Forum Discussion Strength-Based Leadership Development.

Leadership Assessment

Healthcare is in vast need of transformation. For radical changes to occur, leaders in micro, meso, and macrosystems (in many various capacities) must emerge to facilitate the necessary work. The work to be done is far too large for a few. Many of you are relatively new to healthcare; others have been entrenched in healthcare systems for years, perhaps embedded so long that it is difficult to imagine a different way of delivering healthcare services. With that said, stay with me a little longer as we take a detour outside the world of healthcare to look, perhaps a little less emotionally or with a smaller degree of cynicism, at a couple of other industries that are taking on a new look because of changing environments and consumer expectations.

Example 1

Those who are old enough may remember during your youth Saturdays being big shopping days. Monday through Friday people worked or went to school. Saturday was a day for getting “caught up” and getting ready for coming events. During those days shopping was a big part of “getting ready”. The large department stores were busy, so much so, that many times it was difficult to find a parking spot. Now, take a look around your community. Is this picture the same? Are the large department stores bustling on Saturday, or for any day, as a matter of fact? If your community is anything like mine, the large department stores are much, much quieter. Stores have downsized inventory, reduced the workforce, implemented strategies such as super sales, coupons, customer loyalty campaigns, and re-engineered processes to enhance performance. Check-out counters have been reduced from one every 30 feet to one or two for an entire floor! What has impacted the retail business? What is your vision for the future of these department stores? Are department stores a viable way to do business these days? What other process changes are needed for sustainability?

Example 2

Have you had the opportunity to interact with the airline industry lately? How has this industry evolved over the last couple of decades? Does anyone remember the paper ticket that used to be mailed to you or had to picked up from the ticket counter? How many of you check in now using an airport kiosk or check in online before you even come to the airport and only go to the ticket counter to check a bag? When did check-in move to curb service and why? Even better, who would have ever thought we would be checking before even arriving at the airport!! Hmmm… Okay, now let’s look for a moment at the airline industry from the angle of safety. Has aviation safety changed over the years? Absolutely! What prompted the pursuit of safety? Did you know one of the biggest changes in the industry occurred when jet liners replaced propeller driven airplanes. Hmmm… I see innovation and creativity as an underpinning for the change. Another contribution to safety came with aviation regulations? Is transparency for errors greater today than years gone by? What kinds of processes to enhance safety were changed due to regulation? Were checklists developed and mandated? What about regulation of pilots’ flying hours? How about the use of simulation to promote communication? What processes have changed in the airline industry after the 9/11 hi-jacking and plane crashes?

Alright enough of this; let’s move to the business of healthcare. We all know that healthcare of today is deeply steeped in traditional practices and processes that no longer work well in contemporary times… and how do we know this? It is because access to care for our U.S. citizens remains a problem, the costs for providing healthcare in the United States is greater than any other industrialized country, and healthcare outcomes do not hit the mark; thus, the public is not always getting the healthcare needed, and when received, the value is not equivalent to the dollar spent. Transformation requires the engagement of the many stakeholders and a genuine commitment to improvement. Yet, how does one rally the troops? More importantly, what should healthcare look like? How do we break out of our traditional practices and processes? What role does the advanced practice nurse play in the transformation of healthcare? Now to you… do you as an emerging advanced practice nurse possess the leadership skills to facilitate this transformation?

Assignment Overview (Context)

This assignment is designed to provide an opportunity for the students to explore their individual strengths and weaknesses and become aware of strengths needed from others to compose a successful team. For this interactive class discussion, begin with a review of the required readings in Unit I (excluding the material on emotional intelligence, which will be the focus of our next discussion). After reading the required assignments, take the self-assessment exercise by Rath and Conchie (instructions on how to take the assessment can be found below).

Research findings of Rath and Conchie (2008) indicate that leaders do not have to be good at every aspect of leading. What a relief! However, to be effective change agents, these authors argue the importance of knowing one’s leadership strengths and leveraging those strengths to build strong teams. How does one leverage those strengths? Consider how one’s leadership strengths could potentially weaken a team. In addition to the leadership assessment exercise, please read the following articles:

Strengths Based Leadership Development_Insights from Expert Coaches (found in the forum overview)

Beyond Transformational Leadership to Greater Ent_Inspiring Innovations in Complex Organizations (found in the forum overview)

Strength-based Leadership Assessment Instructions

Use the unique access code accompanying your text to take the StrengthsFinder 2.0 Assessment. This assessment will take about 25-35 minutes to complete. To access the StrengthsFinder 2.0 Assessment, visit strengths.gallup.com. After completing the appraisal, you will receive a “highly customized Strengths-Based Leadership guide that lists your top five themes of strengths as well as several suggestions for leading with each theme and illustrations of each theme in action” (pg. 99). For each of the 34 themes, there are strategies that can be used “for leveraging that theme to meet followers’ four basic needs (defined in the book), and tips for leading others who are strong in that theme…the guide… can be used as a reference for building on the strengths of your team and the people around you “(pg. 99).

