Leadership Assessment Synthesis Paper (Essay Sample)

Leadership Assessment Synthesis Paper Student Name Course, Department Instruction Instructor Date Leadership Assessment Synthesis Paper Introduction The purpose of this paper is to analyze various components related to one leader's performance who has been employed in a nursing administrative role at either their place of employment such as a hospital, hospice center or elsewhere setting with which they are familiar firsthand experience. Specifically, it assesses their capacity for maintaining task accountability while establishing trust among fellow nurses, overseeing budgets while keeping staff members engaged, employing reflective management strategies, and delegating authority equitably among subordinates through sound communication processes that motivate team-building initiatives. Description of the Health Care System Mission, Vision, and Goals ABC Health Center is a highly respected, full-service healthcare provider in Brooklyn, NY, serving about 100 patients across all age groups daily. The mission of the ABC Health Center is to provide evidence-based, quality medical care with an emphasis on compassionate patient messaging and respect for human dignity. The vision that drives the hospital's work includes excellent outcomes through enhanced recruitment efforts while recognizing its role as a central support system in medically underserved areas across New York City. Organizational Structure and Characteristics A Board of Directors leads the organizational structure of ABC Health Center, which comprises experts in various healthcare fields. The executives directly under the board are responsible for managing and overseeing the operational procedures and financial decisions. Department administrators provide day-to-day operations, including assigning duties, record-keeping, and recruitment activities within their respective departments. Patient care managers ensure that orders are carried out appropriately according to legal requirements. Job roles fall upon service providers such as doctors and nurses, who collectively work together to provide direct patient care at the hospital facility. Fig. 1: ABC Health Center Organizational Structure ABC Health Center is a large-scale healthcare provider and non-profit organization owned by the company, comprised of over 100 full-time and part-time staff. The hospital has earned many accreditations, including the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, recognizing ABC Health Center's exemplary quality measures in delivering comprehensive medical care to its patients. Description of the Nursing Administrative Position The nurse manager/administrator at ABC Health Center is the executive responsible for overseeing all nursing-related operations, including monitoring patient care delivery according to standards of practice and ensuring financial goals are met. She is responsible for ensuring that the funds allocated are spent according to established policies and procedures within a framework of internal controls to minimize risk from inside or outside sources. This individual works closely with the board of directors in performance appraisals and other departments within medical administration. She holds a BSN degree required for professional licensing. However, depending on jurisdiction laws, many state boards may also require an MSN or higher credentials. The nurse manager/ administrator oversees 35 nurses from registered, licensed practicals (LPNs) to non-unites aides as part 1 staff under her supervision from diverse backgrounds. Nursing Care Delivery Models At ABC Health Center, nursing care is provided through various delivery models, including total patient care and team nursing. Comprehensive patient care at ABC Health Center involves one nurse caring for all patients in a particular unit. This enables fostering of close relationships with patients and their families (Prentic et al., 2022). While allowing nurses to build strong rapport, this delivery model can also be challenging since they are liable for managing many individuals simultaneously. At ABC Health Center, team nursing allows nurses to specialize in specific tasks more efficiently than in total patient care. However, contact levels between patients and their nurses may be decreased due to this delivery model (Prentic et al., 2022). The health center is equipped with cutting-edge technology, including an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system for accurately sharing up-to-date information about patient medical histories among healthcare providers. Leadership Characteristics The nurse manager/administrator has utilized several leadership traits necessary to excel in this role. These include solid clinical expertise. A comprehensive understanding of the nursing practice and the ability to provide direction and back it up with decision-making that adheres to sound clinical practices is necessary for successful managerial performance. Another essential trait is communicating effectively and empathizing with staff, patients, and other healthcare professionals (Grossman & Valiga, 2020). Listening carefully to concerns from all angles while understanding different perspectives is vital in successfully demonstrating managerial responsibility. Leadership Styles The nurse manager/administrator in this leadership assessment follows an approach that seeks to bring the best out of their staff by creating a shared vision and encouraging methods for achieving it. The nurse administrator utilizes an autocratic leadership approach characterized by a top-down decision-making process (Grossman & Valiga, 2020). This leadership model can be effective in crisis circumstances but leads to disapproval and negativity among staff members. Also, notably, the nurse manager/administrator at ABC Health Center follows a democratic leadership style by regularly discussing and consulting with their staff before implementing decisions. This allows for more open dialogue within the team, reducing time spent in decision-making, and often yields buy-in from staff members who are invested in solutions agreed upon by all through transparent communication processes (Grossman & Valiga, 2020). Sources of Power As a nurse manager/administrator, there are sources of power that can be utilized to drive initiatives and progress within the health care system effectively. These include formal and personal powers. Formal power is derived from their position as leaders of an organization, allowing them to make decisions regarding resource allocation or discipline for staff members (Ford, 2018). Personal power is founded upon charisma cultivated through communication strategies used while interacting with colleagues, engaging in sustained dialogues fostering respectability amongst constituents and creating a culture conducive towards transformation. Communication Strategies Nursing administrators must understand effective communication strategies to develop a safe and thriving environment for staff members and patients. This can include active listening, clear communication, and quality feedback on an individual's performance. Active listening involves focusing solely on what is being said while paying attention to nonverbal cues from the speaker; this assures nurses that the person they are communicating with feels heard (Kwame & Petrucka, 2020). For example, to practice active listening at the workplace, nurse managers and administrators can use movements such as nodding or making direct eye contact with another individual to demonstrate understanding of what is being said. Clear communication entails using language easily understood by the intended target audience. This includes avoiding jargon and altering communication based on who is present, creating an effective dialogue in all communication experiences. Lastly, providing employee feedback can significantly influence the overall performance of nurses and their teams (Kwame & Petrucka, 2020). A nurse manager/administrator might use praise to set an example for other staff members regarding acceptable behaviors and use constructive criticism when necessary. Discussion of Decision-Making, Problem-Solving, and Conflict Resolution Skills Decision-Making Skills Nurse managers/administrators must be able to make swift and prudent judgments. They must identify what advantages, drawbacks, and expectations are involved in potential choices before arriving at a conclusion that best suits their stakeholders and is beneficial for the facility (Sinskey et al., 2019). Select troubleshooting strategies such as brainstorming permit nursing executives to look into various answers, enabling them to access varied options for tackling predicaments. Problem-Solving Skills Nurse Managers and administrators must be able to identify and address issues as they arise. They should be able to think analytically and innovatively and develop practical solutions (Sinskey et al., 2019). Examples of problem-solving abilities nurse managers/administrators may us...