Combining nurse leadersip with advocacy - Essay Example

Combining Nurse Leadership with Advocacy of A successful nurse leader regularly performs self-assessment so as to identify his/her strengths and weaknesses as regards core competency areas, namely, personal and professional accountability, career planning, personal journey disciplines, and reflective practice reference behaviors/tenets. The Nursing Manager Inventory Tool is very useful in the development of a personal career plan for nurse leaders (American Association of Critical Care Nurses, 2006).

This is a self-assessment essay. In this paper, I will identify my strengths and weaknesses in the four content areas aforementioned. With regard to personal and professional accountability, I am knowledgeable of and capable in nursing management. In order to enhance my professional abilities, I vigorously participate in career development trainings and other important preparations. I continuously attempt to improve my career and professional accountability by conforming to ethical codes and being a part of professional organizations.

I always try to exercise autonomy by making important nursing decisions which are accountable to my patients, employer, profession, and the public. I keep a reflective diary in order to monitor my behaviors and thoughts and the quality of care I give. As regards career planning, being a nurse leader, I am fully aware and appreciative of the duties of a nurse leader and have consistently attained my objectives. I have developed a nursing plan but the lack of important resources, particularly those financially related, has impeded attainment of several goals.

My career plan primarily focuses on resolving certain problems or inconsistencies in my skill set and acquiring relevant experiences by exposing myself in a setting characterized by teamwork. In the area of personal journey disciplines, I have observed that one of my strengths is my critical thinking skill, or my ability to solve problems. I kept my mind open for collective leadership because I believe that through teamwork we will be able to take full advantage of human resources by means of employee empowerment.

The only aspect that hinders my goal toward complete employee empowerment is the absence of cooperation from some employees who possess the relevant leadership skills. Concerning reflective practice reference behaviors/tenets, integrity and respect for differences are two of the most essential characteristics of effective nurse leaders (Rigolosi, 2013). One of my strengths is my ability to work effectively in culturally diverse organizations; another is my ability to make accurate, appropriate decisions in a competitive environment.

Most importantly, I have the ability to build a strong learning environment, cultivating knowledge, both tacit and explicit. However, I am having difficulties using these strengths in initiating positive changes in the organization. But through transformational leadership, I will be able to overcome this weakness. Through my current leadership skill set, I will advocate for change in my organization by creating a learning environment, or by transforming my workplace into a knowledge organization, which is dedicated to the sharing and application of relevant knowledge for the promotion of positive organizational changes (Nagelkerk, 2005).

I will broaden my knowledge, learn from various disciplines, and promote creativity and the application of a broad range of theories and models to problem solving activities. My belief that people are eager, interested, and ready to learn and acquire important skills will definitely motivate me to empower my followers. I will give proper acknowledgment of the role and obligation of staff nurses; encourage professional nursing practice through comprehensive job analysis and evaluation; align nursing practice with the objectives of the organization; recognize the role of staff nurses in the care processes and patient management; and form autonomous work teams and encourage teamwork.

One personal goal for my leadership growth is to become fully transformational. In order to attain this I will follow certain steps. I will try to develop four of the main characteristics of a transformational leader, namely, vision and empowerment, intellectual enthusiasm, and individual recognition (Kelly, 2011). First, I will encourage my followers to create and work toward a common vision. I will create a culture of shared goal and teamwork within the organization. Second, I will create a vivid image of a desired future based on ethical considerations.

In order to realize this I will motivate my colleagues to strive toward this projected future. I will promote a culture of excellence and productivity. I will be a role model to my followers and promote the motivation to achieve our individual and organizational objectives. And lastly, I will build relationships that are based on trust by creating opportunities for socialization, interaction, teamwork, and interdisciplinary activities. References American Association of Critical Care Nurses (2006).

Nurse manager skills inventory. Retrieved from http://www.aone.org/resources/leadership%20tools/PDFs/NMSL_BrochureFINAL.pdf Kelly, P. (2011). Nursing leadership and management. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Nagelkerk, J. (2005). Leadership and nursing care management. New York, NY: Elsevier Health Sciences. Rigolosi, E. (2013). Management and leadership in nursing and health care: An experiential approach. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.