My Leadership Analysis
Introduction
My goal as a new graduate is to become a transformational leader. Transformational leaders generate positive vibes in the organization, by inspiring others, possessing an optimistic attitude, being genuine and encouraging (Renjith, G, & George, 2015). Transformational leaders increase staff satisfaction and decrease staff turnover by generating a workforce that is team-oriented and self-motivated (Renjith, et al., 2015). Throughout my leadership course, I was able to learn what it means to be a leader and how to be an exceptional one from shadowing a nurse manager to listening in lecture. Throughout my personal leadership analysis, I will discuss critical competencies and how I aspire to use them as I advance in my new nursing career.
Honesty/Integrity/Transparency
In order to be a truly transformational leader, one must possess skills which incorporate integrity and transparency. Johnson and Smith (2018) state that integrity is exemplified by honesty, and actions that are consistent with their beliefs and values. Leaders must be open and approachable with the ability to motivate others by supporting and empowering them (Johnson and Smith, 2018). When I begin my nursing career, I have to be able to be confident, hopeful, optimistic, resilient, future-orientated, and most importantly transparent (Laschinger, Borgogni, Consiglio & Read, 2015). I want to be able to embody a leader by the way that I treat others and exercising my ability to always do right. During an interview that I had with a nurse manager, she pointed out something very important about being transparent with your staff. Transparency builds trusting relationships, allowing staff members to seek assistance when a problem arises without feeling the fear of being reprimanded which is important in increasing staff satisfaction while subsequently increasing patient satisfaction.
Critical Thinking
           When stressful situations arise in nursing, a leader that is not afraid of the unknown will lead the way in helping to solve said situations. When faced with decisions that could ultimately mean life or death, the ability to analyze a situation and come to a solution separates the good nurses from the great ones (Erickson, 2017). Critical thinking should start at the nursing process, especially for new nurses who are learning their way around (Erickson, 2017). As a beginner, following experienced nurses and seeing how they handle situations, can tremendously help nurses grow their own critical thinking skills. Nurses are patient advocates so viewing situations from different viewpoints are crucial in providing care that will benefit the patient. In order to have these different viewpoints, one must have critical thinking skills that enable them to analyze, evaluate, and ultimately execute interventions.
I understand that it takes time to develop critical thinking skills and as a new nurse it is my obligation to develop my skills from on the job learning from my peers and practice. Part of being a knowledge worker is to always seek new education opportunities, especially when you might be lacking in certain areas. Although most new nurses are afraid of asking questions, I will make sure that I am comfortable enough to always ask for help so I can begin to build my skills from other nurses’ guidance. From their help, I will be able to view a situation from many different viewpoints so I can begin to formulate interventions that will provide the best outcomes. Making life or death decisions might be scary, but if I am comfortable with my expertise, then I should have minimal problems choosing the best course of action.
Respect for Others/Diversity
           Hancock (2017) states that when nurses understand the culture and history of a patient’s community, communication and trust are improved. These are two important aspects of nursing that will drive positive outcomes and patient satisfaction. Hancock continues to describe the benefits of increasing diversity within the workforce for both the employees and patients. Diversifying leads to a more customized, culturally sensitive and safer care with more appropriate interventions. (Hancock, 2017). Dauvrin and Lorant’s (2015) research found that if leaders had increased cultural competence than the healthcare staff would more like be culturally competent as well. Nurse leadership plays an important role in how staff interact with patients and if the staff has someone who encourages acceptance of diversity in all of its forms then they will follow suit.
I am a true believer in accepting everyone regardless of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, among other differences that make people who they are. As a nurse, I will make it a priority to assess my patient not only on their physical ailments but also on their cultural beliefs so I am able to provide appropriate interventions that the patient will most likely adhere to themselves. This will build crucial trust between the patient and myself which will lead to better patient outcomes. I have a strong belief that if my staff members are aware of my successes because of my cultural competence that they will begin to seek guidance from myself on how to improve their own competence and nursing skills. If I am able to positively affect my patients with just having increased awareness that will bring me great honor and joy. As a leader, I will show initiative in preparing cultural sensitive teaching and hands on experience, so my staff can benefit from experiential learning and reflect it in their own career.
Engagement
           Leaders who are willing to entertain multiple perspectives before making important decisions and judgments, are ones who are transformational. When nursing staff participate in decision making it reflects in increased work performance, productivity, and staff satisfaction while decreasing staff turnover (Welch, 2016). When there is a collaborative approach to decision making, the decision that is rendered is of higher quality because the situation was approached from many different perspectives in order to obtain a solution.
