LN005 Empowerment of the Nurse Leader in Organizational Structures

Student Name

University

NURS 6201 Leadership in Nursing and Healthcare

Prof. Name

Date

Nursing Leadership Action and Continuous Improvement Plan

In this paper, I will discuss a personal assessment of my leadership strengths and weaknesses, as well as develop two goals to aid in improving my leadership. This self-evaluation and paper will contribute to the overall success of my leadership capabilities within my organization. There is always room for growth and development in our lives, both professional and personal. Performing self-evaluations and setting goals for improvement is vital to growth.

Self-Evaluation of Leadership Strengths

As a leader, I feel that I have several key aspects that are needed to be successful. However, just like everyone else, I have certain areas that need further development or improvement in my leadership scope. My personal strengths as a leader include my personality, strong communication skills, respect for others, active listening skills, adaptability, and strategic thinking. I believe that my personality takes me a long way when it comes to being a leader. Regardless of how I am feeling or what the situation is, I always enter my organization with a positive and optimistic attitude. I tend to find and point out the good in every situation. Because of my personality traits, I quickly became a well-recognized leader within my organization.

When it comes to communication, I am passionate about it. Communication is crucial, especially in healthcare. High-quality care for a client requires communication between interdisciplinary team members to ensure that accurate and pertinent information is relayed. The same goes for leading a team towards change; keeping team members up to date regarding every aspect and remaining open and honest with communication will go a long way in building trust amongst the team. Having high respect for others and ensuring that their professional knowledge is acknowledged and respected by leaders will aid in not only building trust but also empowering the team members to promote change.

Areas for Improvement

While I have great leadership strengths, I also have several areas that need improvement. Continuous learning and educational improvement are vital to nurses’ lifelong learning and aid in ensuring that nurses’ skills and knowledge remain up to date to ensure best practices. As a leader, I feel that I lack the ability to give adequate constructive criticism, delegate important tasks, develop and head effective team meetings, and build long-term visions of the future.

I have a personality that likes to see the good in everything. I do not like to let people down, make them feel bad, or insinuate that they are not doing a good job. I lack the ability to give constructive criticism to aid in building a person’s ability to be independent due to my personality. However, I feel that providing constructive criticism is vital for an effective leader.

NURS 6201 Assessment 5 LN005 Empowerment of the Nurse Leader in Organizational Structures

When it comes to performing tasks, especially important tasks, I do not like to delegate. Again, I feel that it falls back on my personality. I would rather do all of the work myself to lead my team to success than to delegate work to others due to the fear of overloading someone else with something that I could do. I do not perform well when it comes to developing and leading formal team meetings. I feel that this is another key aspect that is needed for an effective team leader.

SMART Goals to Improve Leadership Skills

In order to improve my leadership skills, I am excited to develop two SMART goals to aid in my leadership growth. The first SMART goal of mine is to learn how to give constructive criticism. Being able to give and receive constructive feedback are skills that are crucial in the healthcare setting. These processes are closely linked to professional development and increased performance of the team as a whole.

(S) Provide constructive criticism to team members in a way that maintains respect.
(M) Track when and how I give constructive criticism as well as my confidence level at that time. I will ask for feedback every month regarding my constructive criticism.
(A) I will achieve my goal by taking time to sit down and prepare my criticism to ensure that it is warranted and appropriate.
(R) Providing constructive criticism to team members aids in building accountability as well as learning amongst team members.
(T) I will achieve this goal within three months.

The second SMART goal of mine is to become comfortable with delegating tasks to team members.

(S) I will delegate tasks to team members appropriately and confidently.
(M) Track different tasks that I delegate to team members, their success rates, as well as my feelings at the time of delegation.
(A) I will set aside a specific time each week to review potential tasks for delegation as well as the completion of previously delegated tasks.
(R) Delegating tasks aids in developing trusting relationships amongst the team as well as ensuring that all team members are active participants in the active goal.
(T) I can achieve this goal within six months of successfully delegating tasks to team members.

The two SMART goals mentioned above align with two areas of my leadership capabilities that I feel need improvement. Of all improvement areas, being able to properly and confidently delegate appropriate tasks and give constructive criticism would provide the highest benefit to my leadership skills. Being able to delegate and provide constructive criticism aids in building a strong sense of trust and confidence amongst team members, which is proven to improve the overall success of a team. Building a trusting relationship with team members, especially in healthcare, is crucial to ensure that everyone is confident in the care of clients or in any changes they have to face together.

Potential Barriers of Goals

The main potential challenge that I think I may face when trying to implement these goals is reception by the team members. My team members and I have been working together for years, so they are used to my ways and how I do things. They do understand that I love to learn and grow, but changing up old habits may cause some kickback. I hope that this does not happen, and I will talk to the team and let them know that change is to come regarding delegation and feedback regarding tasks. I have a great team, so the change should go smoothly, and the initial shock should not last long.

Organizational Resources and Empowerment Opportunities

Within my organization, I am a Nurse Navigator and I work very closely with my administrator and Director of Nursing (DON) to aid in the success of the facility. Having this title, I have plenty of opportunities to lead our team in a multitude of situations. Having numerous opportunities to practice and implement my goals for improvement will aid in ensuring my goals are met. I will use as many opportunities set forth to me by my organization to utilize the skills I need to improve my leadership behaviors. Also, at my organization, we just hired a new DON. That being said, I have the opportunity to empower and encourage my team of nurses to welcome the new DON with open arms and ample respect. Having a change in management is hard on employees; however, having a dedicated leader can aid in reducing the hurt from this change in management.

Conclusion

You may be a great leader, but one thing is for sure, there is always room for growth and improvement. I have identified two SMART goals to implement to improve my leadership skills and behaviors and look forward to implementing these goals. While I am confident in many aspects, delegation and constructive criticism are not strong points of mine. However, I look forward to changing that.

References

Hardavella, G., Aamli-Gaagnat, A., Saad, N., Rousalova, I., & Sreter, K

LN005 Empowerment of the Nurse Leader in Organizational Structures