Leadership Quiz:

EXAMPLE 1

The leadership style assessment by Leadership Legacy (Galford & Maruca, n.d.) helped me
conceptualise my natural leadership style characteristics. Overall, my results were not
surprising, as my most predominant characteristic was advocate, followed by creative-
builder, truth-seeker, experienced guide, ambassador, and then people mover which I felt
was reflective of my personal and professional attributes. On reflection of the results, I now
feel more confident in understanding how my natural leadership style can be used within
my service and how I have been applying them within my clinical practice. The results align
with my own previously identified areas of professional development in conflict
management and mentoring. This self-awareness of personal strengths and weakness is
essential in being an effective leader (Daly et al., 2015).

Since joining the health profession and working in public health, I have always strived for
excellence, equality, and efficiency. I have the compulsion to act on clinical needs and I have
previously considered the compulsion to problem solve clinical needs and improve
efficiency as annoying traits since my previous work environment did not value innovation.
The assessment results have given me insight and confidence that these are leadership
characteristics of advocacy, truth-seeking and creative builder. Since moving to a new
workplace last year, I have had the opportunity to use these characteristics. I championed
the need for increased physiotherapy resources by creating a tool to measure workload and
how the workload affected evidence-based patient therapy. A report of the tool's data was
an objective and persuasive resource for our patients and staff's advocacy. I believe I
particularly drew upon my stronger leadership characteristics during that project.

During the above-stated project, I received assistance from my director during the
conceptualisation of the workload tool and report writing phases. Reflecting on the personal
characteristics defined by the Leadership Legacy assessment and my director's contribution
to the project, I can now recognise how he predominantly displayed characteristics of
ambassador, people-mover, and experienced guide, which is one of my weaker
characteristics. I found his leadership style complementing as he provided an alternative
perceptive to the workload tool and provided mentorship through motivation and
navigation of the processes and line-management. I feel like that experience exemplified the
benefits of collaborative leadership (Vanvactor, 2012).

My lowest and second-lowest score on the leadership style assessment was people-mover
and ambassador. Using the Gibbs model of reflection (Gibbs & Unit, 1988), I feel that it is
related to my lack of confidence as I am not naturally a confident person, and I reflect this
professionally also. I often question my capabilities, particularly as a leader and therefore, I
usually don't feel I have the knowledge or skills to provide mentorship, particularly when I
don't know or feel comfortable around another colleague. I also don't keep an extensive
contact list and foresee that I will be less likely to be interested in line-management
leadership roles in the future despite the higher truth-seeker characteristic.

The assessment's lower-scoring characteristics appear to have more face-to-face

relationship traits such as conflict resolution, mentoring, and advising. These are important
qualities in leadership, especially transformational (Bass & Avolio, 1994), resonant (Goleman
et al., 2002) and authentic (Walumbwa et al., 2008) leadership which are focused on human
relationships. I would seek to develop them through professional development
opportunities but also by professional supervision (Winstanley & White, 2003) and my own
mentoring (Naidoo, 2006) to improve these areas. Especially if I wish to be a relationally
focused leader which is associated with better outcomes, performance and personal health
and well-being especially for nurses (Cummings et al., 2018).

Understanding one's leadership style can increase proactivity and effectiveness as a leader
by maximising strengths and accounting for weaknesses. The assessment of my leadership
characteristics helped me to conceptualise these strengths and weaknesses. I particularly
demonstrate leadership characteristics that facilitates innovation, ideas, and issues. On the
other hand, my weaknesses are predominantly in relationships, mentoring and conflict
resolution which can all be developed through various pathways. It is important, though,
that not all leadership has to be done individually and that a collaborative leadership team
with diverse characteristics can provide better leadership depending upon the situation.

References:

Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organisational effectiveness through

transformational leadership. SAGE.

Cummings, G. G., Tate, K., Lee, S., Wong, C. A., Paananen, T., Micaroni, S. P. M., &

Chatterjee, G. E. (2018). Leadership styles and outcome patterns for the nursing

workforce and work environment: A systematic review. International Journal of

Nursing Studies, 85, 19-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.04.016

Daly, J., Speedy, S., & Jackson, D. (2015). Leadership & nursing : contemporary perspectives

(2nd ed.). Elsevier.

