Application: Leadership Style Inventory

Effective leaders have a high degree of self-awareness and know how to leverage their strengths in the workplace. Assessments are a valuable tool that professionals can use to learn more about themselves and consider how their temperament and preferences influence their interactions with others.

To further your self-knowledge, you are required to complete the Kiersey Temperament Sorter and the DiSC assessment, as indicated in this week’s Learning Resources. In addition, you are encouraged to take or review additional assessments (e.g., Myers-Briggs, a 360-degree evaluation) on your own.

As you engage in this learning process, it is important to remember that everyone—regardless of temperament type or related preferences—experiences some challenges with regard to leadership. The key to success is being able to recognize and leverage your own strengths while honoring differences among your colleagues.

To prepare:

Review the results of your leadership style inventories. Save a copy of your results for future reference. In addition, you are encouraged to complete additional assessments.
What aspects of your results surprised you? What aspects of your results were as you might have expected?
Think about the leadership example(s) you identified in the Discussion, your assessment results, and the information presented in this week’s Learning Resources. Have they helped you to form a more comprehensive view of yourself as a leader? What insights have arisen with regard to:
How you, personally, evaluate leadership effectiveness
Your own leadership style, preferences, and strengths
Potential challenges or areas in which you need to strengthen your leadership skills and competencies
Begin to create a plan for maximizing your strengths as a leader and neutralizing your weaknesses.

To complete:
Write a 1- to 2-page paper that addresses the following:

Summarize your leadership style, including your strengths for leading others. Refer to specific information from your inventory results, as well as insights gained from the Learning Resources and any research you completed on your own.
Describe potential challenges that you have experienced in the past or could foresee related to your leadership style.
Explain how you plan to improve your leadership competencies and effectiveness. Be specific in terms of your goals and plans related to your personal leadership development.

Required Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Readings

Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2012). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins.
Review Chapters 2 and 3
Azaare, J., & Gross, J. (2011). The nature of leadership style in nursing management. British Journal of Nursing, 20(11), 672–676, 678–680.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

The authors examine the different styles of leadership that nurse managers use and discusses how staff nurses in their study preferred managers who use a proactive, articulate, and independent leadership style.
Christmas, K. (2009). 2009: The year of positive leadership. Nursing Economic$, 27(2), 128–133.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

In this article, the author discusses a shift in nurse management style. The former style of control and command has been replaced with a participatory style that includes mentoring and coaching.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2009). To lead, create a shared vision. Harvard Business Review, 87(1), 20–21.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

This article discusses how leaders can engage and inspire followers with a future-focused vision.
Leadership styles impact staff retention, morale. (2011). Clinical Trials Administrator, 9(8), 89–90.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

This article gives the reader tips on how to retain good employees and ensure that they remain happy with their jobs. The tips come from a nurse manager in a Georgia hospital with 13 years of experience.
Wall Street Journal staff. (n.d.). Leadership. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/public/page/leadership.html?mg=reno64-wsj

This section of the Wall Street Journal website features a variety of articles and video clips on leadership. The Walden Library also has holdings of Wall Street Journal articles.

Online Assessments

Note: By now, you should have completed the following assessments (as assigned in Week 1):

DiSC Classic 2.0—Instructions for accessing this assessment should be included when you purchase it from MBS Direct. Be sure to save a copy of your results.
Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS-II). (n.d.). Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.keirsey.com/