Rath, T., & Conchie, B. (2008). Strengths Based Leadership. New York: NY: Gallup Press. ISBN: 978-1-59562-025-5 (Text must be a new copy for you to obtain unique access code for self-assessment; you may purchase a used book but then you must purchase the access code separately.)

Discussion Questions

What is your vision for a new and improved healthcare environment and what needs to change for your vision to become a reality? How will you as a nurse with an advanced nursing practice degree begin the transformation? Do you see yourself as an evolving transformational leader? Use the strength-based assessment findings to contemplate the strategies for leveraging your leadership strengths to facilitate improvement. How can you use your strengths to build effective teams? What strengths from others do you need to build a successful team? Reflect on how your strengths could potentially weaken your team’s success. Based on your assessment, how will you begin this important work as a leader? Integrate a variety of leadership models and theories from textbook and or relevant peer-reviewed readings into your strategic plan to maximize your leadership skills.

Each student will post an initial post of no more than 500 words in the forum. First person may be used for this assignment.

Each student will then cross post to other students contributing to a robust class discussion. Cross posts should be no longer than 250 words.

APA formatting with reference citations is required

All posts should be posted in the text box. Do not attach a pdf copy of your post.

When posting the initial forum discussion, select “start a new conversation”. Label “Initial Post”.

When posting the cross posts, select “rely to initial message”. Label “Dearmon cross post to Smith”.

No title page is required in the Forum

Label your cross posts following this example: “Dearmon cross post to Smith”. Include a copy of your Strength-based Leadership Assessment as an attachment in the forum.

Critical Elements for a Class Discussion

Follow the directions for the assignment. Keep the focus on the intent of the assignment and do not allow yourself to drift too far. The following critical elements should guide your postings:

Prepare for the assignment by reviewing the unit content and resources. Students should demonstrate graduate level understanding and analysis of the concepts and the relationships among ideas, identifying hidden assumptions or fallacies in reasoning. Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to apply the principles or concepts in the lessons to real-life situations integrating implications for advanced practice. Students should support their opinions with expert opinion through a deep dive into the literature validating thinking and/or broadening perspectives/ understanding of the content.

Cross posts should elaborate upon the ideas of others or content found in the readings/keynotes by adding details, examples, a different viewpoint, or other relevant information. The cross posts should provide original insights or responses which integrates multiple views. (Just saying ditto, I agree, or restating the original post is not considered elaboration.) There should be evaluation and feedback which assesses the accuracy, reasonableness, or quality of idea, and provides constructive feedback to classmates.

The original post and cross posts should provide reflection and meaning by describing thoughtfully what the idea means, uncovering new insights. The cross posts should raise questions as to what needs further clarification or discussion. Personal or professional experiences may be integrated into the cross posts, but are not the sole purpose of the cross posts.

The initial and cross posts should be posted by the due dates allowing time for classmates to respond. The author should monitor their posts and respond to cross posts from other students. The online discussion should mimic a thoughtful classroom discussion. Therefore, the students should demonstrate promptness and initiative in posting and remain engaged throughout the discussion.

The presentation of the post should demonstrate a clear and concise writing style appropriate to graduate level work utilizing appropriate terminology.

References should support posts according to APA formatting guidelines.

Grading Rubric for Discussion Questions

Overall points are awarded based on the quality of the posts and the degree to which the submissions contribute to class discussion. Students must show evidence of engagement throughout the discussion and postings should reflect application of the assigned lesson materials.

Score

Criteria

The posts are timely and relevant. The posts demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the required reading and resources provided in this section of the course. The initial post fully addresses the required content for the discussion questions. Ideas are supported by scholarly references. The student actively participated throughout the discussion.

The posts are timely, relevant, and self-initiated. The posts reflect understanding of the material presented. The discussion is not fully supported with scholarly references. The initial post addresses the required content for the Discussion questions . The student participated in the discussion in an above average manner.

The posts do not add much to the conversation. The posts reflect minimal understanding of the reading and resources provided. Minimal evidential support is supplied for statements. The initial post addressed the majority of the required content in some manner. The student participated in the overall discussion in an average manner.

Activity in discussion is minimal and posts lack in substance. The postings fail to demonstrate mastery of the material presented in the readings. The posts fail to meet the expected requirements for the discussion questions.

The student failed to participate in the discussion after placing the initial post. The initial post met the assignment requirements.

The student failed to participate in the discussion in any manner.

A lack of scholarship point deduction (up to 20% of the total point value of the assignment will be applied to address deficiencies such as APA errors, a lack of clarity and conciseness in writing, grammatical and spelling errors, exceeding the prescribed work limit, and poor overall writing skills. For this assignment a maximum of 2 points can be deducted. The amount of the deduction will be at the discretion of the faculty grading the assignment.