The Leader Within: My Personal Analysis
The Center for Nursing Leadership developed the “Dimensions of Leadership” to present
a set of guidelines that can be followed to assist in the development of leadership skills, qualities and a plan. These guidelines can be used to assess an individual’s “leadership behaviors” and act as a conduit for personal reflection leading to growth and development. These leadership behaviors include the presence of integrity, appreciation of ambiguity and diversity, multiple perspective without judgement, the ability to discover potential in other and ourselves, creating a constant state of learning and using it for reflection and translation, emotional intelligence and the creation of balance that renews the body and spirit.
Holding the Truth.
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, integrity is defined as the quality of being
honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Integrity is a key component of leadership. The ability to be honest regardless of issue or circumstance fosters trust and a sense of reliability. It encourages those that you will lead to know that you can be trusted and will hold them to a specific standard. This understanding can lead to optimal performance of subordinates and a level of respect that is conducive for a productive environment.
Due to my Christian faith, truth and honesty has been a paramount endeavor in which I
strive to achieve daily. I have witnessed the respect that the truth holds as well as the
condemnation that dishonesty can bring. When I choose to be honest and act in a way that lines up with my moral and ethical beliefs, I find that even though I may have done something wrong, others are more willing to forgive my errors and use the opportunity as a teaching or learning experience. However, when I am dishonest, I am more likely to be punished for my error and lose the trust and respect of others which once lost, is very difficult to get back. For me, it is not worth it. When practicing nursing, I try as much as possible to do things “by the book”. I do find this difficult at times due to time restraints, but I usually communicate to my superiors when I am having a problem. Telling the truth is not always popular, but it is always necessary.
Appreciation of Ambiguity. The ability to “function comfortably amid the ambiguity of an environment” is a skill that
can be developed with exposure and experience. The ability to be open to more than one
interpretation of something makes you more versatile and develops an ability to thrive in many different environments. Anything that comes forth out of any given situation can be handled with pose and efficiency once critical thinking is applied.
According to Nurse Journal, critical thinking is crucial to nursing because it use to
“prioritize and make key decisions that can save lives.” The journal states that in nursing, critical thinkers need to be “precise, complete, logical, accurate, clear and fair.” These attributes must be applied all that the nurse does and any action they take.
As a new nurse, it is critical to understand that development of the skill of critical
thinking does not happen overnight. It must be developed through experience and the
application of the nursing process. I have discovered that it is imperative that the nursing
process be applied in every clinical situation. Emotions and lack of experience and sometimes lead to paralysis when thinking of what to do in a situation. Asking for help is better than making costly errors. When asking for help, it is important to let others know about your train of thought to allow them to know that you are actually thinking about ways to solve a problem instead of just expecting them to do it for you. Honing my skills is very important for me to gain confidence and become an excellent nurse.
Diversity as a Vehicle.
The appreciation of diversity can expose an individual to different perspectives, a higher
level of understanding others, the development of new mindsets and experiencing what others have to offer. This can be rewarding as well as challenging because it can oftentimes interfere with core belief systems and idiosyncrasies that may be held. A willingness to change, tolerate or accept what is not always understand is not always an easy thing to do, however it can proof invaluable in the care for patients. Understanding on a deeper level can create an atmosphere for a patient that proliferates healing and a sense of peace and comfort. Mutual respect and trust can be built to further aid in the treatment process.
As an African American woman of Caribbean descent, I am not what is considered
“typical” or “the norm”. I was fortunate to attend schools with people from many different
backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures and beliefs. I consider myself to be well rounded, but I do still struggle with acceptance of others differences and well as being accepted by others. It is a journey and I have made the decision to continue while remaining open to difference, but commit to maintaining my identity as I, too, want to be accepted as much as others. I understand that I am different and my contribution to the world is necessary because I am the only “me” that exists and if I choose not to be myself that perspective is lost to the world and it could be what is vital to solving an epic problem in the world. Who knows?
Holding Multiple Perspectives without Judgement.
