[Sharon]

Pick one of the Leadership characteristics in the chapter you read above that you feel is the most important in a leader. Describe a personal situation about yourself or a leader that supports why you feel that characteristic is the most important.

[Sandra]

I believe that communication is the most important role in being a leader. If we aren’t communicating with other staff members then the care to the patients will not always have a good outcome. I work in a hospital and as a senior staff with all the new nurses coming in we have to communicate with our experiences on how to do lots of tasks and I fine that they really need it in todays work. We also have psws on our floor and they always thank me for telling them how the patients transfer or what they are isolated with because they don’t get any kind of report they go in blind with the patients.

[Melanie]

Communication is definitely very important. Everyone involved in the circle of care should receive the same information and all work together to achieve the same goals/outcomes for the patients. Having regular communication from all those involved and receiving feedback is very helpful. Open and honest communications and ensuring everyone is on the same page is a must.

[Melanie]

I think dependability is the characteristic most important in my Leader. She is completely transparent in her communication with myself and our team. She is open and honest at all times and very dependable. She is someone you can rely on and trust that she has our best interests at heart. She always makes herself available if we have questions or something urgent comes up. She never misses work unless it’s booked vacation. She is dependable and reliable which I find are great qualities in a leader.

[Taraneh]

I agree with dependability of a manager – management is looked at as a resource to be able to go to for advice, knowledge and experience. If a manager is not present or dependable, it makes it very difficult to build a trusting rapport with your team.

[Kimberley]

I think a key trait of a leader is empathy. We are all human and have outside lives. It creates a safe environment in the workplace and encourages everyone to be themselves and are more likely to go the extra mile with an empathetic team leader.

[Taraneh]

I have found that communication is the most important to the frontline staff I supervise. There is an understanding and respect that is present when you are transparent and communicate effectively with a team. When you give a task, and a rationale is communicated behind the task being presented, then the team understands the importance of things being done instead of “this is what needs to be done, just do it” mentality.

[Andrea]

I agree, it is important to pass on rationale of a task, especially in Nursing where we are taught to always ask “why” and to ensure our steps are meeting criteria of the task. That would be very difficult to do if we were just told to “do it”.

[Andrea]

Being adaptable to situations is very important. When working with groups of people it is difficult to please everyone but being adaptable can help.
Several years ago I was a newly hired nurse for a private pay company when I became ill and required surgery. This surgery left me unable to speak for 18 months. Instead of stopping my orientation and training someone new, my team lead pushed for me to received extended training to learn sign language and to keep me on to work in a group home requiring a nurse who could sign. This changed the whole job for me but the leader was able to keep me employed which meant no retraining another new person, which also kept the manager happy.
If we can be creative and adapt to unexpected situations the group will likely follow.

[Suzanne]

I feel that communication is very important regardless I’d how it is presented including in person, via email etc. To work efficiently and effectively as a team everyone needs to be on the same page and work towards the same outcome with the objective being patient focus and ensuring that transparency is there.

[Heather]

In my present position, it is important to be dependable. I supervise quite a few personal support workers. It is important that they feel that they can come to me if they have an issue with a patient and they know that I will work to advocate for them if that is what is needed. I have heard from many of them that they have often felt that other supervisors do not care at all about what type of conditions they must work in. One of my goals is to make sure their workplace is safe and that they will be supported when they need to be.

[Maame]

I believe persistent is a trait a leader should possess, my reasoning behing my answer is that if an indivdual isn’t constantly persistent on what they need to accomplish the goal will never be achieved. For example, the RNIC ( registered nurse in charge) I work with on nights will always come to the floor and ask each unit what are concerns’ that should be addressed with management. The common answer amongst all the units was staffing and workload. The RNIC will be constantly be sending emalls to management about the shortage and the increase workload and the need for extra help. After several emails / complaints’ management is finally looking into getting more assistance on all units. I believe my colleagues exmplifies a true leader.

[Sandra]

Co-operation is a very important role for being a leader. If the leader can co-operate with other team members then the work can get done more efficiently.

[Author]

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