Identify at least one leadership theory or style that you believe best aligns with your own thoughts of what leadership means..
The health care environment is complex, requiring leadership that is comprehensive and collaborative in the field. It is essential for leaders to be well-versed in a range of areas (practice, research, education) as a means of effective engagement with inter-professional communities. Effective leaders have heightened awareness of self and individual leadership styles, leading to professional growth, career advancement, and the ability to develop leaders for the future across the fields of practice (nursing, health administration, public health).
Your final assignment in your first course will bring together all the aspects of leadership that you have examined and discussed over the last nine weeks, as you analyze your own leadership qualities to create a portrait of the effective health care professional and leader you aspire to be.
Remember, in graduate work, the use of directly quoted material should be limited as it is your understanding, interpretation, and application of the literature combined with your experience that is important.
Note: Because this assignment requires you to develop a self-assessment, you may write using first-person voice. However, it is important for your development as a practitioner-scholar to recognize that writing in the first person is not usually acceptable in academic papers, which are written in the third person. Consequently, you should always carefully consider departing from this norm. If you have any questions about academic writing style, please contact your courseroom instructor, or post a question in the Ask Your Teaching Assistant area of the NHS Learner Success Lab.
Assignment Instructions
Write the first draft of your Personal Leadership Portrait (u09a1) based on the following scenario:
You have been offered the opportunity to apply for a leadership position in your organization. As a part of preparing for your interview, you complete a Personal Leadership Portrait. You will use the information from the leadership self-assessment you completed in Unit 8 for this final paper. This Personal Leadership Portrait will bring together all the aspects of leadership that you have examined and discussed over the last nine weeks as you analyze your own leadership qualities, to create a portrait of the effective health care professional and leader you aspire to be.
Your paper should address the following:
1. Analyze your leadership strengths and weaknesses.
Identify at least one leadership theory or style that you believe best aligns with your own thoughts of what leadership means.
Use that theory or style in your analysis and identify strengths and weaknesses. Cite your sources.
Consider potential biases or underlying assumptions in your analysis.
2. Explain how one’s specific leadership characteristics enable oneself to guide, educate and influence others in managing change in interprofessional collaborative relationships.
Consider examples of past successes.
Consider strategies or best practices that could be applied to improve outcomes.
Describe at least two additional leadership characteristics you would like to develop to enhance your effectiveness in this area.
3. Explain how your leadership characteristics will serve to help you build and maintain collaborative relationships across, and within, disciplines.
Consider examples of past successes.
Consider strategies or best practices that could be applied to improve outcomes.
4. Explain how you can best apply the principles of ethical leadership, given your leadership style.
Identify the main principles of ethical leadership within your field of practice (nursing, health administration, or public health). Cite your sources.
Consider examples of past successes.
Consider strategies or best practices that could be applied to improve outcomes.
Where do you have room to grow in this area?
How can you prepare yourself to do so?
5. Explain why diversity and inclusion are important to employee relations and the provision of safe, high-quality health care.
Provide an example you have experienced or read about. Cite your sources.
6. Explain how your leadership characteristics prepare you to develop and lead a diverse team of employees and serve a diverse community within an ethical framework.
In what ways can you address issues of diversity and inclusion, both within an organization and in serving the public?
7. Explain how the academic and research skills you develop as a practitioner-scholar can serve you in your role as an effective health care leader.
What is your understanding of the practitioner-scholar model? How would you apply it in your work?
How might those skills contribute to your effectiveness and credibility as a leader?
How will the knowledge and information you have gained from this course, and from your own research, guide your continued leadership development?
Paper Format and References
Include a properly formatted cover page abstract, and reference page (See the APA Style Tutorial paper for examples)
Length of paper: 5–7 typed, double-spaced pages, not including the cover page, abstract, and reference page.
References: Cite at least 4–5 different sources. These can come from peer-reviewed journals or other scholarly resources, the assigned unit readings, and other reputable resources. Cite your sources appropriately. Use correct APA formatting for all in-text citations and references.
An APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] and the associated APA Style Paper Template [DOCX] are provided in Resources to help you in writing and formatting your paper. Use APA formatted headers and headings. Format your work per these documents.Personal Leadership
My results from the Leadership Self-Assessment have reveled that the top two leadership styles, that ranked the highest were transformational and servant. I identify with transformational leadership the most because of the ability to build employees up with a sense of mission and purpose, while making them feel empowered (Al-Sawai, 2013). I believe it is important to utilize many leadership characteristics because they can be useful in managing different situations. For instance, the empowering leadership style supports open conversations and mentoring. This is a good approach to provide a sense of purpose to those you may delegate too (Smith, 2015). The servant leadership model on the other hand, focuses on serving others needs, instead of developing others to work towards a common goal. The characteristics of a servant leader are taking responsibility for the growth of others, awareness, persuasion, listening, and compassion. (Trastek et. al., 2014).
Indicators that can help determine the effectiveness, as a leader would be if the organization was meeting their goals or reaching target patient satisfaction scores. Another indicator could be the overall work environment and or staff retention (Smith, 2015).
This assessment can be used to aid in the development of others and myself in diversity, inclusion, and ethics by constructing a health care team with a shared vision of their purpose, which improves the cooperation within the group. By understanding each person’s strengths you are able to identify areas for improvement. By continuously working on these areas and building a strong work community by developing trust, creating a strong bond within the group, and where everyone can contribute to the decision-making process it will reduce people from feeling excluded and promote everyone in participating and sharing ideas. (Downey et. al., 2015).
References
Al-Sawai, A. (2013). Leadership of Healthcare Professionals: Where Do We Stand? Oman Medical Journal, 28(4), 285–287.
Downey, S. N., Werff, L., Thomas, K. M., & Plaut, V. C. (2015). The role of diversity practices and inclusion in promoting trust and employee engagement. Journal Of Applied Social Psychology, 45(1), 35-44.
Smith, C. (2015). Exemplary leadership: How style and culture predict organizational outcomes. Nursing Management (Springhouse), 46(3), 47-51.
Trastek, V. F., M.D., Hamilton, N. W., J.D., & Niles, Emily E, B.S., J.D. (2014). Leadership models in health care-A case for servant leadership. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 89(3), 374-81. Retrieved from http://library.capella.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.library.capella.edu/docview/1507834035?accountid=27965.
Identify at least one leadership theory or style that you believe best aligns with your own thoughts of what leadership means.
