Leadership Professional Plan - Paper Example

Leadership is an essential aspect in every field and should thus be embraced .one of the most critical element of leadership entails awareness of one's values and priorities. Leadership is applicable in every field as it involves giving instructions, plans implementation and motivating your task force. Leadership calls for the adoption of the available leadership styles which are present in political fields, business associations and other fields such as nursing education. The available leadership styles in whatever field on is engaged in include the authoritarian style, the paternalistic manner, the democratic style, the laissez-faire style and finally the transformation leadership style. The mentioned leadership styles exhibit similarities and differences as discussed below

The outlined leadership styles operate under different principles and involve carrying out different practices. The first leadership style which I intend to discuss is referred as the authoritarian. Authoritarian involves focusing on the distinction between those in the leadership position from the rest. Leaders practicing this particular style only create professional relations with their subordinates' by practicing direct supervision. Direct supervision has been believed to be the main factor contributing to success under this leadership style. Authoritarian style involves employing policies that hinder democracy as this particular style considers democracy as a hindrance to effective authority. This style only involves a single form of communication, i.e., downward communication. Downward communication is meant to easily set things right as it does not give room for opposition in the name of democracy.

The other leadership style is known as the paternalistic. Paternalistic involves a leader playing the role of a parental figure to his subordinates. Paternalistic involves practices which guide and ensure the safety of subordinates in the same way parents guide their children. This practice involves showing concern to subordinates and intern the leader receives trust and confidence from his workers. Trust and confidence lead to loyalty and efficiency among the workers. This style is practiced with the aim of establishing solid relationships between leaders' and their subjects. This leadership has been known to record loyalty among workers as this loyalty is reflected by workers working for very long periods. This leadership strategy also involves engaging loyal employees in major decision making as a reward for their loyalty.

The third leadership style is known as the democratic. Democratic leadership style calls for the head of a particular institution or program sharing powers on decision making with fellow associates by taking into consideration the interest of this associates. Leadership that is practiced using the democratic style calls for the practice of social equality. Democratic leadership is curtailed by organization rules or instrumental interests which are based on individual attributes. The republican leadership styles involve having a belief that everyone who is likely to be affected by a certain decision should be involved in decision making. Because some decisions are likely to affect masses, the style has a code which gives the leader ability to choose individuals who should represent the rest during the decision, making process.

Another leadership style which is not practiced by majority originations and short-term programs is the laissez-faire. Laissez-faire style is not commonly practiced as it gives the subordinate staff and subjects the full responsibility of decision making. This style gives workers the freedom to make both major and minor decisions which affect how they work. This style operates under the self-rule where subjects rule themselves without much interference. Leaders who have adopted this method ensure effectiveness by providing necessary materials that will lead to the accomplishment of the decision making procedure. However, larders are not directly engaged in the process of decision making. This method is mostly applicable when workers posses great skills and experience through education and when workers are trustworthy and possess great experience.

The last leadership style which an individual can opt to employ is referred as the transformation style. Transformation style is very much alike to the democratic style but has a few differences. Transformation leadership does not limit the leader as it aims at transforming his worker's needs and changing their way of thinking. Leaders who adopt this method have a responsibility of challenging and equipping their juniors with purpose. This particular leadership style involves the leader creating a vision of aspirations' and informing fellow workers of what they aspire and how they are expected to work to achieve this aspiration. Adopting this method calls for a leader to possess a charismatic personality and intellectual stimulation.

Leadership styles are very much applicable when it comes to becoming a nursing educator. A nurse educator is demanded to demonstrate leadership traits because their activities and practices should encourage and motivate others to act according to what they see and hear. The most important leadership quality in this field involves having mastery in relation skills. Relation skills are very important as they influence the staff's satisfaction and also form a base under which effective leadership is carried out. A nurse educator should embrace relation skills to win respect and trust of team members, and this will enable the educator to develop in his career. Currently, I am putting much effort to improve on my relation skills as my dream field requires one to have the relationship skills for efficient administration.