Galford, R., & Maruca, R. Leadership Style Assessment Test. Retrieved 1 March 2021, from

http://www.yourleadershiplegacy.com/assessment.html

Gibbs, G., & Unit, G. B. F. E. (1988). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning

Methods. FEU. https://books.google.com.au/books?id=z2CxAAAACAAJ

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2002). The new leaders: Transforming the art of

leadership into the science of results.

Naidoo, N. (2006). The Role and importance of Mentoring in Physiotherapy. South African

Journal of Physiotherapy, 62, 2-5. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajp.v62i3.154

Vanvactor, J. D. (2012). Collaborative leadership model in the management of health care.

Journal of Business Research, 65(4), 555-561.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.02.021

Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008).

Authentic Leadership: Development and Validation of a Theory-Based Measure†.

Journal of Management, 34(1), 89-126. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307308913

Winstanley, J., & White, E. (2003). Clinical Supervision: Models, Measures and Best Practice.

Nurse Researcher, 10, 7-38. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr2003.07.10.4.7.c5904

Example 2
Leadership and management are interchangeable terms in my experience working within
the health care setting. Leadership is inherent in nursing positions however, it is recognised
that development occurs incidentally with a lack of formalised, supportive systems (Spano-
Szekely & Quinn Griffin, 2016). Effective management and leadership are key factors in the
provision of safe and integrated care, with a quality focus, in turn fostering a positive
workplace culture (Courtney, Nash, Thorton & Potgietor, 2015; Sfantou et al, 2017).
Review of recommended literature has increased my awareness of the diverse types
of leaders (Sfantou et al, 2017; Daly, Speedy & Jackson, 2015) and the underpinning
characteristics, inherent or learned, of the various leadership and management styles
(Tyczkowski et al, 2015; Spano-Szekely & Quinn Griffin, 2016). Elements of each style of
leadership produce positive results in varying situations and a successful leader has the
capacity to engage these in a diverse and dynamic work place (Sfantou et al, 2017).
The leadership style assessment test produced interesting results for me. My top
score was unsurprisingly the ‘truth-seeker’. I believe that I inherently have strong sense of
fairness and a root-cause-effect approach to situations. A recent example in the workplace
involved reviewing caseload allocation to personnel following feedback from one staff
member of perceived inequity. The desired outcome from this will centre around enhanced
consumer access to quality care and improved job satisfaction (Daly, Speedy & Jackson,
2015). This aligns with the current health organisational strategic plan and has the positive
flow on effect of enhanced organisational commitment through improved communication
(Kohles, Bligh & Carsten, 2012).
Experienced guide was the next highest score on this test. This surprised me as I
relate this to seniority on the basis of age and years of experience in leadership roles. I’m
also not apt at thinking of the ‘right quotation’ at the right time, it is usually a case of ‘next
time I will say this’. I do however feel I have strong capacity to empathise as both an
inherent trait and life experience. Heckemann, Schols & Halfens (2014) discussion on nurse
leadership focuses on three dimensions, one being ‘responsive carer’ which recognises the
value of empathy in providing care and support to staff. In availing myself to staff to listen to
their concerns in both an informal and formal sense, I feel that I meet this aspect of an
experienced guide.
The two equally low scoring results for the leadership test were advocate and
creative builder. These are both areas I would like to further develop as I do not consider
myself ‘visionary’ or have a ‘relentless’ approach in the pursuit of a concept.
Courtney, Nash, Thorton & Potgietor (2015) refer to leadership roles having the
ability to visualise in organisational forward planning. Strategic visionary is another of the
three dimensions discussed by Heckemann, Schols & Halfens (2014) in relation to leadership
capacity to plan and prioritise in order to future proof the organisation. I feel that in order
to provide further depth of leadership and management in my current role developing the
creative builder will enhance leadership qualities and align with organisational values to
facilitate change management.

