critically evaluate your leadership skills, demonstrating how these skills help you to lead and facilitate others in your specialty

CRITICAL EVALUATION OF MY LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND HOW THESE SKILLS HELP ME TO LEAD AND FACILITATE JUNIOR STUDENTS
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TOC o “1-3” h z u 1.0Introduction PAGEREF _Toc437325403 h 32.0Reflecting on Personal leadership Skills PAGEREF _Toc437325404 h 33.0Appraising Leadership Skills PAGEREF _Toc437325405 h 44.0Providing Emotional Intelligence and Self Reflection PAGEREF _Toc437325406 h 45.0Strengths and Weaknesses PAGEREF _Toc437325407 h 56.0How to Use Strengths and Weaknesses PAGEREF _Toc437325408 h 67.0My Leadership Style PAGEREF _Toc437325409 h 68.0Situation where Leadership is Best for me PAGEREF _Toc437325410 h 79.0How to Facilitate People PAGEREF _Toc437325411 h 710.0How to Teach People PAGEREF _Toc437325412 h 811.0What is Best for Me PAGEREF _Toc437325413 h 812.0Do I work with a Strong or Weak Environment/Culture PAGEREF _Toc437325414 h 913.0Exemplar PAGEREF _Toc437325415 h 914.0Issues Experienced PAGEREF _Toc437325416 h 1015.0Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc437325417 h 1116.0References PAGEREF _Toc437325418 h 12
IntroductionLeadership skills are crucial in any calling. This is because whenever good leadership is applied, it is possible to see the beautiful results that emanates from the definite application of the key principles associated with such leadership. This paper serves to provide an analysis of my leadership skills in the university setting. Being a third year student of nursing, I have the necessary experience within the university to impart useful knowledge to my juniors.

The first year students have a lot to learn in the form of ways of interaction with senior students as well as interaction with their tutors. These are the interpersonal skills that are crucial in the true application of the theoretical skills they learn in class. Analyzing my leadership skills will involve the addressing of my skills as a leader in different settings. It will also involve determining my strengths and weaknesses. This will allow me to identify the best way to benefit from both my strengths and weaknesses, and thus leverage each possible eventuality to my benefit.
Reflecting on Personal leadership SkillsMy leadership skills are not very extensive in comparison to other students within my level. However, I can comfortably agree that I have done the very best with regards to the quality of service I have provide all those that I have come in contact with on a regular basis. Having a mild temperament has allowed me realize that “a service learning class is likely to be more effective in developing leadership and citizenship skills” (Lester 2015). This is because one of the key leadership skills I have always admired in those I emulate is the ability to apply rather than spend more time on theory. This is crucial in the nurse practice. The varying amounts of difficulties and pressure that individuals experience when practicing this calling requires that one becomes efficient in channelling their emotions towards a positive outcome. It is as a result of this that the “small differences may affect emerging leadership” (Eskridge et al. 2015). That is why I have often involved myself with the training and facilitation of junior students.
Appraising Leadership SkillsThe appraising of one’s leadership involves identifying the key leadership skills that identify the points whereby one are either effective or fails in implementing their leadership responsibilities. The key pillars of great leadership among nursing students are: honesty, delegation, communication skills, confidence, and commitment. This has been found to have the affect the “ability to enact their clinical and professional leadership roles” (Higgins et al. 894). Looking at my leadership skills, it is clear to see that I have the ability to employ honesty without a problem. However, my ability to delegate is found wanting. The levels of self confidence are high as I am capable of interacting with several groups at any one given time without doubting myself. I also have the capacity to communicate freely with different types of people fluently. This is because I have learnt the “the traits that are most critical depend on the business strategy and life cycle of an organization” (Crandell 2015). However, I cannot rate myself to a perfect ten when it comes to commitment. This is because when it comes to leadership, I have often stopped at some point in leading individuals I would personally consider being difficult. My lack of commitment to such individuals could be considered as a weakness.
Providing Emotional Intelligence and Self ReflectionEmotional intelligence is crucial in leading individual who are younger than you are. Emotional intelligence means that one is capable of channelling their emotions for a general good. I have been able to improve my capacity to control and thus channel my emotions as a result of experiencing situations that “requires decision making at several levels” (Meyer et al. 2015). These experiences, both the painful and the beautiful experience, have been important in molding my capacity to handle individuals of lesser emotional intelligence. I have therefore come to appreciate the benefit of considering this when developing “current policy frameworks” (Radinger 386). Reflecting on the improvement that I have made as a student and practitioner, I can see that I have come a long way from what I was at the beginning. The consistent application of the key concepts aforementioned has ensured that I have become a better individual and leader.
