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Personal Leadership Portrait

Learner’s Name

Capella University

NHS8002: Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis for Doctoral Learners

Instructor Name

July 1, 2021

Personal Leadership Portrait

Health care leadership plays an important role in developing quality health care and in

developing effective leaders. There are many different approaches to leadership such as

transformational, charismatic, strategic, servant, participative, and the trait approach. The

effectiveness of one’s leadership depends largely on one’s approach to leadership and the style of

implementation of this approach. A leader must demonstrate a strong set of values and ethics and

develop a diverse and inclusive work environment that is supported by scholarly research. The

approach that works best for me is participative leadership, which offers my team the

opportunity to lead.

Personal Approach to Leadership

In the health care field, it is critical for a leader to create an organizational culture that

promotes care and compassion at all levels of the hierarchy. An effective health care leader

builds such a culture by fostering and energizing team members whose actions are consistent

with the values of care and compassion (Stanley, 2017). Participative leadership, which may also

be known as a democratic style, focuses on shared decision making. This approach is

characterized by the diffusing of leadership responsibilities to subordinates. In my academic and

professional experience, I have found that the participative leadership approach promotes

ownership and improves staff buy-in for the shared vision and goals of an organization.

A leader needs to have conversations with team members to look at issues objectively

and ensure that work-related outcomes and behavioral expectations are clear. A key competency

that enables a leader to identify early signs of conflict is a high degree of intelligence. The five

most important aspects of emotional intelligence are self-awareness of one’s own feelings, self-

regulation of one’s emotions, empathy to recognize the feelings of others, social skills to manage

others’ emotions, and the ability to motivate (Stanley, 2017). In practice, I strongly exhibit the

first two aspects. As a leader, it is important for me to recognize my own feelings, especially in a

conflict situation. I keep my ego in check and am aware of changes in my emotions. Regulating

my own emotions before I respond gives me the space to consider the consequences of my

actions in a calm and thoughtful manner. I am careful not to react impulsively, do not

compromise on workplace ethics, and hold myself accountable for my actions. However, my

leadership style is currently limited in the remaining three aspects, especially in scenarios

concerning conflict management. I need to work on improving my ability to connect with others

with empathy. Developing social skills such as listening without judgment and having

constructive and empathetic dialogs with others can help me manage conflicts effectively. The

ability to motivate others is also crucial for a leader in such situations. I rely on effective

communication and logical reasoning to reinforce compliance with organizational goals by

reiterating the benefits of working together to achieve goals, without leaving much room to

understand the role of possible emotional root causes. In practice, participative leadership

enables me to enlist the help of other team members to tune my perception of conflict and

identify what I may have missed. This, in turn, ensures that the resolutions I offer resonate

deeper with conflicting parties.

Interprofessional Communication, Collaboration, and Change Management

The creation of interprofessional teams necessitates the reexamining of leadership. It

presents new challenges such as enabling teams that are sometimes large and consist of different

professionals with different skills to coordinate their efforts. Participative leadership has helped

me ensure that each team member has the opportunity to take on the responsibility of a leader.

Team members step in and out of leadership roles when their professional expertise and specific

knowledge of a client, patient, or a community become relevant to providing effective outcomes

(Smith et al., 2018). This leadership approach has resulted in individual staff members displaying

leadership behaviors and utilizing opportunities to make decisions that lead to improved

outcomes.

Participative leadership relies on multiple resources for leadership and the flexibility of

leadership boundaries. Participative leadership promotes community engagement by encouraging

the inclusion of context and reciprocity. I believe that the participative leadership approach

emphasizes improved outcomes over bottom-line financial decisions. This leads to a more

positive perception of an organization by the community, which promotes community

engagement.

The success of participative leadership depends on open communication horizontally and

vertically within an organization. I find that open communication promotes healthy forms of

dissension and helps team members productively shape ideas and provide differing points of

view and unexpected solutions. Open communication is also effective at driving the

implementation of new changes as the exigency of change is more easily communicated. A

potential barrier to the effective implementation of the participative leadership approach is the

differences that can exist between professional groups and an interprofessional team. Groups

form through identification and socialization developing their own norms and stereotypes which

may lead to one professional group viewing themselves as better than other professional groups.

Communication Best Practices

In an interprofessional setting, effective communication occurs when two or more

professions learn with, from, and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of

outcomes. Health care providers must collaborate across clinical, administrative, and community

settings to make joint decisions, coordinate interaction and care, combine resources, and develop

common goals. Effective teams must cultivate critical interprofessional communication

behaviors such as these to attain efficient outcomes that are also safe.

A shared vision that all members of the team contribute to can act as a source of

motivation for the team. The absence of a shared vision could leave the team poorly aligned or

directionless. I find that in times when progress is slowing down, reminding the team of the

shared vision serves to reignite their enthusiasm. I actively seek out members of the team who

demonstrate strong leadership to spearhead new efforts. I ensure to seek out even those who do

not have official leadership titles (Melnyk & Raderstorf, 2019).

