[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.

[Carmen]

A leadership characteristic that I feel is the most important in a leader would be adaptability.
A situation where I’ve witnessed a leader demonstrate the importance of adaptability would be when I was working in hospital and I observed a team leader who faced staffing shortages due to an outbreak. Instead of leaving the nurses on shift to figure out how to manage this situation, she quickly reorganized the team, redistributed tasks and brought in temporary support to ensure patient care was not compromised while checking in with the team. Her adaptability kept the team motivated and focused without feel overwhelmed or unsupported.

I think adaptability is the most important characteristic in a leader because it allows someone to respond appropriately to changing and/or unexpected circumstances without compromising the outcome of the work and/or your relationship with others.

[Janet]

I considered social skills the most important leadership skill. Adaptability is under the large umbrella of social skills, If I had to break down the list of social skills adaptability would be in my top 2 social skills. Working in healthcare we all should be adaptable leader or team member; as one never knows what is going to happen next. As we all experienced major changes in the last few years and we all learned to adapt to the frequent changes and unknowns during a major pandemic.
It sounds like you were fortunate enough to have a leader that thought of the team and not just the organization during the challenging time.

[Alhasan]

I believe that both social skills and adaptability are integral qualities that complement each other to create an exceptional leader. However, I chose ambition as the most important trait in my case because it drives the willingness to think outside the box and pursue innovative approaches to achieve goals successfully.

[Kristina]

Hi Carmen,

I like your example you used for the trait “adaptability”. I truly believe that as nurses, adaptability is our best friend. We must work with the resources and tools we have, and if not, change it up and adapt! We are constantly under pressure and it can be very overwhelming at times. This is where a good leader takes charge, reassess the situation and provides a new solution to a problem. Thank you for your point of view on this!

[Janet]

The characteristic I feel is most important is socially skilled.
As a leader with this set of skills will be successful in communicating; effectively articulating ideas and actively listening, adapting their communication style to suit their audience. Having a high level of emotional intelligence and the ability to empathize and share the feelings of their team. Resolving conflict constructively fostering a positive environment. Successfully building and maintain relationships both within and outside the organization. Team building creating a positive environment bring individuals together, encouraging collaboration and fostering a sense of unity and purpose amongst the team members. Adapting and being flexible to navigate different social and cultural contexts and adjust as needed. Influential in a positive manor, gaining the support for the visions and initiatives. Overall, a socially skilled leader in not only proficient in the managerial tasks and skills of the job but excels in understanding and managing the social dynamics crucial to effective leadership and team performance.
During a recent performance review, I received positive feedback regarding my strength in building relationships. I have been recognized for fostering supportive connections with both the supervisor team and the employees I lead. I advocate for the needs of both patients and team members, promoting a collaborative and supportive approach. Additionally, I actively work on building relationships with other professionals within the care team. Having a Manager that has a strong social skill set and is highly supportive of all members of her team and strives to help us all see our strengths and helps us to improve our weaknesses, creating a positive and supportive team.

[Rebecca]

Hi Janet,

I was torn between communication skills and adaptability. I strongly agree with your perspective and how you supported your choice. I enjoyed reading that you had a review, and you were acknowledged for building relationships, that is a skill that not everyone is strong in, and with respect is not very easy in our line of work. You sound like a wonderful leader.

[Janet]

Hi Rebecca,

Thank you for your compliment. It is greatly appreciated, I don’t think a lot of us hear them enough!

[Sherri]

Carmen. Your absolutely right, I agree social skills are most important. They lead to trust and support with most people and places.

[Logan]

Janet, well said!

I agree with everything you said. Having a leader that is socially skilled offers a reassuring guidance that resonates with most people. A social leader knows their audience and would be able to “read a room”. They know how to adjust their communication based of who their discussion is with, along with their delivery of feedback, problem-solving etc.,
Janet, I also love to hear the rapport you and your manager have. Being mentored and supported cohesively to ensure you are optimized for your best potential, while still offering you opportunities for growth and development is huge, well done! You will most definitely mimic a lot of those qualities from your leadership team/manager as you lead your team as you continue to gain new leadership skills. 🙂

[Alhasan]

The leadership characteristic of being ambitious stands out as one of the most crucial traits in a leader. Ambition drives leaders to set high goals and work diligently towards achieving them, often inspiring others to do the same.