As a new nurse, I would personally benefit from working with someone who is willing to take my perspectives into consideration. This will give me an increased purpose in the workplace and I would feel better about executing solutions because I would feel more connected to them since I was a part of the decision-making process (Welch, 2016). Â As I advance in my nursing career and leadership, I would adapt a transformational leadership style because I want to be a constant motivation for my staff members. I would include staff members in decisions that will ultimately affect them because I understand the necessity of being heard instead of just being told what to do. In order for my staff to want to participate in collaborative decisions, I have to make sure to provide a safe place where communication is free without the fear of being reprimanded.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a dynamic process of building supportive relationships to enhance professional growth and maximize individual potential (Pullen, 2016). Mentorship is a means of sharing your knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors with another nurse (Pullen, 2016). An employee’s success, the lens they see through, and the decisions they make are all heavily influenced by the types of leaders they are able to observe and learn from (Llopis, 2014). Mentors provide a safe environment for staff members to feel free to verbalize questions and concerns without fear of retaliation (Waterbury, 2016). When I was first starting out as a supervisor in my current position that is non-nursing, I quickly started following my manager’s footsteps. She is someone who is fair, understanding, emotionally intelligent, and is eager to take an active role in her employees’ successes. Her role in my development has provided me with key attributes that I will bring with me throughout my nursing career.
As a nurse, I will work my hardest to bring out the full potential of my staff. A true leader does not tell people what to do but instead develops individuals decision-making skills so they can make their own decisions which will allow them to grow in the organization. I will make sure that I am always there to listen to my staff when they are experiencing hurdles and inspiring them to overcome them. Communication is key to being a great mentor. Staff members should not be afraid to come to speak to me but instead feel comfortable to seek any help they may need. Sharing my skills and knowledge on a daily basis with my staff is important for their growth and ongoing learning. Every day that I work, I will show enthusiasm for my career and continue to discover my own potential so I am able to nurture my staff and unleash theirs.
Life-long Learning
Nurses are knowledge workers who should be in a constant state of learning. Creating an environment that embraces change and constant evolution in practice by continued lifelong learning will foster more positive outcomes (Kelley & Huckaby, 2015). Change is inevitable in nursing from new technology to new policies and procedures, nurses must be on the front line to soak it all in. Continuing education empowers staff to use advance critical thinking skills to make decisions for their patients and to increase positive outcomes and satisfaction. Leaders must encourage their staff to take educational courses that are provided by the organization and to be active in seeking education on their personal time.
During my career as a nurse, I believe it is my duty to continue my education for my patients’ sakes. As an associate’s degree graduate, I understood the necessity of immediately going back to school to receive my bachelorette degree, which I am currently receiving. My ultimate goal is to eventually acquire a doctorate degree, which will open many doors for me throughout the nursing field and beyond. During my career as a nurse, on top of my formal education, I will also constantly immerse myself in Nursing Continuing Units (NCU) such as certificates, online courses, and courses in journal articles. Staying up to date on new evidence based practice research will allow me to provide the best care for my patients and help me advance my staff members. It is in my best interest to be immersed in the latest nursing journals and to make sure to take time granted to me from my organization to fulfill my NCE requirements.
Experiential Learning
Experiential Learning (2018), explains that experience-based learning is one of the most effective ways to establish lasting behavior change. Being able to reflect on new experiences helps us to really achieve our desired goals of learning. Stefano, Gino, Pisano, and Staats (2014) argue that learning from direct experience can be more effective if paired with reflection while “synthesizing, abstracting, and articulating the key lessons taught by experience”. New nurses learn through hands-on experiences in which they begin to recognize their successes and failures while building confidence and self-efficacy. Socializing with peers can be a great tool to help us learn because we are enabling an environment where reflecting is constant and being able to get different viewpoints only builds our critical thinking skills for future purposes (70 20 10 Model, 2018).
As a new nurse, every experience will be a new one other than the basics that we learned in nursing school. These new experiences should always be followed with a reflection because if I do not actively process what I have been doing, I will not be truly learning but just doing. I will always challenge and push myself to accomplish difficult tasks, and if I ever need help, I will not hesitate to recruit my fellow peers for help. When you are able to see someone perform a task, you are actively learning from that experience. I will make an effort to talk to my peers about why I had difficulty completing the task and how can I improve so I can do it on my own the next time around. Experiential learning is character building and in order to be a true leader, I must constantly be in a state of learning so I am able to assist my peers when they are in need of assistance.
