Leadership Analysis Paper

The concept of leadership includes many different dimensions and can be viewed from several different angles. Northouse (2024) indicates that leadership is not based on the personal characteristics or actions of the leader but instead is based on an interactive relationship. I was able to gain a better understanding of my personal beliefs on leadership and how they impact my practice in nursing by taking the Conceptualizing Leadership Assessment. Based on the results of that assessment, I have a particular conceptualization of leadership. This conceptualization will affect my approach to nurse leadership, mainly when reflecting upon how I view and lead as a nurse leader versus a nurse manager.

Comprehension: Questionnaire Findings

The Conceptualizing Leadership Questionnaire (CLQ) assesses a person's leadership perspective in six different ways. The six different types of perspectives are trait, ability, skill, behavior, relationships, and process (Northouse, 2024). From my responses to the questionnaire, I received a maximum score in the relationship and process dimension and a moderate score in behavior and skill. Therefore, from these values, I perceive leadership as Collaborative and socially constructed. I rate myself as moderate to high on the behavior and skill dimension. I believe effective leaders can learn and demonstrate through observations of their actions. In contrast, I received a lower score for my trait level of understanding, which indicates that I do not highly regard the existence of trait characteristics as fixed or Innate. Although I also had a higher ability score compared to my trait score (Moderate), I still rated lower than my relationship and process scores.

Application: Most and Least Aligned Dimensions

The dimensions of leadership are described in two different ways. The first is process-based, where one develops their leadership capabilities through the process of working with others toward a common goal. As we see today, collaboration between healthcare professionals of different professional disciplines and shared governance within the healthcare community are becoming more and more important (Liden et al., 2024). The concept of shared governance is grounded in the idea that leadership can develop as a by-product of one's learning process and one's desire and ability to take charge of one's own development. In contrast, trait-based leadership does not align with my views of leadership at all. I see a leader as someone who develops his or her leadership capabilities through their own education and experiences, and through the ability to assess oneself and to reflect on the past.

Analysis and Synthesis: Meaning of the Scores

According to my findings from the survey, I feel that I hold both a developmental approach to leadership. The high rating of the relationships and processes portion of my survey results implies that I view leadership as being a relationship that is transformational and relationally driven and that is dynamic within a specific context. Also, these survey findings reflect the transformational and relational models of leadership as proposed by Northouse (2024). In these models, leadership is viewed as empowering people, as well as creating a trusting and respectful relationship between leader and follower. Working together to develop an environment in which all staff members have an equal share in responsibility for the organization’s successful outcome is also leadership. Conversely, my low score in the traits portion of the survey indicates that I disagree with the traditional concept of the "great man" theory of leadership. The traditional "great man" model of leadership is inadequate in today's more challenging and complex health care settings for creating an adequate health care workforce. In order to build an effective health care system, health care personnel must be able to adapt to changes, work together effectively, and have the desire to engage in lifelong learning.

Based on the analysis performed, I believe that the relational and developmental methods for leadership will match well with healthcare organizations. For example, good healthcare organizations are dependent on teamwork, effective communication, and collaboration among staff to obtain quality results. Therefore, according to this way of thinking regarding Leadership, you are not limited to the "formal" position of being a Leader. Instead, you will find Leadership throughout all aspects of your clinical practice as a Nurse.

Evaluation: Nurses as Leaders Versus Managers

The results of the survey indicated that there is a more defined difference between nursing leadership vs. management. The traditional view of management has been one that relates to the nurse in a managerial position, or someone who oversees the coordinating work of their staff, and exercises authority over everything that happens daily. In contrast, that view does not hold for nurse leaders, as nurse leaders focus on influence, creating a vision, and building relationships with other nurses and healthcare providers. Leadership does not require being in a formal managerial position. Therefore, according to my survey results, indicating a high score on the relational dimension of leadership and on the process dimension of leadership, I believe all nurses have the potential to be leaders.

This information provides a greater understanding of my role as a nurse leader. It supports my growth as an individual, and at the same time, provides me with the tools necessary for supporting shared leadership in nursing. Looking at leadership as a process allows me to help create environments of inclusion and support the professional growth of my peers. While also providing me with the ability to adapt my style to meet the diverse and complex situations that nurse leaders are faced with today. The result of my low scores in the trait-based dimension of leadership reminds me to be deliberate in developing my leadership skills. It reinforces the importance of ongoing reflection on my part, rather than relying solely upon my perceived inherent strengths.

Conclusion

Insights from the Conceptualizing Leadership Questionnaire have helped me understand how I view leadership. The results indicate there is an intense match between how I view leadership from a relational focus and from a process-based perspective, both of which have become core to the profession of nursing today. Viewing leadership as being relational and developmental provides me with a better understanding of what it means. To be an effective nurse leader, one must emphasize that nurse leaders operate within a network of shared responsibilities rather than just performing administrative functions. My increased self-awareness gained through this assessment helps me to have a positive impact on my patients, coworkers, and the healthcare organization at large.