NUR 514 Week 2 Assignment Leadership Style Reflective Essay

This assignment focuses on the importance of self-assessment and reflection.

Self-Assessment

Self-awareness is essential for developing leadership skills. Recognizing your own strengths, weaknesses, and values, and understanding emotional intelligence and learning styles can help you to be a more effective nurse leader.

For this assignment, you have the opportunity to take a variety of self-assessments to learn more about yourself and identify your assets and weaknesses as a leader. This will assist you in discovering how you can improve your own self-leadership skills. You will be asked to think critically about your results and submit a reflection as directed below.

My current unit holds monthly staff meetings. These meetings are offered both in person and via zoom which allows more participation of our very large staff of 200 nurses. The meetings are led by our department manager who follows a similar agenda each month. She covers hiring and staffing updates, introduces new staff, provides updates on current and future unit projects and provides updates on past issues. When covering each topic, there is opportunity for conversation and input from the staff. The last segment of the meeting is for staff conversation where questions and concerns are encouraged and discussed. Due to the large number of staff involved, our manager is the formal leader. I feel that this model works well for our unit because of our large size and the fact that we also have a culture where input from all nurses is encouraged and “the norm”. People speak up freely and are respected for their input during meetings. In this unit culture, I feel that there are many informal leaders who are involved in subcommittees, formal and informal mentorship and creating an inclusive and supportive work environment.

Select three of the following self-assessments and complete them. Be sure to document the results of each assessment to assist you in completing the reflection portion of the assignment below.

Emotional Intelligence Assessment: “Emotional Intelligence Test”: Https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/personality/emotional-intelligence-test

Personality Assessment: “Free Personality Test”: https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

Learning Styles Assessment: “Values Profile”: http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/

Values Assessment: “Values Profile”: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/personality/values-profile

Values Assessment: “Rokeach Values Survey”: http://faculty.wwu.edu/tyrank/Rokeach%20Value%20Survey.pdf

Diversity Assessment: “Cultural Competence Self-Test”: https://www.oregon.gov/DHS/SENIORS-DISABILITIES/DD/PROVIDERS-PARTNERS/SCPAconference/Cultural%20Competence%20Self-Test.pdf

Self-Assessment Reflection

Becoming self-aware is an ongoing process requiring introspection. The more often people practice self-reflection, the more opportunities they have to understand their own behaviors and adapt their approaches to working with other people, which can improve both your own and other’s abilities to meet their professional goals.

In a 750-1,000 word reflective essay, address the following:

Briefly summarize why you selected each self-assessment and the results you obtained on each assessment.

Identify the leadership style that closely aligns to your philosophy of care, and explain what appeals to you about that style.

Reflect on how you might incorporate elements of that particular style as you exercise leadership in a practice or health care organization setting.

Discuss any particular areas for improvement the assessments helped you identify and some steps for improving your leadership capabilities.

You are required to cite three to five sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and nursing content.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.

Sample Answer for NUR 514 Week 2 Assignment Leadership Style Reflective Essay

Nurses need to develop leadership skills as an essential component of providing direction and motivation to subordinates and enhancing the provision of quality care. Effective leadership requires one to engage in self-assessment and evaluation to improve their self-awareness and understand their style of leading (Alloubani et al., 2019). Nurses can use various assessment tools to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and values. These tests and tools allow leaders to know their emotional intelligence, develop a suitable leadership style that aligns with their attributes, and improve interactions with other providers in the facility. Self-awareness and reflection offer opportunities for one, especially leaders, to understand their behaviors and adapt their approaches to working with other individuals; and improve their own and other people’s abilities to meet professional development goals. The purpose of this reflective essay is to discuss my leadership style, its application in practice, and areas that need improvement based on the self-assessment results.

Self-Assessment Results: Rationale and Summary

The transforming healthcare sector requires leaders who are self-aware and focused on attaining quality outcomes. Leaders must understand their level of emotional intelligence so that they appreciate others and focus on quality care delivery. By performing self-assessment tests, leaders recognize their leadership style and how they can relate to it in care provision and association with others. The most effective leadership is one founded on a robust ethical foundation. Great leaders must focus on influencing others around them to reform the health care system to ensure optimal performance and use of resources in an organization to attain quality outcomes.

In determining my leadership style, abilities, and areas that need improvement, I conducted three self-assessment tests that included the accident proneness test, the big 5 personality test, and the DISC personality test. While presenting various outcomes, the essence of all these tools was to highlight my exceptional nursing leadership skills. The rationale behind using these instruments was to be sure of the various leadership traits that I possess and the best way to improve them to lead effectively in nursing practice (Warshawsky & Cramer, 2019). My first test was the accident proneness test where I got 65% implying recklessness based on the tendency to engage in impulsive, rash, and careless behavior. While it shows that one is impulsive which increased the possibilities of engaging in risky actions and decisions, it also demonstrates the courage that any leader should possess when pursuing a certain course or when leading a team to attain the expected outcomes.

On the big five personality test, my score was 74 meaning that I am more organized and self-disciplined. The score also demonstrates that I have increased levels of agreeableness. The DISC test results showed that I have an increased level of conscientiousness which implies the ability to analyze and solve problems. The element also assesses the ability to measure individuals who aim for quality, accuracy, precision, and detailed-oriented. The implication is that these tools show that I have diverse leadership abilities and can influence those under my supervision.

