The graduate nurse evidences leadership as seen in the four domains: the profession of
nursing, clinical practice arena, health policy arena, and systems level. In order to complete
this assignment, complete the short eighteen-question quiz (this takes approximately five
minutes) about your leadership style at
About.com Psychology. (n.d.). Quiz – What’s your leadership style?
In a 3- to 5-page paper (excluding the title page, references and appendices), you will
address the following criteria:
�Report your findings from the quiz:
What kind of leader were you?
How does this fit into your beliefs about your leadership style?
�Examine the attributes of leadership that may be needed for graduate level
nurses.
�Analyze your personal leadership attributes you feel you have that will help you
in your graduate nursing role. Also discuss those attributes that you feel you may need to
develop in your graduate nursing role.
Finish with a quotation from a library article related to leadership in an advanced
nursing role. Look in some of the known leadership journals like The Journal of Nursing
Scholarship or Nursing Leadership Forum or the American Journal of Nursing, Journal of
Nursing Administration, Nursing Administration Quarterly, Nursing Management or
Health Care Management Review (found in the South University Online Library).
Nursing Leadership
Introduction
Leadership in the nursing profession is imperative as it helps nurses to relate to each
other and their patients. Nursing practitioners are therefore required to exemplify good
leadership skill at all times. This helps them to work well as a team, be good decision makers and
improve in their service and care. Nevertheless, since nurses relate with people from different
domains, it is essential for them to uphold high standards of work ethics and professionalism
(Sanford, 2011). This means nurses should indicate leadership and the ability to rules in any
clinical practice arena or system.
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Findings from the Quiz
Based on the quiz taken, I was a democratic leader. This means that I highly value the
input of my team members when making decisions or solving problems. As a democratic leader I
motivate my staff and boost their moral through engaging them in activities and allowing them to
take part in decision making. I however give the final decision based on the insights collected. I
value quality service and my staff by helping each person in my team fully exploits their
potential and to be independent. I am a respectful, trustworthy and straightforward leader who
believes in productivity, discipline, and hard work. Am a charismatic leader, caring and
empathic. I am committed to coaching, mentoring and developing of my staff, and focus on
working as a team to attain success. As a leader, I am a good listener and communicator; I
inspire and encourage my staff by acting as a role model.
Fitting in my Belief about Leadership
Leadership is all about setting a path and example, and that is what is portrayed in this
context. The belief that leaders acting as mentors and coaches fit the description of a leader. A
good leader gives direction to their staff and offers guidance on what they ought to do at work.
The act of leadership is portrayed as a position through which people get to relate with other
effectively. A leader should be ready to learn from others and accept advice from those around
them as well. Leading is not all about working as the head, but it is about helping others learn
how to lead and work on their own in decision making and developing their potential. Leadership
is giving direction rather than leading the way. This helps to involve others and to offer them the
opportunity to practice and nurture their leadership skills as well.
As a nurse I value teamwork. I therefore believe in working hand in hand with others to
accomplish organizational goals. Collaboration is essential for a leader as it helps to bring
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cohesiveness among the nurses and to work together for success. Direction, support, and positive
motivation and feedback are important qualities that a leader must portray when working with a
team. As it can be seen from the quiz, as am the kind of leader I do not value punishment as
would be evident in autocratic leadership but I would rather offer guidance and support to those
who are weak.
I value self-decision making and self-supervision as I believe that this promotes the
independence and productivity of a team. As a leader therefore, I would let my team make their
own decisions, work under minimal supervision and work freely doing what they feel best
promotes the company’s productivity. Motivation is an essential characteristic of a leader and I
would strive to offer security and encourage each staff member to reach their potential.
Attribute of Leadership for Graduate Level Nurses
There are many leadership attributes that a graduate nurse is required to portray in
execution of their duties. These graduate level nurses should have a vision for the future and
work towards achieving this through self-motivation. A graduate nurse is expected to enact self-
confidence, self-respect and willingness to participate in various activities. They should be risk
takers, never fear to experience failure and should be ready to learn from obstacles experienced
in the course of their work (Havig, Skogstad, Kjekshus & Romøren, 2011). It is expected of
graduate nurses to build good relationships with others, be engaging and motivating. A graduate
nurse leader should be capable of effective self-reflection to assist in gaining from both past and
future experience; and thus ensure that they can work effectively with others. Being a team
player is also an important attribute for a graduate nurse leader to portray. They should be able to
work with other people and find balance in their professional and personal life. Lastly, a graduate
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level nurse should be in a position to communicate audibly and eloquently in order to ensure that
they can interact effectively with clients, colleagues and other people requiring their services.
Analysis of Personal Leadership Attributes
Among the individual management qualities that will aid in my graduate nursing role
include self-confidence and my risk taking attribute. These qualities give me the position to act
without fear and exploit my potential to the fullest. The other attribute is excellent
communication. I am a good communicator and I have good relationship qualities. This helps me
to relate with others in my area of expertise, such as my colleague, patients and those in
authority. Self-disciple and trustworthiness are also some of the attributes that can help me in my
graduate nursing role.
In addition to the above, there are other attributes that I must adopt in order to fit well in
the graduate nursing role. One of these attributes is being culturally diverse. Culture competence
is imperative in the nursing profession as it helps one to relate with different people from diverse
background respectfully and equally (Coonan, 2008). It is also important to be innovative and
empowered in the graduate nursing role. This will assist me to be flexible to changes in the
medical sector and the society.
Conclusion
As I prepare to take up the role of a graduate nurse, I am confident that my leadership
skills will ensure that I develop a respectable niche for myself in the nursing profession. Further,
I am willing to learn from my experiences and thus improve my leadership skills even further to
promote my performance as I take on an advanced nursing role. As quoted by Buckner, et al
(2014), leadership is dynamic, ongoing and should be supportive of improvements occurring in
nursing practice.
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References
Buckner, E., Anderson, D., Garzon, N., Hafsteinsdóttir, T., Lai, C., & Roshan, R. (2014).
Perspectives on global nursing leadership: international experiences from the field.