In my role as a case manager supporting individuals with complex medical needs, I frequently encounter challenges, particularly regarding funding. In the developmental services sector, funding often diminishes when young adults transition from children’s funding. Despite these constraints, my ambition drives me to advocate relentlessly for the individuals I support to enhance their quality of life.

Recently, we requested funding for sensory items for an individual, but the request was rejected, and we were offered a much cheaper, unsuitable alternative. Recognizing the inadequacy of the proposed item for an adult with specific sensory needs, I wrote a strong advocacy letter to appeal this decision. I detailed why the alternative was inappropriate and emphasized the health benefits of providing the correct sensory equipment. Despite the initial rejection, I persisted and appealed, demonstrating ambition and a clear goal of securing appropriate and quality equipment for the individual’s well-being. For years, we have faced numerous rejections, and although advocating appeals for something like this is not typically within my role, I suggested we challenge these decisions this time. Ultimately, this approach proved to be highly successful.

This experience highlights the importance of ambition in leadership. It showcases how being ambitious can lead to better outcomes and improvements in the lives of those we support, even when faced with significant obstacles. It also may inspire other individuals that work within that funding role to do the same in the future.

[Claire]

Hi Alhansan,

I enjoyed your post! I believe as well in the power of having an ambitious and confident leader who doesn’t shrivel in the face of adversity, and who models strength and determination to those in their team. I have always had great respect for ambitious and dedicated leaders who’s grit and conviction has helped to secure what is needed for the team provide the best outcomes for those in our care.

Best,

Claire

[Rebecca]

The leadership characteristic I feel is most important in a leader is adaptability, although all the characteristics are of importance and challenging to pick just one. An adaptable leader is capable of responding to change, adjusting strategies and building trust by demonstrating flexibility.

Every morning, I wake up with a plan, an idea of how my day will play out, until I open my computer to find my entire day has been flipped upside down. I have to be able to be adaptable daily, even hourly as my many interactions can change. There are no set guidelines how to interact with people, I adapt how I engage with my clients, my team and coworkers. Daily I encounter challenges to which clients/staff are seeking answers, as an adaptive leader I am required to support, to the best of my ability in delivering those answers. It can be as simple as receiving report from a team member seeking direction and change to needing to have a difficult conversation, being able to adapt to the situation I can deliver direction as well as educate and build trust and respect with my team.

Being an adaptable leader will support the ongoing changes and challenges faced daily especially in healthcare when change can be for the better.

[Janet]

I completely relate to having a plan for the day, to open your computer and having everything upside down, its a daily struggle for me as well. Working as a clinical supervisor has made me except the fact that not every task on my list will get done and the need to be flexible in handling whatever comes my way.

[Melissa]

Hi Rebecca,

I also found it challenging to pick just one characteristic that is important for a leader to have as I believe a good leader has many. Ultimately for me it was between Adaptability and communication skills. I ended up choosing adaptability like you. I really enjoyed reading your perspective on what adaptability means to you in a leader and defiantly agree with all the points you made. In healthcare it can be difficult to “set up” your day and expect it to run straight forward with how you planned due to constant changes with staffing needs, patient/resident care needs, Family members questions/concerns etc. Having the characteristic of adaptability as a leader really ensure’s even without a “planned” event arising your shift can still run smoothly, with trust and respect from your team members.

[Claire]

Hello Everyone!

It is quite a task to choice one specific leadership characteristic that I would feel is the most important one as there are so many that work in tandem to create an exceptional leader! But today which characteristic that sprung to mind was ‘ engaging others to develop to their fullest”.