The need for interdisciplinary communication in nursing care is vital to patient-centered
care. These roles require a nurse to be diverse enough to communicate with people of multiple disciplines with their own personal values, attributes, cultures, ideas and solutions to various problems. In order to effectively engage others in the decision making process, “a communication process is needed that fosters innovation and advanced problem solving among people who are of different disciplines, organizational ranks, or institutional settings. They must collaborate advanced problem solving in order to discern innovative solutions without regard to discipline, rank, or institutional affiliation in order to enact change based on a higher standard of care or organizational outcomes. (Kinnaman and Bleich, 2004)
Developing communication skills is imperative to success in interdisciplinary
interactions. As a new nurse, it is often difficult to identify all the may be required in a patient’s total care. Having the collective efforts of others and the ability to make informative decisions can aid in provision of adequate care and fulfilling the needs of the patient. With experience and collective wisdom from colleagues, I can develop a sound judgment in which I can use knowledge gained in every new situation.
Discovery of Potential.
Mentoring provides guidance that empowers successful navigation through a period in
life that may require development of skills, understanding of roles, defining purpose or
improving performance. According to Nursing Member Magazine, “mentoring is a reciprocal and collaborative learning relationship between two individuals with mutual goals and shared accountability for the success of the relationship. The mentor is the guide, expert, and role model who helps develop a new or less experienced mentee.”
There are mentors in my life that provide information that helps me to build confidence
in my abilities by helping me understand my strengths and how to work on my weaknesses. They give me sound advice and help to point me in the right direction when I am making difficult decisions. With their insight, I am able to discover my potential and foster the belief that I can be successful. There wisdom has allowed me to avoid pitfalls, contemplate my actions and make great decisions for my future.
Quest for Adventure towards knowing.
Learning is a lifelong commitment that will always increase knowledge and benefit
performance level. The quest for more knowledge should be constantly nurtured. In my
experience, as an individual gets older and reaches an elderly age, those that I have observed that continued to learn and remain active where always healthier. Their zeal for life was remarkable and it seemed to give them something to strive toward, something to live for. We often hear people say “Knowledge is Power”. I believe that the power that seeking knowledge brings can save a person’s life.
Knowing Something of Life.
In regard to career, experiential learning is also powerful and can literally mean the
difference between life and death. Due to the ever changing world of healthcare, it is imperative to hone the craft of nursing in order to provide relevant care. It is necessary to improve myself by seeking out those experiences that are challenging, to attend conferences to advance my education and read to gain more knowledge.
Nurturing the Intellectual and Emotional Self.
Emotional intelligence is a term that was created by two researchers named Peter Salavoy
and John Mayer. The concept was made popular in 1996 by a book published by Dan Goleman. They define the term as the ability to “recognize, understand and manage our emotions” as well as “recognizing, understanding and influencing the emotions of others. “In practical terms, this means being aware that emotions can drive our behavior and impact people (positively and negatively), and learning how to manage those emotions – both our own and others – especially when we are under pressure.” As a nurse, it is important to prioritize the constant increase of knowledge as well as the development of the emotional self. As a nurse, I am aware they we must continuously question ourselves and be honest with what we feel in order to ensure that we are capable of rendering care, especially when a patient’s lifestyle, beliefs or morals conflict with our own. We often must develop a system that helps us to deal with things that may shake us to the core if our foundation is not solid. I am committed to constant self-evaluation and improvement in career and personally. It is vital to provide the best care that I can.
Keeping Commitments to Oneself.
Nursing is a profession of compassion for people and the desire to promote wellness. The
process entails assessing, goal setting, implementation of ideas and evaluation of those results. Caring for others on a consistent basis can cause a nurse to neglect her/his needs simply due to their selflessness, however, to care for others is to care for self. Self-care can positively affect the care that patient care outcomes. Nurses must constitute self-care into their daily lives despite the high demands of work. Balance can be created through awareness of self, exercise, nutrition, and physical, spiritual, mental and emotional well-being and periods of needed relaxation. This is an area that has proven to be the most difficult for me. Time management is essential of any of the previously mentioned efforts to be implemented and successful. Taking small steps and making little changes in my choices have yielded noticeable results for me. As I continue on this journey, the continued incorporation of small steps will eventually lead to lasting change in my life. There is an understanding that it is difficult for people being treated by someone that does not personify health makes it difficult to be taken seriously in the field. I will
continue to put one foot in front of the other towards lasting change.
In conclusion, the leader within is not created by accident. It requires continuous
reflection, awareness, courage and the desire to be successful. Implementing all of these
competencies can be challenging, but the reward is in the process. Overtime, as we look back over all that we will eventually accomplish, we will truly understand that leadership is setting an example worth following.