Leadership Style Aligning with Philosophy of Care

Nurses are patient advocates and work to serve their needs in different care settings. My philosophy of care is based on the aspect that as advocates, a nurse’s main duty is to serve their facilities and communities by working together with others through inter-professional and multidisciplinary collaboration (Prezerakos, 2018). This implies that the leadership style that aligns with care philosophy is servant leadership. Servant leaders prioritize the interests and priorities of others at their expense. As a servant leader, one must listen, demonstrate empathy, and have increased levels of self-awareness and persuasion. They must show and foster an environment that supports the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of those that they lead by emphasizing healing and wholeness. Servant leaders should also have foresight of things to come and show their commitment to the growth of the people that they lead.

What appeals to me about the servant leadership style is that it focuses on leaders who are self-sacrificing and willing to offer others the best despite their situations. Servant leadership implores leaders to serve without expecting anything in return. It is important for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to show an increased focus on patients and colleagues as a way of making their contributions to reforms in healthcare (Warshawsky & Cramer, 2019). Servant leaders do not seek to maintain the status quo and are keen on ensuring that their followers get the best by focusing on their interests first.

Application of Servant Leadership in Practice

Servant leadership is the best model for health care organizations and providers since it focuses on the strength of a team, developing trust, and serving patient needs. Servant leadership is the most appropriate model in a health care practice since the sector is already all about patient care and advocating for them. As a servant leader, a nurse focuses on issues that impact patients, colleagues, and healthy populations. The nurse engages all stakeholders with a view of transforming healthcare through a collaborative approach (Prezerakos, 2018). As a servant leader, the nurse may be best positioned to make changes in the organization and in the provider-patient interactions to enhance the value of care for patients. Using the servant leadership approach will help me as a nurse to work with all stakeholders in decision-making processes by allowing diversity of ideas and necessary changes to enhance the quality of care. I will gather the ideas and opinions of all players and seek effective ways to implement them in practical ways to improve the quality of patient care.

Areas of Improvement

The three tests showed me the need to improve certain aspects of leadership, especially increased interaction and the necessity to enhance communication. For instance, the big five personality test shows the need for a leader to have effective skills in interacting with people, just like the servant leadership model. Therefore, there is a need to improve this area to enhance the collaborative approach to care providers to enhance care quality for patients. Secondly, having more time with patients requires a collaborative approach where all providers work as a team to improve the quality of care. This means creating effective channels of communication to develop better teamwork.

Characteristics of Effective Professional Nurse Leader

Good leadership in nursing is both a science and an art. The importance of leadership in nursing implores one to cultivate attributes and skills that will allow them to influence others in the facility. Effective nurse leaders should possess emotional intelligence, have higher levels of self-awareness, possess integrity, have critical thinking and analytical skills as well as be dedicated to providing excellent care, and have communication skills (Barkhordari-Sharifabad et al., 2018). They should also be mentors and be confident with proficiency in technology.

Transformational Leadership Style & Professional Nurse Leader

Servant leadership style and transformational nurse leadership model are critical to professional nurse leaders. Transformational leaders focus on changing the status quos, increasing delegation, and use of teamwork to attain quality care outcomes. As servant leaders, transformational leaders are goal-focused and believe in harnessing synergies to develop winning teams. Transformational and servant leadership styles support an effective professional nurse leader by demonstrating the need to work through teams to attain quality outcomes (Boamah, 2018). Effective professional nurse leader needs to gather views from all stakeholders and focus on compassionate care while embracing empathy as well as effective listening to those under him or them.

The transformational leadership theory shapes an effective professional nurse leader in different aspects that include collaboration, conflict resolution, negotiation, and making decisions. For instance, nurse leaders must collaborate with other healthcare providers and professionals through interdisciplinary and inter-professional collaborations to deliver quality care. As a leader, one must have the ability to solve conflicts and problems that arise in their care practice which requires effective communication (Lamb et al., 2018). As a negotiator, the nurse leader pleads on behalf of colleagues for better work conditions and welfare as well as increased access to care for patients. The implication is that these theories shape the attributes of a professional nurse leader.

Conclusion

Self-awareness through different personality tests allows nurses and nurse leaders to understand different aspects of their practice, from their leadership styles to attributes and the kind of personalities that they possess. As demonstrated, effective professional nurse leaders possess a host of features and appealing leadership styles that endure them to others. These leaders have increased levels of self-awareness and are keen on transforming their practice environment for quality care delivery.

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.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-06-2018-0138

Barkhordari-Sharifabad, M., Ashktorab, T., & Atashzadeh-Shoorideh, F. (2018). Ethical

leadership outcomes in nursing: A qualitative study. Nursing Ethics, 25(8), 1051-1063. DOI: 10.1177/0969733016687157

Boamah, S. (2018). Linking nurses’ clinical leadership to patient care quality: The role of

transformational leadership and workplace empowerment. Canadian journal of nursing research, 50(1), 9-19. DOI: 10.1177/0844562117732490.

Lamb, A., Martin‐Misener, R., Bryant‐Lukosius, D., & Latimer, M. (2018). Describing the

leadership capabilities of advanced practice nurses using a qualitative descriptive study. Nursing Open, 5(3), 400-413. DOI: 10.1002/nop2.150

Prezerakos, P. E. (2018). Nurse managers’ emotional intelligence and effective leadership: A

review of the current evidence. The open nursing journal, 12, 86.

DOI: 10.2174/1874434601812010086

Raghubir, A. E. (2018). Emotional intelligence in professional nursing practice: A concept

review using Rodgers’s evolutionary analysis approach. International journal of nursing sciences, 5(2), 126-130. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2018.03.004.

Warshawsky, N., & Cramer, E. (2019). Describing nurse manager role preparation and

competency: findings from a national study. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 49(5), 249-255. DOI: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000000746.

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