What does “Nursing Leadership” mean to you, and how did the meaning change (or stay the same) after viewing the Module content?  Nursing leadership has always been a role that I assumed always meant a lot of experience as a nurse and in the specialty that the nursing leader was in.  It meant that they were a manager or supervisor or a charge nurse.  They handled shift assignments, schedules, had meetings all day long, etc…  After reading through the material it really is less concrete that my view of it.  The definition is a lot more subjective and situational really.  Some of the examples listed in the readings put a new perspective on what I thought was a great leadership model i.e. autocratic, democratic, or laissez-faire.  There are definitely certain situations that you would want an autocratic style of leadership for quick and authoritative decisions and other situations you would need a more laissez-faire approach.

Describe the Leadership behaviors you have observed in yourself and/or colleagues. Could a behavior be modified to create a more effective leadership strategy? I observe leadership qualities in myself and co workers frequently and some more than others.  I think that I can be a leader within my current job eventually.  However, I think that I lack the knowledge and expertise in my current field of nursing to really be considered a leader.  In turn, I also lack the confidence at times to probably be considered a leader on a regular basis.  I do think that I have the qualities willingness to learn, listen to others, help when needed, and reliable which to me are all characteristics of a foundation to build leadership qualities.  The leaders that I think are easy to pick out are autocratic.  I think that they can have a tendency to come across as “bossy” if they aren’t careful in how they deliver their leadership style.  If an autocratic type leader is come across this way then their leadership will not be effective.  They would need to modify their leadership behavior.  Maybe listening more to what those being led want or would like to see be changed, politely ask people to do a task instead of tell them to do it, etc…

References

Rigolosi, Elaine La Monica, EdD, JD, FAAN. Management and Leadership in Nursing and Health Care, edited by                Elaine La Monica, EdD, JD, FAAN Rigolosi, Springer Publishing Company, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central,                  http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.ezproxy.fhsu.edu:2048/lib/fhsu/detail.action?docID=423601.