Emotional Intelligence
Waterbury (2016) states that emotional intelligence plays a major role in the ability to adapt to the challenges and pressures of an often, chaotic environment. In order to always put my best foot forward, I should have a self-awareness of my strengths and weaknesses, self-management skills, adaptability, and confidence (Waterbury, 2016). These characteristics will help me to manage my own emotions and those of others in a positive manner. Transformational leaders possess a high degree of emotional intelligence and they show it through their charisma, confidence, passion, and excitement for their career (Waterbury, 2016). When staff members are able to be led by this kind of leader, they begin to experience an increase in emotional intelligence and work satisfaction.
As a nurse, I will have to be aware of my emotions and how I deal with them. Stressful situations often cause individuals to react in a negative way but if I am able to channel my energy and overcome the stressor, I can positively respond to any situation and those of others. Increasing my confidence level is a great way to start, especially as a new nurse, I might be afraid of doing something wrong but if I am aware of my abilities and keep my head high, I should have minimal problems completing my work. Change in nursing is inevitable, that is why it is important to have adaptability skills. As a nurse, I will welcome and be excited for change within the organization and adapt to different events while putting my emotions aside to lead with integrity.
Self-care
 In order to do my job effectively, I need to make sure that I am paying attention to my needs and emotions. Often, nurses are so focused on taking care of their patients that they begin to neglect their own needs. When I begin to practice as a nurse, I will be sure to remember to keep a work-life balance so I don’t become burnt out like most nurses unfortunately do. Each individual has his or her beliefs, attitudes, feelings of life purpose, and coping mechanisms (Crane & Ward, 2016). Although, I do not have any religious beliefs, I do have a sense of purpose in life and that is one of the things that has pushed me to become a nurse. My purpose has always been to serve others and to make sure that the people close to me are happy and healthy. The reason why I wanted to become a nurse was to try to change my patients’ lives and to instill some hope that things can be better. I cannot do this for my patients unless I am personally content and healthy.
As Richards (2013) states, consistently trying to balance professional roles can leave little time, energy, or enthusiasm to care for self. Finding time to relieve stress is important because if not dealt with it can negatively impact an individual’s work, physical, and emotional self but there are steps that one can take to prevent this from happening. Awareness is the key element for practicing self-care, and it involves becoming consciously alert to one’s physical, mental, and emotional reactions in different situations, especially the ones that are stressful (Crane & Ward, 2016). I try to always be aware of my emotions because my philosophy has always been to live a stress-free life. I will continue to do this but as a new nurse, I might not know how to deal with new work stressors, therefore, I might have to ask for guidance from leadership. If I am able to be aware of my emotions and how to positively channel them, I am hopeful that my staff members will come to seek advice from me as well. Taking care of your physical body can help reduce stress as well. Exercising regularly and eating healthier has been proven to help decrease stress and strengthen your immune system (Crane & Ward, 2016). I have already started to do these things because I understand the physical demand that nursing requires and in order to perform efficiently my body has to prepared for it. As a new nurse, I make a commitment to myself to take care of my spirit and body so that I am able to take care of my patients to my best abilities and be a positive role model to my fellow nurses.
Conclusion
My personal leadership analysis has helped me to learn about myself while providing me with key values that I will cherish and take with me throughout my nursing career. To be a leader, I have to possess a variety of critical competencies. In order to be truly transformational, I must be in a constant state of learning which will propel everything that I need to lead and motivate individuals for the betterment of the organization. I must always lead with integrity, continue to enhance my critical thinking skills, respect diversity, include my staff in decision making, bring out the potential in my staff members, continue lifelong learning, constantly be in a state of experiential learning, acknowledge my emotional intelligence, and most importantly, always take care of myself both physically and emotionally.
References:
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Crane, P. J., & Ward, S. F. (2016). Self-Healing and Self-Care for Nurses. AORN Journal,104(5), 386-400.
Dauvrin, M., & Lorant, V. (2015). Leadership and Cultural Competence of Healthcare Professionals. Nursing Research,64(3), 200-210.
Ericksen, K. (207, November 27). Kristina Ericksen. Retrieved from http://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/understanding-why-nurses-need-critical-thinking-skills/
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Richards, K. (2013). Self-Care Is a Lifelong Journey. Nursing Economic$,31(4), 198-199.
Stefano, G., Gino, F., Pisano, G., & Staats, B. (2014, April 11). Learning By Thinking: How Reflection Improves Performance. Retrieved from https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/learning-by-thinking-how-reflection-improves-performance
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Welch, R. A. (2016, August 07). Making Decisions and Solving Problems. Retrieved from https://nursekey.com/making-decisions-and-solving-problems/
