wk5RespondLeadSh

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Respond to Erica and Chisom

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Erica

RE: Discussion – Week 5

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Main Discussion Post

 

           My results from the Strengths Finder’s test were extremely accurate. My top five strengths are intellection, connectedness, achiever, futuristic, and learner. Seemiller (2017) stated the Clifton’s Strength Finder assessment can help empower and guide students to become successful leaders by drawing on their strengths, and not their weaknesses. In this discussion, I will briefly describe my five strengths, and then discuss values, strengths, and characteristics I would like to improve. 

My first strength is intellection. This means I like quiet time to think and analyze. I like to read and listen to other’s perspectives and ideas. I am my own best companion because I love to reflect, think, and inspire myself. One thing I would like to improve regarding this strength is that I think more than I do, which can be disheartening for me. Realizing I can use this strength in meaningful ways without ‘doing’ anything is one way I can overcome the guilt. Gallup (2017) stated an example of this would be to get involved in projects in the beginning, where my ideas, wisdom, and creative thinking would be most helpful.

My second strength is connectedness. I believe all experiences have meaning. I believe there are no coincidences and we are all connected. Furthermore, I have faith those connections are meant to be and meaningful. I accept what cannot be explained logically and have faith that the meaning of events and experiences may never be known to me, but have meaning none the less. I am very aware of my spirit and that makes me compassionate, accepting, sensitive, and considerate. Gallup (2018) stated people with this strength should join organizations and go on retreats. I would like to strengthen my communication skills, and I think these involvements might give me that confidence. I want to improve my communication skills so that I can help others find their purpose in everyday life, realize their contributions, and feel meaningfully connected to this world.

My third strength is achiever. I am a hard worker with enormous self-motivation and drive. I put in more effort than most in all my work, and I do it because it makes me feel satisfied. I would like to improve my ability to feel satisfied when I’m not busy and productive. I would like to enjoy being still and present, not requiring measurable goals to progress through every day. One way I could work with my strength to achieve this is to assign achievement goals to things that are not work related (Gallup, 2018). Another way to help me improve on my ability to take time to relax and focus on non-work achievements is to make my daily work goals achievable, realistic, and timely. 

My fourth strength is futuristic. I am inspired by the possibilities of the future. I visualize the future and feel joyful and energized. I am original, innovative, and resourceful. I like to entertain ideas about how to reach goals, get things done, or make things better. I see things that are not obvious and can look at things in a way that is not familiar or common to most. I like to help others feel that excitement and energy about their future. This strength can help me with my dream of binge a coach and a guide, helping others visualize their potential and dreams (Gallup, 2018). I would like to improve my communication skills in this area also. I could partner with someone who is more articulate and can convey my visions effectively with words. I can also use other ways to get my inspired points across such as arts, theater, and other forms of media. Taking some communication skill building classes is something I should pursue. 

My fifth strength is learner. I love learning, and the process of learning excites me more than the outcome. I strive to continuously improve myself through learning. I am attracted to concepts that are not easy to comprehend curiously explore things that interest me in depth. One characteristic I would like to improve about myself is my confidence, and learning can give me the confidence boost of acquiring new knowledge and skills. Another area I need to improve on is how I skip past all my celebratory moments. I track my progress, even in learning, but I never take the time or energy to feel good about my accomplishments. I think allowing myself those moments would also improve my confidence levels. 

Marshall and Broome (2017) stated high energy and physical endurance can help leaders reach their goals. This is one area I need to work on a great deal. I don’t give myself a lot of time or energy to spend on physical activity. I have plans to join a yoga class once or twice a week. I also will increase my time outside hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Another crucial goal is to schedule physical activity breaks into my work and study days. 

In conclusion, I hope to remember I am a catalyst for change by being open to new ideas and ways of life (Gallup, 2018). I can inspire others to feel safer with their own changes. I hope I honor my desire to learn and collect certificates, join organizations, go on learning trips, and always be furthering my education. Seemiller (2017) stated this assessment not only encourages successful leaders, but also promotes being a good student and having good relationships. I can see how bringing your strengths into every area in your life can be useful. This exercise was a lot of fun and provided some much-needed reflection. I’m excited to read what everyone else writes this week!

