Introduction
In leadership and management, I am drawn to the transformative power of the transformational, which resonates with my Advocate personality (INFJ-A). Transformational leadership involves visionary imagination, inspiration, and motivation. This theory is consistent with my natural ideologies and open-minded approach. One of the catalysts for achieving superior nursing care can be transformational leadership, which will bring a sense of shared vision among the healthcare team members’ cultivation of a unified quest for quality; this approach spurs team members to do more than meet demands but deliver patient-centered care (Collins et al., 2020). The notion of motivation and inspiration is also fundamental as it is necessary to stay committed and passionate while working in a fast-paced and change-driven environment where a person’s dedication and passion make a considerable difference to the treatment outcomes.
Looking at my inclinations, I describe myself as a leader rather than a manager. My strengths as an advocate are inspiring and envisioning possibilities. To be effective as a leader, I seek a target of developing the capacity to pass a persuasive vision for the nursing care unit to everyone. Formulating a unifying objective will create a feeling of oneness and devotion among the team members. Construction of the set of competencies that suits my personality strengths is needed for my personal growth. Effective communication, empathy, and creativity are vital in leadership, and I appreciate it. Empowering these sets of competencies will not only improve my leadership skills but also contribute to a conducive working environment.
Change Theory
One needs a combination of some crucial personality characteristics to promote change effectively. To begin with, my open-mindedness becomes a vital element in creating a positive attitude towards change. Incorporating fresh ideas and approaches leads to less tumult as the employees are naturally inclined to change similarly. Visionary thinking, a key characteristic of Advocate personality, is a powerful tool in implementing changes. One articulates a vision that presents the desired outcome, which gets the team members to understand why and in what direction they will form a sense of purpose with changes occurring (Canterino et al., 2020). The second essential quality in regards to managing change effectively is empathy. Knowing the fears and hesitations of team members that occur when changes occur provides that with which help and communication methods are worked out. This empathetic attitude creates trust and inclines people to work together, thus minimizing resistance to change.
Not all personality traits, though, would be ideal traits for effective change management. As Advocates like to rely on ideological thinking, balance has to be achieved, and one should not be naive otherwise. Honest views regarding challenges and recognition of the multifaceted nature of change are necessary for thwarting the neglect of essential details.
Communication Style
Examining the INFJ-A results from my personality test; it becomes clear that communicating as an Advocate implies intelligent articulation balanced with compassionate understanding. I am competent in articulating ideas and comprehending the emotions of others; however, there are certain aspects that I could improve to become more effective and successful at therapeutic outcomes. A point to focus on is assertion. Though advocates may, under some situations, refrain from claiming their needs or expressing their perspectives to promote peace, they still have been keeping this attitude away from the goal of successfully advocating. To improve communication, I have decided to exercise respectful forms of assertion. This includes articulating thoughts and needs clearly while encouraging active listening from other’s points of view.
The observed barriers in my communicative self-expression are being prone to overanalyze information before sharing thoughts. This may result in a delayed response and, therefore, understood. To deal with this form of resistance, I will allow more spontaneous communication and trust my instincts even as I retain the reflective nature of my writing.
Performance Improvement and Quality Improvement
Managing performance and quality improvement simultaneously requires a balanced approach that aligns with my Advocate personality traits. Assuming that this was an effective psychological motivator of advocates who valued high ideals to defend, any effort to improve performance and quality can be driven using the perceived value of the pursuit of ideals. Developing a continual improvement culture is the centerpiece of my strategic vision. Such a culture transcends individual efforts to evolve into a collective team’s vision of excellence. By recognizing each team member’s unique strengths and perspectives, I seek to instill a sense of purpose and ownership in the pursuit of continuous improvement. This collaboration not only creates a supportive environment but adds to the strength of the multiples by pooling their combined potential and consequently increasing the effectiveness of performance and quality improvement projects.
One principle that emerges as particularly impactful in this pursuit is the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle. My ideological view resonates harmoniously with this systematic and iterative approach. It entails detailed planning, analysis, implantation as a pilot project, long and deep analytical consideration of the results, and adjustment (Chen et al., 2021). The structured nature of this process complements the Advocate’s ability t to envision possibilities better and continue with incremental improvements with an unwavering focus on the eventual outcome, in this case, better patient care.