Nursing education requires one to be creative and have broad knowledge in clinical matters as nurse educators play the role of combining their practical abilities to perform their responsibilities. The responsibilities of a nursing educator involve teaching and guiding learners, advising students on future expected changes, being engaged in extensive research, attending a clinical conference, ensuring compliance with clinical standards. These responsibilities bring the need to be creative and the need to have enough clinical background to be effective. Apart from the two given skills, some additional life skills are required for efficient nursing education (Elizabeth A. Curtis, 2011). These life skills include critical and analytical thinking skills, interaction skills and flexibility. Flexibility proves to be applicable when it comes to accommodating and anticipating changes in clinic and nursing education. Flexibility is determined by how well is the nurse educator able to design programs that will help his or her students to meet and adapt efficiently to expected future changes.

Studies carried out indicate that nurse educator requires time management quality which tends to be a significant aspect as it allows one to specific tasks for their students in order of their priority. Time management under nursing education requires a nursing educator to be independent, can multi-task and work under pressure and learn how to work in variant situations (Elizabeth A. Curtis, 2011). Time management skill is vital in this field of work, but I tend to have an advantage as I already possess this ability. In the course of my four years taking a bachelors degree in nursing, I have been actively involved in workshops concerned with time management and proper time allocation. These programs are available in my learning institution, and thus it has cost me nothing regarding finance. Time management skill is vital as it allows a nurse educator to handle every student in the class according to their learning styles and preferences to come up with the most useful practice that enhances the best learning opportunity for a particular student. A nurse educator is supposed to communicate with each student and come up with the best method to optimize learning in both the theoretical and practical fields. This requirement of a nurse educator is only possible through time management skills.

My strategy of becoming a leader is very much dependent on relation skills. Relation skills prove to be of importance as it is through them that a leader can develop support from the subordinate staff. Relation skills equip one with the ability to inspire trust and confidence to individuals who are above you in rank, those you are with at the same level and those below your position. Relation skills enhance a leadership strategy known as transformation leadership (Elizabeth A. Curtis, 2011). Transformation leadership is a style where leaders work in collaboration with their junior staffs to enhance motivation by installing a sense of identification to your subjects.

I intend to employ transformation leadership in nursing education as this style will create an identity among my students. Personality will boost confidence and open the minds of students I will be educating. I firmly believe that practicing transformation leadership will make my career easy to handle and practice. The simplicity of exercising my job will allow me to achieve my dreams easily. Practicing transformation leadership calls one to act as a role model to inspire the nursing students and to upraise their interest in their field of study. Another requirement demanded by transformation leadership involves challenging students to love and take ownership of their studies at personal levels (Elizabeth A. Curtis, 2011). Transformation leadership also entails understanding the strength and weaknesses exhibited by students. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses shown by students allows the nursing educator to handle his or her students according to their strengths and weaknesses at a given time. I firmly believe that adopting transformation leadership will career as a nurse educator.

References

Doody, O., & Doody, C. M. (2012). Transformational leadership in nursing practice. Journal Of Nursing, 21(20), 1212-1218.

Elizabeth A. Curtis, J. d. (2011). Developing leadership in nursing:. Retrieved from professional issues: http://www.nurse2nurse.ie/upload/na6873leadershp.pdf Accessed on 28th October 2017

Giltinane, C. L. (2013). Leadership styles and theories. Nursing Standard, 27(41), 35-39. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2011.01227.x/epdf Accessed on 28th October 2017

Goodrich, R. S. (2014). Transition to academic nurse educator: A Survey Exploring Readiness, Confidence, and Locus of Control. Journal of Professional Nursing, 30(3), 203-212.doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2013.10.004.Gallagher, A., & Tschudin, V. (2010). Educating for ethical leadership. Nurse Education Today, 30(3), 224-227.doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2009.11.003

Sayers, J., Lopez, V., Howard, P. B., Escott, P., & Cleary, M. (2015). The leadership role of nurse educators in mental health nursing. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 36(9), 718-724. doi: 10.3109/01612840.2015.1033040.