Strengths and WeaknessesMy core strengths lie in my capacity to be confident, delegate, and be honest. These are qualities that allow people to get attracted to my leadership style and thus the way I tend to interact with those around me. These characteristics have allowed me to delve into leadership styles that are inclusive rather than exclusive. The result of such a leadership style is that the students often get “the jobs most suited to their individual and our collective goals” (Mckee 2015). However, I have a key weakness when it comes to commitment. To be particular, I have exhibited a tendency to display a lack of confidence to commit to individuals who are rather difficult. Such individuals have often pushed me to the epitome of my capacity to agree with their ideologies. As a result of such frustrations, I have either walked away from such a responsibility or just ignored the person in question all together. However, I have come to realize that addressing this weakness is crucial as there is always a seed of greatness in any given problem.
How to Use Strengths and WeaknessesUsing my strengths is definitely easier in comparison to using my weaknesses. For instance, my ability to positively channel my emotions for the benefit of my endeavors has ensured that I continue to improve in whatever I decide to do. Through such applications of the ideologies aforementioned, I have been able to improve my self esteem and confidence. These are skills that are crucial in determining the value and quality of leadership that I provide to those who look up to me. On the issue of weakness, I can use the fact that I started “general practice nursing with limited knowledge” to my own advantage (Lau et al. 2014). I can choose to see such a weakness as being a challenge. Like all challenges, this would be an opportunity for me to learn. If I cannot influence these individuals to act positively, this would be my chance to learn new ideologies such as how not to implement certain ideas. As a matter of fact, my weaknesses are crucial in determining the extent to which I add value to the services I offer in my capacity as a leader.
My Leadership StyleThere are two major leadership styles that are applied today. These are autocracy and democracy. My leadership style has always been democracy. This leadership style appeals to me because it allows the participation of those involved. When implementing democracy, the participants feel that they are part of the desired results. The best way to implement a democracy in the university is to have conversations that allow the finding of “alternatives or possibilities that may be useful in solving problems” (Buckner 2014). This allows a free flow of information and ideas among those participating. It also allows those involved to feel that they are a part of the progress that is being targeted. The democratic style of leadership is also essential in the handling of problems that will arise whenever people interact. Democracy takes into consideration the fact that harmony is crucial for any real progress to be achieved. Therefore, the democratic style of leadership has the capacity to solidify the results achieved.
Situation where Leadership is Best for meThe best situation where my leadership style is most suitable is whereby the brainstorming of the participants is required. This is because my leadership style allows me to facilitate such a conversation as well as provide any guidance where needed. One of the key characteristics that are needed for such a situation is the capacity for one to listen. Listening skills “leads to great organizational performance” (Stomski, Lorraine, and Jessie 2015). It also allows me to determine the best decisions to make at any given situation. The round table brain storm is often applied whenever the students in question are trying to determine the quality of decisions and thus the direction to take regarding a given case. For instance, the groups of students may be deciding on the course of action regarding a theoretical case. It is also important to identify that the course of action that one takes determines the resultant response of the patient in question. Therefore, it is clear to see the value in having quality leadership during the round table brainstorming exercise.
How to Facilitate PeopleThe process of facilitating is similar to being the channel through which a group of individuals can rely on for guidance when implementing a given ideology. The facilitator needs to have the ability to listen as well as share unbiased opinions (Hall 2014). The facilitator will also have to base their arguments on facts rather than baseless ideologies. This will ensure that the general trend and direction of the conversations shared with the people involved in the conversation will reflect a firm leader. Identifying a firm leader means knowing that a “firm leader means always being under a microscope” (McKenna 2015). The process of facilitation will also include allowing all the participants an equal share and room to share their ideas. This should be done whether the facilitator agrees with the speaker’s sentiments or not. The benefit of using such an approach is that the resulting conclusions are found to be more reliable. The conclusions are also found to be all inclusive as opposed to one sided arguments.