During the initial stages of forming a team, I have discussions with the team to determine

what values (such as honesty and transparency) are important to them. This helps develop

consensus on the core values for the team. It is also critical to establish team norms including

norms pertaining to being on time, respecting confidentiality, and being unbiased. All team

members must adhere to these norms once they are established. The goals set by the team must

be specific, easily understood, measurable, attainable, aligned with the shared vision, and time

bound (Melnyk & Raderstorf, 2019).

In an interprofessional setting, a lack of clarity on priorities and expectations leads to

anxiety and ineffective team performance. Therefore, an effective leader must set clear priorities

and expectations. The leader must also strive to match each team member’s roles and

responsibilities to their strengths. When people are placed in roles or positions that build on their

strengths or what they do best, they perform their best work (Melnyk & Raderstorf, 2019).

It is crucial to build and maintain a culture of trust within an interprofessional team. A

culture of trust and openness increases the likelihood of discovering and learning from mistakes

and misunderstandings, because all topics are open for discussion. An effective leader must have

integrity, be transparent, be accountable, and follow through on what they say. I ensure I

communicate with team members and believe in them and their ability to accomplish goals. I

listen carefully to team members and act on the suggestions they offer when feasible. I strive to

be fair and give credit to deserving team members. I find that developing a shared vision

enhances community engagement. A culture of trust can also help with change management.

Concerns over changes in processes or technologies can be dealt with better in teams when

leaders foster a culture of trust and openness (Melnyk & Raderstorf, 2019).

Ethical Leadership in Professional Practice

There has been an increase in public scrutiny of the ethics of organizations since the

advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. A failure to operate ethically results in health care systems

that treat health as a commodity and not a human right. This in turn puts disadvantaged people at

a higher risk of infection and death from illnesses such as COVID-19 as they have limited access

to care (Chiriboga et al., 2020). In response, organizations have attempted to adopt ethical

principles to nurture ethical work cultures that improve the community’s trust in the

organizations’ ability to operate fairly. In this light, ethics can be described as “shared social

principles of right conduct in relation to a particular context or culture” (Swanwick & McKimm,

2017, p. 203). An individual may find theoretical models and development programs useful

when developing leadership skills. However, it is my belief that one must be self-reflective and

commit to a strong set of core values to be a truly ethical leader. It is incumbent on a leader to

lead by example to foster ethical behavior among members of the organization.

Health care leaders must ensure patient/client-centric care is the core principle behind

decision-making and planned interventions. Information must be represented honestly,

comprehensively, and clearly. Representing patient/client or community information in such a

manner not only ensures all team members have the most current information but also helps to

highlight any potential risks that may be faced during care.

In my professional experience, it has become clear that the right expectations must be set

early for team members to respect my efforts and for me to respect their opinions. In an

interprofessional setting, an effective leader listens respectfully to the perspectives of

interprofessional team members and engages in constructive discussions to determine the best

allocation of resources for better outcomes. To be an ethical leader, one must be aware of how

one reacts to others. One must treat all team members fairly and without prejudice (Swanwick &

McKimm, 2017).

Honesty and integrity are important virtues for an ethical leader. One must be transparent

about one’s intentions and strive to meet any commitments made. Compromising on these

virtues with false or exaggerated promises or premature reassurances could jeopardize not only

the outcomes for patients or clients but also a leader’s reputation and credibility. An ethical

leader remains accountable and conscientious. If a crisis arises, an ethical leader addresses it

immediately and sees it through to its resolution. An ethical leader understands the significance

of adhering conscientiously to processes. Well-set processes enable the team to maintain

consistency in delivering care. They also help promote an organizational culture that places a

premium on ethical conduct and fairness (Swanwick & McKimm, 2017).

Interprofessional collaborations have the potential to be dominated by unproductive

alliances and quasi-territorial disputes where team members may assume adversarial positions.

An ethical leader remains a beacon of genuine commitment and collaboration for all the teams

they oversee. They are committed to seeking creative solutions to problems and promote a

culture in which the interests of the individual are seen to be dependent on the outcomes of the

collective (Swanwick & McKimm, 2017).

Diversity and Inclusion in Health Care Leadership

The underrepresentation of minorities in the health care profession is a persistent

problem. Minorities are expected to comprise 50% of the population of the United States by

2050 (Nair & Adetayo, 2019). Diverse populations experience poorer health outcomes;

according to Nair and Adetayo (2019), diverse populations call for more personalized

approaches to meet their health care needs. This is especially evident in the vaccine compliance

statistics for the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have found that while the overall COVID-19

vaccination hesitancy among adult Americans was 26.3%, it was much higher among African

Americans at 41.6% and among Hispanics at 30.2%. The hesitancy in minority communities is

driven by factors such as greater exposure to misinformation, medical mistrust stemming from

racial discrimination, personal beliefs about vaccines, and concerns about safety (Khubchandani

& Macias, 2021). In an increasingly competitive health care market, providing accessible,

affordable, respectful, and responsive care that is considerate of individual preferences, needs,

and values is becoming increasingly important for health care organizations’ survival.

