Leadership Profile
Seeking to define the necessary features the individual has to possess, the interview was conducted with the nurse leader at the public hospital Sarah Jenkins. Her duties as a nurse leader encompass managing nursing staff, organizing their work and performance as well as participating in medical decision-making and problem-solving issues.
In the process of interview, the interviewee shared that she supports the distributive model of leadership for it helps to improve the general working atmosphere and encourage staff to actively contribute to the shared goals and objectives of the medical facility. Encouragement, friendly atmosphere and high professionalism are what helps Mrs. Jenkings to support the employees when some of them are not pulling weight.Working as a nurse leader is challenging as it requires to be ready to accept the responsibility and to carefully assess the pros and cons. For example, the interviewee was involved in deciding whether to close the department due to infectious disease. It was necessary to react as fast as possible and Mrs. Jenkings applied her highly developed cognitive and communication skills. Cognitive skills such as creative reasoning ability and problem-solving are believed to be the core features of a leader (Zaccaro et al., 2011).
She also needed to communicate with the patients and their families to explain the situation. Patients’ approval is largely due to interviewee’s interpersonal skills which are also vital for staff management. In stressful situations when there arises a conflict between a nurse and a patient, she always helps the nurse to find a right approach relying on her professional skills and experience.Therefore, as can be concluded from the interview, such features as developed cognitive and interpersonal skills, as well as responsibility and invulnerability to stressful situations, are the core traits of a leader. A leader needs these qualities to encourage staff to contribute to the common good and to facilitate communication with everyone involved.
References
Zaccaro, S. J., Kemp, C., & Bader, P. (2004). Leader traits and attributes. The nature of leadership, 101, …
