ethnography from the nurse leader’s perspective. Nursing administration quarterly, 42(4), E1-E19. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000314
VARK Learning (n.d). The VARK Modalities.
https://vark-learn.com/introduction-to-vark/the-vark-modalities/
Wagner, J. (Ed.). (2018). Leadership and Influencing Change in Nursing. Regina, SK:
University of Regina Press.
Sample Answer 5 for NR 504 Week 3: Reflective Essay Leadership SOLUTION
Introduction
The success of many healthcare organizations globally depends on their nurse leadership. Effective nurse leadership guarantees positive results while poor nursing leadership styles result in organizational failure. Therefore, as a leader, one must assess his or her qualities and determine whether they align with the organizational needs, especially in the current globalized world. The purpose of this leadership assessment exercise is to discover one’s strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement in leadership practice.
Self-Assessment Summary
Building and sustaining relationships is important for social interactions as well as in professional practices and depends on the psychological skills. It is for these reasons that I selected the psychological assessment. From the assessment that I conducted, my emotional identification, perception and expression score was 64. Also, I was impressed with the score in emotional management scale (74). The assessment results indicated that I have basic skills in identification, perception, and expression of the emotions in other people as well as mine. On the other hand, there are areas that I need to improve on and they mainly fall within the abilities to interact and communicate with others. In as much as identifying people’s moods and emotions is essential, it will be more reputable if I develop the interaction skills so that I can be able to help them out of the emotional distress and frustrations in case that is what they feel. Further, leaders who manage their emotions accordingly are able to handle difficult and technical issues emerging in the course of their leadership practices accordingly (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015).
The second assessment that I undertook was the personality assessment, which focused on various aspects including energy, nature, mind, tactic and identity. As such, it was important for stress management in nursing leadership practice and thus worth exploring in this self-assessment. The highest score was recorded under nature and this meant that I effectively manage situations, make decisions and cope with emotions. Also, I tend to be observant and critically think about issues at hand before making the decision. In terms of mind, the assessment results indicated that I am 54% introverted and 44% extroverted, which I think truly represent my personality. On the other hand, I was surprised to learn that I am judgmental. The score under this aspect was 68%, which I feel could not be true. However, building on the results from the assessment, I am able to work on my weaknesses and develop competent leadership qualities.
The third assessment was on the learning styles assessment; this was important because it determines an individual’s ability to discern the prevailing situations and provide timely solutions as a leader. The assessment mainly focused on visual, aural, reading, writing and kinesthetic skills. The highest score was in the visual category (6) while the least score was in the kinesthetic. The VARK profile analysis basically focused on the learning styles where some people prefer the practical approach to learning while others do theories. As a leader, working with other experienced leaders has positively influenced my leadership skills development (Hao & Yazdanifard, 2015).
Leadership Style
My philosophy of care is premised on having the ability to help other people using my influence in a positive manner. One of the leadership styles that closely aligns with that philosophy is the transformational leadership. Transformational leadership style is based on the ability of the leaders to empower their subjects and work jointly with them to realize the set goals and objectives. As a nurse leader, transformational leadership is appealing since it enables me to transform the manner in which the team under me works (Reid & Dold, 2017). One of the ways that this occurs is through influencing them to adopt my personal philosophy of care for the betterment of patient health.
Incorporating Elements
Transformational leadership has several elements that might become incorporated into my practice. Through my nursing leadership practice, I would encourage individualized consideration for team members in order to allow them to transform not only their philosophies but make them align to mine. In addition, I would ensure that I offer inspirational motivation to all team members to transform patient experiences at the facility (Khoshhal & Guraya, 2016). Lastly, via transformational leadership, my team members will be allowed to intellectually examine aspects of care to elicit positive experiences from patients.
Areas for Improvement
On the other hand, despite having admirable leadership skills as per the assessment results, there are few areas that need improvement. First, the assessment results indicated that I am judgmental and I believe this is not recommended for a leader. Therefore, I will have to learn to appreciate people’s values and embrace diversity. Transforming my attitudes towards diversity will help me overcome the issue of being judgmental and equip me to be a better leader (Hiller, Novelli, & Ponnapalli 2016; Hassanzadeh, Silong, Asmuni & Wahat, 2015). Also, I will work with other leaders to learn from them in terms of how they handle stressing and most challenging experiences; this will help me address the issue of emotional influence on the decision-making process which also identified as a significant drawback from the assessment outcomes. Thirdly, I will work to improve my interpersonal and socialization skills; through this, I will emerge as a courageous leader who is able to interact with other people without fear. Leadership is all about working with others and this requires a lot of courage and socialization skills.
Conclusion
The leadership assessment results confirmed that I am a good leader with quality skills. It revealed that I am observant and think critically into issues before making decisions. Additionally, I tend to learn other people’s emotions easily and this means I can easily handle people based on their presentations. On the other hand, I tend to be judgmental, and introvert and these are the major weaknesses that I need to address to become a better leader.
References
Hao, M. J., & Yazdanifard, R. (2015). How effective leadership can facilitate change in organizations through improvement and innovation. Global Journal of Management And Business Research.
Hassanzadeh, M., Silong, A. D., Asmuni, A., & Wahat, N. W. A. (2015). Global leadership competencies. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 5(2), 137.
Hiller, N., Novelli, S. Ö., & Ponnapalli, A. R. (2016). Leadership competency builder.
Khoshhal, K. I., & Guraya, S. Y. (2016). Leaders produce leaders and managers produce followers: a systematic review of the desired competencies and standard settings for physicians’ leadership. Saudi medical journal, 37(10), 1061.
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