When one thinks of workplace diversity, one tends to think in terms of race, ethnicity,

and gender identity. However, diversity also exists in economic status, political inclination,

religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and other characteristics that may not be obvious. In my

practice, I promote a culture of inclusion by ensuring that I spread responsibilities evenly across

the organization without any bias. This applies even to those who may not feel comfortable

asking for responsibilities but are likely to handle them if given the chance. I try to be open-

minded and listen carefully to all complaints about bias or discrimination and take a strong

stance against inappropriate behavior.

It could be argued that cultural diversity in the workplace increases the tendency of

organizational staff to indulge in interpersonal conflicts because of differing opinions, thoughts,

beliefs, and traditions. I, however, believe that these differences can be the source of innovative

approaches and interventions, particularly in crisis situations. During a recent heat wave in the

Boston–Washington corridor, the emergency room in my organization was inundated with

patients, most of whom were classified as “urgent” during triage. There was a need to find ways

to tend to “urgent” cases so that they could be considered “nonurgent,” which would free up

clinical staff to more effectively administer to the “emergent” cases coming into the emergency

room. Members of the care team at AZ Group (my employer) who hailed from Southeast Asian

countries offered innovative solutions, suggesting simple techniques for lowering the core body

temperature that were developed in their home countries, which have much hotter climates. The

care team took the lead in implementing these techniques, resulting in a dramatic drop in the

number of “urgent” cases. Based on this example and many others witnessed during my

professional experience, I believe that the benefits of a culturally diverse workplace far outweigh

its disadvantages.

To develop a diverse and inclusive workplace, AZ Group adheres to the National

Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care,

which is aligned with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Action Plan to Reduce

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of

Minority Health, n.d.). AZ Group provides three educational programs at the graduate level for

minorities to train the next generation of health care providers. It conducts quarterly training

sessions with leadership and team members on culturally appropriate policies and practices. I

ensure that the goals and policies followed by my team members are culturally and linguistically

appropriate and permeate throughout the organization’s planning and operations.

Scholar-Practitioners in Health Care

Scholar-practitioners form an integral part of health care, especially when developing

innovations for better patient outcomes and greater stakeholder satisfaction. Researchers and

practitioners prefer distinct roles and identities, which creates a research-to-practice gap in

conversations that deal with innovative approaches for improved patient outcomes. This means

that approaches or interventions from researchers are disseminated among practitioners without

much feedback about the real-world effects of the application of those approaches or

interventions. Scholar-practitioner bridges this gap by translating and interpreting new research

and theory for practitioners and highlighting practical problems to theorists and scholars.

The capacity to engage in critical thinking is an indispensable skill for scholar-

practitioners. Werner and Bleich (2017) define critical thinking as “the analytic precursor to

decision making and action taking,” which “enriches best practice organizational outcomes” (p.

9). It enables scholar-practitioners to have clear, stratified knowledge structures with associated

connections among concepts, allowing them to distill efficient and creative interpretations of

their day-to-day practices. A scholar-practitioner should be able to know, recognize, and discuss

current strategies that will lead to improved patient outcomes. A scholar-practitioner develops

this knowledge by keeping abreast of the latest research, attending conferences, and engaging

with team members in scholarly discussions on how health care professionals can collaborate to

create a culture that is rich with learning opportunities and innovative intervention strategies

aimed at improving health care quality and safety.

Conclusion

Leadership in health care is multifaceted. I follow the participative leadership approach

because it gives individual members of my team the opportunity to lead, should the need arise.

Adherence to a strong set of core values is essential for a leader to foster ethical behavior among

team members in a health care organization. A leader must develop a diverse and inclusive

workplace to effectively cater to all population demographics. An effective leader must also be a

scholar-practitioner who interprets new research and theory for practitioners and highlights

practical problems to theorists and scholars, ensuring the best possible patient outcomes and

stakeholder satisfaction.

References

Khubchandani, J., & Macias, Y. (2021). COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in Hispanics and

African-Americans: A review and recommendations for practice. Brain, Behavior, &

Immunity - Health, 15, 100277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100277

Melnyk, B. M., & Raderstorf, T. (2019). Evidence-based leadership, innovation, and

entrepreneurship in nursing and healthcare: A practical guide to success. Springer.

Smith, T., Fowler-Davis, S., Nancarrow, S., Ariss, S. M. B., & Enderby, P. (2018). Leadership in

interprofessional health and social care teams: A literature review. Leadership in Health

Studies. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-06-2016-0026

Stanley, D. (Ed.) (2017). Clinical leadership in nursing and healthcare: Values into action. John

Wiley & Sons.

Swanwick, T., & McKimm, J. (2017). ABC of clinical leadership. Wiley.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, (n.d.). National

Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health and

health care.

https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdfs/EnhancedNationalCLASStandards.pdf

Werner, S. H., & Bleich, M. R. (2017). Critical thinking as a leadership attribute. The Journal of

Continuing Education in Nursing, 48(1), 9–11. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-

20170110-03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100277

https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-06-2016-0026

https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdfs/EnhancedNationalCLASStandards.pdf

https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20170110-03