Leadership Profile
Several academic publications describe qualities of excellent nurse leaders, but just a few methods for cultivating them are offered (Scully, 2014). Knowing one’s talents may assist a leader enhance his or her leadership abilities. Gallup’s (2019) StrengthsFinder exam identified five topics of my leadership qualities. Achiever, compassion, includer, connection, and learner were the five elements. Although my job as a clinical educator in my facility’s emergency department is not considered a leadership position, being able to recognize my skills is critical as an organizational leader to the nurses in the unit.
Strengths
Learner and connection are two strengths from the Clifton Strengths assessment that I’d want to improve on (Gallup, 2019). According to Gallup (2019), learners have a strong desire to learn more and better. Learning is a continual process for me as an educator, and it is something I need to work on constantly. Nursing abilities are based on the information and skills that have been imparted to them (Jamshidi et al., 2004). It is critical that I improve my ability and characteristic as a learner in order to successfully educate the staff nurses. Meanwhile, according to Gallup (2019), connection entails believing in the interconnectedness of all things. This kind of leader thinks that there are few coincidences and that everything happens for a reason (Gallup, 2019). I could assist people understand the importance of collaboration and collective efforts in completing tasks by developing this strength, which is critical in a busy emergency room like ours.
Core Values
In all clinical and educational nursing contexts, nursing core values are expected. Nurses’ professional actions in their various job domains are guided and motivated by their fundamental beliefs (Poorchangizi et al., 2017). Sherman (2015) listed several examples of nursing leadership core values, including the ability to accept differences of opinion and a dedication to a caring-based approach to leadership, both of which I would want to improve. The includer and empathy themes found in the strength evaluation report mentioned will be heavily influenced by the two fundamental values.
Characteristics
Adaptability and individualization are two qualities that I would want to improve. Adaptability is the ability to see the future as a place to build from the choices made right now, rather than a set destination (Gallup, 2019). Nurses in the emergency department must be able to adapt to the difficult circumstances that occur on a regular basis. As a role model, being able to demonstrate to my clinical staff that I can adjust to the different stresses on our unit may make them feel less alone. Because even secure circumstances may become unstable when confronted with new problems, adaptive leadership is a skill that must be developed. Individualization is another quality that I would want to improve. The individualization theme enables a leader to be enthralled by each person’s own characteristics (Gallup, 2019). As a teacher, I tend to think of them as a group of people. To bring out their individuality and maximize their potential, I need to pay greater attention to their particular talents, attitudes, and interests.
References
Gallup. (2019). Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0. Retrieved from https://walden.gallup.com
Jamshidi, N., Molazem, Z., Sharif, F., Torabizadeh, C., & Kalyani, M. N. (2016). The challenges of nursing students in the clinical learning environment: A qualitative study. Scientific World Journal. doi: 10.1155/2016/1846178
Poorchangizi, B., Farokhzadian, J., Abbaszadeh,, A., Mirzaee, M., & Borhani, F. (2017). The importance of professional values from clinical nurses’ perspective in hospitals of a medical university in Iran. BioMed Central Medical Ethics, 18(20). doi:10.1186/s12910- 017-0178-9
Scully, N. J. (2015). Leadership in nursing: The importance of recognizing inherent values and attributes to secure a positive future for the profession. Collegian, 22(4), 239-244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2014.09.004
Sherman, R. O. (2015). Nursing leadership core values. Retrieved from https://www.emergingrnleader.com/nursing-leadership-core-values/