Evidence-based Practice and Improvement
The adoption of EBP in nursing is similar to someone taking actions according to beliefs – something I can quickly identify with my Advocate disposition. Being predisposed towards a visionary outlook and unceasing idealism, I appreciate the evident good in pointing out every activity done in the healthcare sphere toward the best scientific evidence available. This reflects my intrinsic values andizes the focus on efficacious care, which follows the new headway of the sphere. Including evidence-based practice in decision-making processes becomes a cornerstone of reasonably attaining favorable performance outcomes. It serves as GPS, guaranteeing that the interventions are informed and evidence-based. This conformity to evidence is a potent instrument in improving the quality of patient care, having positive health results, and supporting the validity of nursing practices.
A ripple effect beyond the limited impact of individual decision-making, EBP engenders a culture of excellence in the care of patients. By integrating recent findings, the healthcare team learns to adapt to the dynamics of current research progressions and, by default, aims to inspire health professionals around me to walk the same path. By committing to keeping up with evidence, we ensure that our approach is not static and constantly adapts to new best practices that keep improving healthcare delivery. Additionally, proactive perceptiveness towards EBP permits identifying and adopting unconventional practices. This improves patient outcomes and develops an adaptive culture where medical practitioners are inspired to rethink existing principles and adopt innovative practices. A mind keen on creative thinking embraces this inception of the Advocate, including an environment conducive to growth and the zeal to pursue innovative solutions.
Supervision Style
Within my workplace, I have seen both a successful and unsuccessful form of supervision, which reveals different styles of delegation, authority, responsibility, and accountability.
Adequate Supervision: Effective supervisors display a leadership style with a communication approach and can empower others. Delegation is a strategically based process, and power is delegated to people according to their strengths and skills. Such supervisors offer enough authority to fulfill assigned duties, offering autonomy and creating a supportive environment. On the other hand, responsibility is spread among team members, ensuring mutual involvement and cooperation. Continuous feedback sessions, recognition of accomplishments, and joint discussion of challenges maintain accountability.
Ineffective Supervision: On the other hand, ineffective supervisors usually fail to communicate and guide other employees. Delegation may sometimes be helter-skelter, causing disorderliness and wasting time. One can talk about the authority that is too strict or has emerged too loose, thus leading to team members’ disengagement, influenced by the atmosphere of indiscipline or complete confusion. Responsibilities need to be better defined. Hence, there is confusion, and no one will be held accountable. In such cases, team members would not feel a sense of ownership, which could further reduce overall productivity.
In inadequate supervision, there is a balance between the tasks comprehensively distributed depending on individual strengths (delegation) within the organizational structure allocated and defined authority, responsibility, and accountability. Authority is bestowed judiciously, supervising a level of autonomy. The assignment is unambiguous for all the team members, whereby they have a feeling of having been given a sense of ownership among all the team members. Feedback sessions held repetitively play a role as responsible, recognizing achievements and addressing all the challenges collectively. However, poor supervision needs more clarity in dividing, defining, and assigning authority and responsibility, translating to a confused and demoralized team. This effectively affects answerability since there is yet to be a consensus on a framework for identifying and tackling challenges.
Conclusion
This coursework has proven to be a worthwhile investigation into my possible leadership abilities and management capabilities within the medical profession. As an advocate personality, I have learned vital strategies that shape my leadership roles and contribute to promoting change in my practice setting. The discussion of change management, performance improvement, quality improvement, evidence-based practice, and supervision styles has broadened my knowledge of the complex nature of nursing leadership. Continuous improvement, evidence-based decision-making, and effective communication will unquestionably be carried out in my approach towards a friendly and patient-focused healthcare environment. Reflecting on these qualities has made me more knowledgeable and renewed my commitment to ongoing learning and development. The principles highlighted in this assignment will surely be a compass as I serve in leadership and management.
References
Canterino, F., Cirella, S., Piccoli, B., & Shani, A. B. R. (2020). Leadership and change mobilization: The mediating role of distributed leadership. Journal of Business Research, 108, 42-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.052
Chen, Y., VanderLaan, P. A., & Heher, Y. K. (2021). Using the model for improvement and plan‐do‐study‐act to effect smart change and advance quality. Cancer cytopathology, 129(1), 9–14. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yael-Heher/publication/343433292_Using_the_Model_for_Improvement_and_Plan-Do-Study-Act_to_effect_SMART_change_and_advance_quality/links/63fcdf7f0d98a97717c15c36/Using-the-Model-for-Improvement-and-Plan-Do-Study-Act-to-effect-SMART-change-and-advance-quality.pdf
Collins, E., Owen, P., Digan, J., & Dunn, F. (2020). Applying transformational leadership in nursing practice. Nurs Stand, 35(5), 59–66. DOI:10.7748/ns.2019.e11408