After reviewing this week’s lesson and taking the leadership development test, the leadership style that relates to me is transformational (Chamberlain University, 2021). I knew prior to taking the test that this was my leadership style, but the test made me even more sure by scoring 76/80 for this style. In transformational leadership, you participate and help others, I think that participating in problem solving and experiencing the workload are important for a leader. Understanding the environment, you are in and what others are experiencing helps you to appreciate the people you are working with and leading. It’s easy to demand more and to pile on the workload when you aren’t the one doing the work, or you don’t understand the demand of the current workload. This causes staff burnout and unhappiness with the job. As a leader it is important to take care of the people you are leading and listen to their concerns.
My leadership style impacts my decision making in nursing care by wanting to make decisions that benefit everyone, the patient, the family and my coworkers. The healthcare field is ever changing, and it is important to make good decisions because the decisions you make not only effect the patient but other staff as well. I think that it is important to embrace change especially because things are constantly changing. It’s important to listen to the thoughts of staff members and encourage them to think outside the box. As a leader I want to do my best to make sure that everyone succeeds.
I will further develop my leadership skills by furthering my education and by experience. I have been the charge nurse for the healthcare unit in my facility for the past year and I have learned so much not only about the job itself but about my coworkers. Prior to being the charge nurse on the unit, I thought I knew my job inside and out, but I have learned that things are always changing, and I learn new things every day. I didn’t realize before how much responsibility the charge nurse had and how important it was to have good leadership skills. I have learned that you can’t always make everyone happy but by listening to the opinions of staff, lending them a helping hand when needed and showing them respect it really helps. I love my role as a leader and charge nurse, and I am always seeking ways to be better.
Kandice Denning
Chamberlain University (2021). Week 1 lesson. Canvas. Retrieved from: https://chamberlain.instructure.com/courses/73974/pages/week-1-lesson-skills-of-leaders-and-managers?module_item_id=10701769
The leadership style that describes me best is the Transformational style. According to Finkelman (2020), this leadership style characteristics include self-confidence, self-directions, honesty, energy, and loyalty. I work alongside my coworkers as their leader and appreciate my staff for all that they do. There is nothing I would ask my staff to do that I would not do myself. Recently the family practice that I work for went from private practice to being apart of a large hospital organization. We then went back to private practice. With these changes we have lost a lot of staff, this made me the senior nurse and supervisor. We had to build the practice from the ground up. The hard work from the staff have made all the difference in our success. I love rewarding the staff when goals are met. That is probably one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
Leadership style impacts my decision making not only doing what is best for the patients but also what I am asking from my coworkers. I like to get my coworkers opinions on decisions to give me a different view on issues. As always patient safety and quality care drives my decision making. Our mission statement also drives my decision making as a leader. The mission statement of the office is to serve our community by providing whole person health care in a Christ-centered environment.
I plan to build my leadership and management skills by furthering my education. There is always room for improvement, and you can never learn too much. I have learned so far that there are several different styles that can be used to get the job done. I would like to learn which styles work best in different situations.
References:
Finkelman, A. (2020). Leadership and management for nurses: core competencies for quality care (4th ed). Pearson. Chp 1 pp 17
After self assessing, I found that my leadership style is team leadership. Team leadership means that you still remain the point person and the one who holds authority in a leadership position but you very much so make your decisions based on the input from your team. You lead by example and strive to be the best role model. Allowing your team to provide their input and suggestions will help them to maintain morale and strive to meet the goals they have set for themselves rather then being told what their expectations are time after time.
When Covid-19 first hit and impacted us nearly 10 months ago, it was unprecedented waters for everyone. Team leadership really came into play when we were all learning together how to treat and cure these patients. Doctors, nurses, techs, etc were all working as a team but we always had our own point person to turn to.
This type of leadership impacts my nursing care by being able to listen to patients and allow them to have a say in their care. I’ve always advocated for my patients but with team leadership in mind I try to provide my care in a way that they prefer whether it be how they prefer their meds or when they would like to get cleaned up. Giving them the ability to make some suggestions for themselves I believe will boost their morale as well.
I believe I can improve my leadership style by being consistent in making the final decision. I now work in a large hospital with a great deal of nurses and so it’s difficult to have everyone on the same page. When you have too many suggestions, you cannot please everyone. I can work on how to manage diversity better and implement appropriate protocols or strategies to promote fairness and equality.