References

Gallup. (2018). Strengths finder. Retrieved from https://walden.gallup.com

Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert 

clinician to influential leader (2nded.). New York, NY: Springer.

Seemiller, C. (2017). Using leadership competencies to develop talents into strengths. New Directions for Student Leadership, 156, 31–42. Retrieved from https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1002/yd.20269

 

Chisom  

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Leadership Profile

           Several scholarly articles identify characteristics of good nurse leaders but offer only a few means by which such individuals could cultivate them (Scully, 2014). Being able to identify one’s strengths could help a leader improve his leadership traits. In this week’s discussion, the Gallup’s (2019) Strengths Finder assessment revealed five themes of my strengths as a leader. The five themes were achiever, empathy, includer, connectedness, and learner. As a charge nurse in my facility, the position may not be considered a leadership role, but being able to identify my strengths is vital as an informal leader to the nurses in the department.

Strengths

            The two strengths from the Clifton Strengths report that I would like to improve upon are learner and connectedness (Gallup, 2019). Learners, according to Gallup (2019) have a great desire to know more and continuously improve. As an educator, learning is a steady process for me, and is something that I need to continuously work upon. Nursing competencies are based on the knowledge and skills taught to them (Jamshidi, Molazem, Sharif, Torabizadeh, & Kalyani, 2016), thus, to be able to effectively teach the staff nurses, it is crucial that I enhance my skill and trait as a learner. Meanwhile, connectedness, according to Gallup (2019) means having faith in the links among all things. A leader with this strength believes there are only a few coincidences, and that every event has a meaning (Gallup, 2019). By nurturing this strength, I could help individuals realize that teamwork and group efforts are important in accomplishing tasks, which is important in a busy emergency department like ours.

Core Values

            Nursing core values are standard components in all clinical and educational nursing settings. The core values guide and motivate the professional behaviors of nurses in their respective work areas (Poorchangizi,Farokhzadian, Abbaszadeh, Mirzaee, &Borhani, 2017). Sherman (2015) enumerated some examples or nursing leadership core values and two that I would like to strengthen are the willingness to tolerate differences in opinions, and a commitment to a caring-based approach to leadership. The two core values will strongly influence the includer and empathy themes identified in the strength assessment report discussed.

Characteristics

            Two characteristics that I would like to strengthen are adaptability and individualization. Adaptability is not viewing the future as a fixed destination, but a place to create out of the choices that one makes right now (Gallup, 2019). In the emergency department, it is important that nurses adapt to the stressful situations occurring daily in the department. Being able to show to my clinical staff that I can adapt to the various stressors in our unit as a role model could help them feel that they are not alone. Adaptive leadership is a trait that needs to be cultivated because even stable situations can become unstable when faced with new challenges. Another characteristic that I would like to strengthen is individualization. The individualization theme allows a leader to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person (Gallup, 2019). As an educator, I tend to see them as a group of individuals. It is necessary that I pay more attention to their individual skills, attitudes, and interests to draw out their uniqueness and bring out their highest potential.

References

Gallup. (2019). Clifton StrengthsFinder 2.0. Retrieved from https://walden.gallup.com

Jamshidi, N., Molazem, Z., Sharif, F., Torabizadeh, C., & Kalyani, M. N. (2016). The challenges of nursing students in the clinical learning environment: A qualitative study. Scientific World Journal. doi: 10.1155/2016/1846178

Poorchangizi, B., Farokhzadian, J., Abbaszadeh, A., Mirzaee, M., &Borhani, F. (2017). The importance of professional values from clinical nurses’ perspective in hospitals of a medical university in Iran. BioMed Central Medical Ethics, 18(20). doi:10.1186/s12910-017-0178-9

Scully, N. J. (2015). Leadership in nursing: The importance of recognizing inherent values and attributes to secure a positive future for the profession. Collegian, 22(4), 239-244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2014.09.004

Sherman, R. O. (2015). Nursing leadership core values. Retrieved from https://www.emergingrnleader.com/nursing-leadership-core-values/