Leadership Skills Of Jean Watson And Michelle Obama

Throughout recent history, the definition of leadership has been the subject of a vast number books, articles, and essays. Countless authors have attempted define the ability to lead in a tangible way. They have scrutinized on how one becomes a leader and how one successfully leads. Because the ability to lead is so ambiguous and no one can follow a definable set of steps to become a leader, many authors have use examples of leaders to illustrate their views on the subject. And even in the limited scope of time that is the history of the United States, dozens of men and women have lead Americans through their words, beliefs, and actions. Whether they are appointed leaders such as President George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, or leaders of worthwhile cause such as Susan B. Anthony or Martin Luther King Jr., these leaders provide a blueprint that if examined carefully, can provide useful advice for those aspiring to become great leaders. And for Donald T. Phillips, the American leader whose life “still inspires and moves people from all walks of life” and provides an example of leadership that is without equal is Abraham Lincoln (Phillips). In his book Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times Phillips provides 15 overarching leadership qualities that Lincoln followed all throughout his life. By describing how Lincoln exhibited each of these qualities thoroughly, Phillips then relates how potential leaders today can duplicate those same qualities in their

“If you actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” (John Quincy Adams, as cited in Forbes, 2014, p. 1). A leader is mentor, guiding others to their best. In this paper, I will reflect on my personal values and beliefs regarding leadership. Next, I will discuss a leader in my life that personally resonates with me. I will then discuss the attributes of my chosen leader and relate them to theory on leadership, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, group dynamics and peace and power concepts and identify the leadership style that my chosen leader embodies. Finally, I will discuss how my leadership philosophy and the newly acquired theory will impact my future career as a nurse.

Leadership is a skill that one is not born with, but is acquired through life experiences and interactions. Michelle Obama perseverance to attain a higher education, a concept foreign in her family, shows the dedication and determination a leader must have. As a leader, it is imperative that once you establish a mission or purpose, that you, as well as your team members, worked to accomplish that goal. Because of her perseverance, Michelle can be best identified as a pace setter, innovative and charismatic leader because through the various projects she undertook as her role of First Lady, she influences people through personality, inspires passion and the need to be active in one’s own community. For example, this can be seen in her role as Executive Director for the Chicago office of Public Allies where she mobilized youths and community to get active and set fundraising records for the organization that still stood 12 years after she left. Michelle influences people through her own success. Having attended Harvard Law, becoming a top attorney and later the first African American First Lady, she has influenced youths across the nation to believe that anything is possible, so long as they have faith. In accordance to the Leadership Theories, Michelle Obama can be categorized under the Authentic Leadership Approach; for these leaders, their leadership is genuine, develops over time, transparent and driven by moral values (Komives, Lucas&, McMahon). Projects such as Let’s

“Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter."

A leader is anyone who uses interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish a specific goal (Sullivan & Decker, 2009). Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, worked on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Her enthusiasm for her work at the United Nations was rooted in her humanitarian convictions and her steady faith in human dignity and worth. With modesty, Eleanor considered her position on the Commission to be one of ambassador for the common people. Her sensible approach, optimism and energy allowed the smooth facilitation of meetings (Eleanor Roosevelt Biography, 1998). Not actually seeing herself as a leader, Eleanor preferred to work as part of a team, not like a boss. She followed her passion of making positive changes in people’s lives and knew

At the beginning of this course, “Collaboration, Communication, & Case Analysis for Health Care Master’s Learners”, I had a generalized definition of what a leader is. A leader is an individual who overlooks an organization. However, I learned that the definition of a leader or leadership is much more complex than that. An effective leader is ethical, sensitive to diversity, and has the ability to form strong relationships. Currently, I do not hold a professional leadership position. However, I am taking courses in the public health field and taking nursing classes to become an infection prevention nurse.

Leadership comes in many different forms, and is a curtail element of a health care organization. This paper will describe leadership styles, management theories, and my style of leadership in reference to the self-assessment completed. I will discuss what leadership styles align with my style and what type of work environment and behaviors that will help me be a successful leader. I will also discuss different types of leadership theories. There are many aspects to being a leader and every good organization has good leaders behind it. Leadership is a key element in nursing due to the fact that nurses are often working in teams (Huber, 2014, p.3).