How to Teach PeopleThe process of teaching the junior students is a learning process in itself. Allowing the students to share their ideas openly helps me, the tutor, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of those involved in the conversation. Therefore, the teacher should allow the students to share the information they hold to be true. While the theoretical education is important in nursing, it is “psychological and social traits of an individual” that are crucial (Hall 2015). Therefore, teaching the students should involve more practicals in comparison to the theoretical aspect of the learning process. This allows the students to become experienced in the application of the ideas and the methodologies associated with the practice. The process of teaching via practicals also allows the students to make as many mistakes as possible. The importance of making mistakes is that one is able to learn at a faster rate in comparison to individuals who do not make mistakes. This prepares the students for any eventualities in the actual practice of nursing.
What is Best for MeThe best application of leadership for me is the process of facilitation. While I can also be a great teacher, the process of facilitation comes natural to me. This has been my strength since my childhood. As a result of this skill, I have been able to provide a platform to all those involved that will allow them to openly communicate and share ideas. I will be able to implement my “basic competency in navigation” (Shooter 2009). For instance, my ability to delegate is crucial in facilitation as this ensures that the round table meetings can continue whether I am available to facilitate or not. My ability to delegate provides the students in question with the required skills to be facilitators too. This is also a chance to ensure that such an important skill passes down to new students as well as other practitioners when these students move to other environments where they practice the aforementioned skills.
Do I work with a Strong or Weak Environment/CultureI have found that I am more capable of working with a strong environment and culture. This is because I look at myself as a student too. Strong cultures and environments provide me with an opportunity to learn something new. They also allow me to provide leadership to some of the best academicians in the society. However, there is a glaring problem with working with strong environments. The problem in question here is that the individuals with whom one may need to impart new ideologies may be too rigid (Paterson, Henderson, & Burmeister 2015). This makes it even more difficult to convince such individuals of a new way of doing things. It also makes it difficult to provide the required leadership as the individuals will often see themselves as being right. Therefore, it becomes important to include repetition as a psychological strategy of positively influencing the students (Farrell 2015). The application of this strategy also helps me in overcoming my weakness of non-commitment. The process of repetition ensures that I achieve progress in this area.
ExemplarThe best example is whereby I facilitate a conversation among the junior students regarding a case whereby the patient requires ER support. In the said case, the patient has been battered by her spouse. The bone of contention would be whether the nurses have an obligation to report the matter to the authorities or not (Odierno 2015. The ethical dilemma herein lies in the fact that the patient is not willing to expose her abusive spouse. While there are general rules and regulations regarding this matter, it is clear to see that the individuals involved in the discussion have difficulty accepting that they may be legally bound to the fact that they cannot directly implicate an individual without physical proof. Facilitating such a discussion among the nurses will ensure that their arguments are grounded and based on facts (Massey & Crouch 2015. It also ensures that the conclusions provided by the students are feasible. The round table conversation results in agreement that the best way to address this issue is to report the matter to the social services. Social services are more apt in handling the problem.
Issues ExperiencedOne of the major issues experienced is that the students have often drifted from the topic of conversation. The drift in conversation often makes the process of finding a feasible solution to take longer than it should. This is solved by resolving to “actively engage everyone to the highest possible degree” (Pater 2015). Another problem I have encountered during my capacity as a leader is that I become restless whenever I am interacting with students who are rebellious. While this is to be expected of junior students, it is not acceptable. I have found that the best way to address such a problem is to provide “attention to diverse student needs and interests” (Stripling 2015). As long as the rebellious student views me as being a figure of authority, they are bound to act in the complete opposite of that which I expect them to do. This strategy has proven effective.
ConclusionThe process of leading junior students has provided me with an opportunity to learn. It has allowed me to improve my skills as a student and as a leader. It has also allowed me to identify my strengths and weaknesses with regards to the different leadership styles that are implemented today. However, the most important this is that it has allowed me to impart knowledge of high value to new students. This will go a long way in ensuring that the individuals who interact with the students in the future will also benefit in one way or another. Appraising my leadership skills has provided me with a different perspective regarding the ideologies that I had regarding facilitation and teaching. I have learnt that the best way to teach is by being a student in the first place. This gives me the best opportunity to learn from experience. It also ensures that I can relate with the juniors with whom I will interact as I lead them through their own experiences. While my leadership skills are better than those of my peers, I still have more to learn. To do this, I must be ready to learn from my seniors as well as understand my mistakes to be stepping stones towards exemplary leadership skills.
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