In the readings that touched on transformational leadership I loved the concept a leaders ability to motivate people to be more self-directed and self fulfilling through development of skills, validation modelling and encouragement, with the goal to be empowerment of the follower to become a “leader”. I experienced a situation at work this week where in which I was able to walk beside a colleague at a moment when she was feeling anxious and not competent with a crisis that was unfolding. I tried to create a sense of calmness, provide a safe space to ask questions without impunity, offered guidance when requested and the space for her to make her own decision and intervention choice. She came through the experience with a tightened sense of her own ability and the resident received competent interventions within their explored goals of care.

I feel this characteristic is the. most important for a leader, as it builds of the inherent strengths of the individual staff member and has potential to develop their leadership/accountability/confidence within the team. It foundations are positive, effective and collaborative with a “glass half full” mentality which breeds trust, confidence and growth.

[Melissa]

I believe there are many important characteristics to have as a leader and definitely struggled to just pick one. Ultimately it was between Adaptability or communication skills for me. I believe adaptability to be an important characteristic for a leader to have as a leader must be able to respond to change, be flexible and able to strategize under unexpected circumstances without compromising patient care, staff relationships/trust and safety. As a leader and watching other leaders around me recently and in the past I have observed many times where a shift is short staffed especially during and since the pandemic/outbreaks and the nursing staff have had to reorganize the unit’s efficiently and delegate tasks to other staff members along with assisting their co-workers when needed without hesitation to ensure both residents and staffs safety and trust. Although this can be overwhelming at times it helps tremendously when your leader/team has excellent communication and is adaptable-ready for the unknown as in healthcare you never really know what could happen next.

[Sherri]

I chose dedication/communication skills/accountability because this is what I see in my “Role Model” daily and then some. She works two jobs, is employed FT , M-F and works elsewhere every other weekend! She exudes and takes on extra educational opportunities such as “Best Practice Champion”. Her exemplar is the reason that I am taking this online leadership course.

[Sherri]

I agree with your statement carmen. Social skills are a must.

[Ruth]

The most important quality in leadership, in my opinion, is self-confidence. Confidence is the most important characteristic. To start with. A leader needs to be very confident in themselves. A person who lacks confidence can never make an effective leader. One needs to be self-assured enough to be sure that others follow him/her. The leader needs to be confident in the choices and actions he/she makes. How can team members want to follow someone who is unsure of himself/herself. Self – confidence enables a positive self-view. Allowing leader to take risks, continue during challenges, and mange stress efficiently.

[Logan]

My apologies, I thought my response was posted last week but I am now seeing that it didn’t actually post. Each time I post I have to come back and repost for some reason.

The “Thinker” communicator in the chapter we read above stood out the most. For me, a conceptually skilled leader would be so important to have and become myself. These skills demonstrate the ability to analyze and evaluate day to day tasks but also keeping the bigger picture in mind and working on long term goals. These type of leaders also have effective interpersonal communication which is so key to having when leading a team of Nurses that come with various amounts of experience, knowledge, practical skills etc.. You have to be able to properly lead a conversation but balance listening to their needs too. Conceptual leaders are often creative, quick thinking and good at problem solving, and have the ability to motivate others. This are all very strong assets to have as a leader and make you a very important member to the management team as you lead with example to others but demonstrate the dependability the upper management have when thinking about the bigger picture for the company/unit/facility etc.