In the field of nursing leadership is critical within the units and nursing practice. However, in the healthcare feel we may find ourselves interacting with different types of leaders. Upon completion of my leadership self-assessment, I was found to be a Participative, (democratic) type leader. To understand what this means the individual must understand that there are three main types of leadership styles. There is the Authoritarian, (autocratic) leader, participative, (democratic) leader, and Delegative, (laissez-faire). In alignment with theses leadership styles, are leadership and management theories. It is also known that certain leadership styles excel in specific work environments. The health care field involves organization, planning and implementing changes. Therefore, the job of a leader can be very complex.

Strong and effective leadership is one of the most significant factors in determining the success and durability of an organization or group (Huber, 2014). A health care professional that is able to identify their own style of leadership can develop their unique characteristics and skills and become a better leader, as well as develop and improve relationships with other leaders and colleagues (Giltinane, 2013). In this paper, I will discuss my style of leadership based on the completed self-assessment and describe what leadership and management theories align with my leadership style. I will also discuss the type of work environment and three key actions or behaviors that I must demonstrate to be a successful leader.

Leadership is, and always has been, a vital aspect of social and economic constructs. It is essential to the survival of societies, industries, organizations, and virtually any group of individuals that come together for a common purpose. However, leadership is difficult to define in a single, definitive sense. As such, theories of leadership, what constitutes a great leader, and how leaders are made have evolved constantly throughout history, and still continue to change today in hopes of improving upon our understanding of leadership, its importance, and how it can be most effective in modern organizational cultures.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect and make an analysis of the general strengths and weaknesses of a leader, provide recommendations, thoughts of overall performance to improve on this person’s leadership style in which practices and theories were utilized most effectively. Upon such, draw conclusions and provide an integration of this leadership practice into my own leadership practice. The accomplishment of this will be achieved by identifying several key practices from published documents surrounding and encompassing the leader, and comparing them to known relative concepts for a holistic view of the approach.

For decade’s individuals, companies, and organizations have spent an unprecedented amount of money on researching, molding, modeling and working to define what a leader is and what characteristics make successful leaders. Despite all the research, there is not a quick answer or even full agreement as to what makes an individual an effective leader. The definition of a leader is “someone who can influence others and who has managerial authority.” (Robbins, Decenzo, Coulter, 2015. P.370)

In today’s ever-changing health care system, nurse leaders must possess key traits and skills that are needed to achieve goals, as well as face the multiple challenges across the different health care settings. Leaders take initiative, inspire followers with a vision, facilitate change and help with the development of coping mechanisms (Borkowski, 2016). Additionally, leaders are known to provide direction, empower subordinates and promote team work collaboration. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on my vision of a nurse leader by identifying three attributes that I consider essential in becoming a highly effective nursing leader. In my opinion, a nurse leader must have a drive for improvement, have the ability to communicate effectively

As the author points out, the figures on women in leadership is staggering in disparity. The article takes time to focus on identifying and highlighting reasons what makes a successful leader. Having an opportunity to attend a leadership meeting, in which we discussed improving inclusion at my company, this article presented many of the same reasons that as a company we tried to understand, “Why do we not have more women in leadership?” This article really underscores that in order for a business to survive and grow or for that matter, any organization to flourish you need to find individuals that embody the above-mentioned leadership traits not just seniority.

Over the course of this semester, I have learned about the theoretical foundation of leadership and management. From various leadership styles to numerous learning tools have all aided in shaping me to become an effective leader not only in the health care profession, but everyday life as well. Through utilizing these tools, I have managed to put them into actions through working individually and in teams which has helped me to learn more about myself and the type of leader I am. Throughout this action plan I will reflect on my definition of leadership, what I’ve learned about myself in the capacity to demonstrate leadership, my leadership strengths and weaknesses and three action steps that will help me to develop my leadership in the future.