How Various Leadership Methods Will Benefit Me on My Journey to Achieve My Goals

When developing this idea of what leadership is, I first examined what was most important to me within a leader as well as the type of leader I aspire to evolve into one day. Feser found that the leaders of corporations with high-quality teams displayed four out of twenty behavior types including solving problems effectively, seeking different perspectives, supporting others ideas, and operating with a strong results orientation. These four types of behavior explain 89% of the variance between strong versus weak organizations in terms of leadership effectiveness (2). The first step to becoming a great leader is to start by understanding the different leadership styles, in addition to understanding your current leadership type through knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are. In this paper I will share my goals, the leadership methods I want to possess and that my preceptor hopefully obtains, as well as how these different styles will help me personally achieve these goals. The leadership methods I believe most represent myself encompasses the Affiliative, Democratic, and Coaching styles. The affiliative styles components value people individually and their emotions more than the task and goals, this can be used to solve disagreements between associates or can be used as motivation for people during stressful situations. This sort of leader is dominant in three emotional intelligence competencies: in empathy, building relationships, and communication. This strengthens emotional bonds which creates loyalty and forms a positive workplace (3,4).

The democratic style is used to build buy-in or consensus, or to get input from competent employers (3). By taking the time to listen to colleagues ideas and input, a leader will build trust, respect, and commitment. Allowing members of your workforce to have a say in decisions that affect their work-related tasks and overall goals; a democratic leaders flexibility and responsibility credibility increases and assists in developing people’s skills, which ultimately increases job satisfaction and completion (1). In fact, the International Business Research found that the higher the employees score on a democratic leadership style, the more job satisfaction they would seek (1). Finally, the coaching style helps employees identify their individual strengths and weaknesses, then incorporate them into their personal and career ambitions (3,4). They encourage employees to organize long-term development goals and then help them conceptualize a plan for accomplishing these goals. Coaching leaders are skilled at devolving; they assign challenging assignments to employees, even if that means the tasks are not accomplished as quickly or thoroughly (3). The leadership style I would hope to see in my preceptor integrates the previous leadership styles I mentioned before— the affiliative, democratic, and coaching methods. Most importantly I expect to see mostly the authoritative leadership style. This method encourages individuals towards a particular objective and is best used when improvements need to be made, generally when a clear direction is needed or a new vision is required. Authoritative leaders state a vision, set guidelines, and inform individuals on how their work is promoting and advancing the group’s goals. Research indicates that out of six leadership styles, the authoritative is most effective, having the most positive impact on change and increasing every aspect of climate performance (3,4).

According to the Harvard Business Review, many studies have shown that the more styles a leader displays the better the leader is, and I agree with this statement. Leaders who acquire more than four leadership styles, especially the authoritative, affiliative, democratic, and coaching styles mentioned in this paper, have the most efficient climate and business performance. It is said that the most successful leaders are able to transition flexibly between the leadership methods specific to the situation as needed. Meaning these leaders do not systematically match their style to fit a list of specific situations, but instead are far more fluid and able to adapt to each specific setting. They are highly sensitive to the impact they have on others and are able to effortlessly adjust their style to receive the ultimate results. (3) The first learning objective I desire to obtain for my internship would be successfully interacting with healthcare personnel and patients tactfully to promote and facilitate open and effective communication. The affiliative leadership style would aid me to achieve this goal because this style’s generally positive impact makes it an overall quality approach and should be employed particularly when trying to increase morale, build team harmony, or improve communication between personnel.

The second learning goal is to gain exposure in a variety of clinical settings and have the opportunity to observe business skills integrated into patient care. As well as correctly interpreting the results of screenings and examination procedures and formulating an appropriate diagnosis. This goal could be achieved through the coaching leadership method. A coaching leader focuses primarily on personal development over immediate work-related tasks, as well as forming an understanding with their employees about their roles and responsibilities in executing development plans, and are able to give sufficient instruction and feedback. The last learning objective I want to master for my internship is demonstrating the ability to design, implement, communicate and document an appropriate plan of care for the patient, integrating goals, outcomes, and discharge plans for individuals that are consistent with the evaluative findings in a competent and fiscally sound manner. I believe the democratic leadership style will help me to obtain these goals because this style works well to generate new innovative recommendations for executing their overall vision, and provide guidance from apt employees. So working as a team, by having a say in decisions and receiving input from fellow employees helps to achieve the primary objective. The International Business Research came to the conclusion that people enjoy working in a free atmosphere where they can share and exchange their own views and ideas. Also, employees were more open to telling their leaders in case of anything wrong, which creates a sense of ownership among the employees that gives them satisfaction (1). In order to be an effective leader, you must possess and integrate several qualities such as serving as a role model and setting an example, listening and communicating effectively, motivating your followers, and encouraging contributions and creativity.