A personal experience I’d like to share with everyone and a big reason I am taking this course. I have always been told throughout my life that I have leadership qualities and have been given leadership roles in my work experiences, even before I was in Health Care.
As a Charge Nurse, I have a lot of responsibilities naturally and have always looked for ways to improve my leadership skills. For 2.5 years, I had a manager that gave me full lead on developing our Nursing Department. The facility I work at is new, it’s been operating for 3 years next month and it was not designed to have a medical team originally when we took over the building. I have taken great pride in making it a full operating nursing department and have passed accreditation within the first 5 months from opening. 6 months ago, I took on additional responsibility as I have been without a Manager, my manager was let go and as result my Executive Director took over “managing” our nursing department while we looked for a new Clinical Manager. He has mentored me so much in the last 6 months, along with other members of our Management/Leadership team. Everyone has been so wonderful and encouraging as I took on a lot more responsibilities, given I am the most experienced in our Medical Department. I do have assistance from my Nurse Practitioner but she often is working in her own office in our 2nd building and doesn’t operate the same as us. The team has shown a lot of appreciation and acknowledgment for the efforts I have put into our Nursing Department and in my own growth and development. My Executive Director and I have had many discussions about the leadership qualities I have and he has encouraged me to continue to work on this as he is wanting to make movements in the future for me to become part of the Management Team. This was incredibly insightful and exciting to hear, while we looked for a Clinical Manager in the meantime, we have found someone with strong leadership/mentorship skills that will be beneficial for most importantly for our Nursing Department but myself as well. I am so excited for this next part of my career and can only hope I become half of what these mentors have been for me. My new Nursing Manager starts next week and hopefully by the end of this course I can report back to everyone with positive experiences with her.

[Barinder]

An important trait for a leader is adaptability. Specifically in the realm of healthcare, situations and practices are constantly evolving, thus a good leader is required to be able to adapt to align with these changes. For example, when there was a temporary loss of power at my place of employment, our leadership team was able to quickly adapt to the situation by creating paper documentation sheets and organizing a prioritization list for the forthcoming tasks for the nursing team.

[Allison]

In my own experience, I once worked under a leader who exemplified the importance of fostering a clear vision with an endowed purpose that was truly embraced by the team. During a significant organizational change, our leader communicated a compelling vision of what the future could look like, emphasizing not just the benefits to the company but also how each of us would play a critical role in achieving this new direction.

She didn’t just dictate what needed to be done; she involved us in the planning process, sought our input, and made sure we understood why each step was necessary. This approach created a sense of ownership among the team members. We felt more motivated and committed because we could see how our individual efforts were contributing to a larger, meaningful goal. This clear and shared vision not only aligned our efforts but also boosted our morale and collaboration, leading to a successful transition and long-term improvements for the organization. This experience reinforced my belief that a leader’s ability to foster a clear vision with a purpose that resonates with the team is crucial for achieving significant and sustainable progress.

[Kristina]

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.

A leadership characteristic I find most important in a leader is communication. Communication is a very necessary component to make nursing (and health care) run smoothly. As my example, I will use an RN at my work. Currently, my work is under major construction for expansion, which means that my work is constantly under “fire” watch and other possible hazardous situations. At my work one day, a loose spark from where the electricians were working started burning bits of an old carpet that had gotten ripped up to replace the flooring. Due to the smoke, it set the fire alarm off. My RN in charge worked diligently to call the code red, have staff gather, she identified where the alarm was going off from the fire panel, and organized groups of staff to attend to the area of the fire, and another group to attend to evacuating any residents out of the area. She used a clear, accurate, firm voice when assigning a plan during a code red. Whether it is a drill or not at my work, I felt supported during that situation because my RN had the communication tools to clearly articulate what she needed from staff and had the confidence in her staff to ensure it would be done properly. This to me is why communication is an important characteristic trait as a leader.

[Monika]

I believe the most important leadership quality one can posses is the ability to mentor others and acknowledge their ideas and accomplishments. A true leader is able to observe and bring out leadership qualities unique to each individual. Motivation and validation is powerful and most people just want to be heard. I have limited experience in health care however, I noticed that patients who are “difficult” just wanted to be acknowledge and given some autonomy.
In the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, Dale Carnegie wrote about the big secret of dealing with people is the craving to be appreciated. He talks about criticism as being futile and that the resentment that criticism produces demoralizes employees, family members and even patients. I feel motivated to change and obtain goals if I feel heard, understood and acknowledged.
The owner of the construction company personally deals with each team member and directly asks what they think can be done better during phases of construction. He teaches staff and praises when work is done well. He does not yell, scold, criticize or dominate (even when angry). He encourages all to think of a solution before they approach him.

[Author]

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