Leadership and Management: My Personal Philosophy of Leadership

Everybody can be a leader. Nevertheless, I feel that not every individual can lead effectively. I also believe that it is not a position but a process. Leadership is an action to influence other people to move and accomplish the same goal. Leaders are ineffective when they think they are superior, and the members should just follow them. They only assume their personal status and the benefits they can obtain. For me, a good leader is an individual who can set a good example for a group of people or an organization. In addition, being a leader is not about merely motivating the group members but also, it is about allowing them to be involved in decision-making. I believe in participative leadership. Participative leadership, also called democratic leadership, is having the leader encourage the team members to participate in the decision-making process. My personal philosophy of leadership developed as I started working with a group of people. I have realized that a leader should be able to get to know the people and create good relationships with them to be able to work effectively as a team. Also, a leader should be an innovator, a motivator, and trustworthy so others would follow. Teamwork is essential in the healthcare field. I was able to show my leadership skills at school and at work where I have to work with other people.

Previously, I was only a leader who would listen attentively to others’ opinions and who was afraid of making mistakes and being blamed if something would go wrong. It was one of the reasons why I would rather follow others’ decisions than mine. However, I now have learned more about just culture, quality improvement, and synergy. I would attempt to speak up about my opinion while I let others share their own for us to choose or combine the ideas without the fear of making a mistake. Just culture refers to an environment where organizations are accountable for the systems they designed and not the individuals. Therefore, it encourages the members to report errors to help improve the system and create a blame-free environment, which are goals of quality improvement. Additionally, this also creates a synergy that team members collaborate to produce great results that could not be achieved by an individual.

In democratic leadership, team members are more participative in making decisions. Each member is given a and accountability for their contributions to meeting the group’s goal. One drawback of this style of leadership is that it may lead to communication failure as each member might have different opinions. Thus, the purpose of the group’s project may not be completed.

Nonetheless, collaborating and compromising could be used as conflict resolution styles. Collaborating is a mix of assertiveness and cooperativeness and those who want to cooperate try to work with others to find a solution that would meet all the members’ concerns. In this style, all sides could have what they want and their negative feelings would lessen. This is necessary when it is significant to save the long-term relationship and outcome. On the other hand, in compromising, the objective is to have a solution that is convenient and accepted by both parties in the conflict while both are moderately assertive and cooperative. This is usually utilized when the outcome of the teamwork is not vital, and the time is limited to finish what is being worked on.

Moreover, I have observed during our group activities that all of us tend to use these conflict management styles as we give importance to our group relationship. We all know that we must work with each other for a long period of time as we will be groupmates until the semester ends.

Furthermore, the professional associations Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) and College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) affected my personal view of leadership. I agree with the CNA that all nurses from different areas of nursing practice should utilize their leadership skills. The joint effort of shared leadership can produce solid networks and relationships that would lead to high-quality nursing practice. It is essential to know that these organizations provide regulations for us nurses to enhance the healthcare system. From what I have observed on their websites, they entail and influence all nurses to participate in advancing nursing and health. We follow them because they are not only setting as good examples, but they are also helping us nurses perform evidence-based practice and avoid causing harm to the public. As well, nurses are expected to practice formal or informal leadership. We should step up to seek workable solutions, handle the conflicts successfully and advocate for the patients.

From my perspective, my reflective leadership helps me understand myself more and know how my leadership skills have improved and will improve.