References
Courtney, M., Nash, R., Thorton, R., & Potgieter, I. (2015). Leading and Managing in Nursing
practice: concepts, processes, challenges. In Daly, J., Speedy, S., & Jackson, D. (2015). In
Leadership & nursing : contemporary perspectives (2nd ed., pp. xv, 276). Elsevier.
https://ecu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/903245740

Daly, J., Speedy, S., & Jackson, D. (2015). In Leadership & nursing : contemporary
perspectives (2nd ed., pp. xv, 276). Elsevier. https://ecu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/903245740
Heckemann, B., Schols, J., & Halfens, R. (2015). A reflective framework to foster emotionally
intelligent leadership in nursing. Journal of Nursing Management, 23(6), 744–753.
https://doi.org/10.0000/jonm.12204
Kohles, J.C., Bligh, M.C., & Carsten, M.K., (2012). In Daly, J., Speedy, S., & Jackson, D. (2015).
In Leadership & nursing : contemporary perspectives (2nd ed., pp. xv, 276). Elsevier.
https://ecu.on.worldcat.org/oclc/903245740
Mintzberg, H. (2012). Managing the myths of health care. World Hospitals and Health
Services, 48(3), 4–7.
https://www.mcgill.ca/desautels/files/desautels/channels/attach/managing_the_myths_of
_health_care.pdf

Sfantou, D.F., Laliotis, A., Patelarou, A.E., Sifaki-Pistolla, D., Matalliotakis, M., & Patelarou, E.
(2017). Importance of leadership style towards quality of care measures in healthcare
settings: A systematic review. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare5040073

Spano-Szekely, L., & Quinn Griffin, M. T. (2016). Emotional intelligence and transformational
leadership in nurse managers. Journal of Nursing Administration, 46(2), 101–108.
https://doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0000000000000303

Tyczkowski, B., Vandenhouten, C., Reilly, J., & Kubsch, S. M. (2015). Emotional intelligence
(EI) and nursing leadership styles among nurse managers. Nursing Administration Quarterly,
39(2), 172–180. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000094

RESPONSE
Thank you for your reflection on the Leadership Style Assessment results by Galford &
Maruca (n.d.). I have until recently considered leadership and management interchangeable
within healthcare but have since had to re-evaluate this position. Differences in
management versus leadership motivation and objectives can make both responsibilities
difficult to complement and may lead to conflict and ineffective care (Stanley, 2017). From
first-hand experience, my allied health’s team leader predominantly organised, coordinated,
and planned the day to day running of our team but did not provide motivation or
inspiration towards a shared goal. They got things done but didn’t create a vision despite
having the job title of being a “leader”, nor were they perceived by the team as an effective
leader. I now consider management and leadership separate, but that to be genuinely
effective in either role, an integration of both qualities is required (Daly et al., 2015).
I also had a high ‘truth-seeker’ score on my assessment and appreciate the sense of fairness
and root-cause-effect approach to situations. Your example of how you went about
evaluating the workload situation was great. It exemplified not just the equality you sought
for your workforce but also your consumers. I think that the solution you applied also
demonstrated an ability to be creative by envisioning the role and perceived benefits to
your workload issues which aligned with local strategic plans.

As you have outlined, your empathetic abilities are likely what made experienced guide your
next highest score. Experienced guide appears to be a high leadership characteristic for
many nurses on the discussion board. Bailey (1996) investigated the level of empathy in
critical care nurses, and it was found to be moderately well developed irrespective of
experience, education, or position. Your practice of empathy in the workplace beyond your
clients appears to be why staff and colleagues come to you for guidance or advice.

You have identified that developing your creative builder capabilities will facilitate your
leadership and management practices. Creativity and innovation are highly valued in health
care at the moment to tackle many different health care challenges (Kelly & Young,
2017). Stanley (2017) offers suggestions and activities to develop creativity, such as
journaling, recording ideas, and mind mapping, which you may find helpful in developing
this skill.

References:

Bailey, S. (1996). Levels of empathy for critical care nurses. Australian Critical Care, 9(4),
121-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1036-7314(96)70369-7
Daly, J., Speedy, S., & Jackson, D. (2015). Leadership & nursing : contemporary perspectives
(2nd ed.). Elsevier.
Galford, R., & Maruca, R. Leadership Style Assessment Test. Retrieved 1 March 2021, from
http://www.yourleadershiplegacy.com/assessment.html
Kelly, C. J., & Young, A. J. (2017). Promoting innovation in healthcare. Future Hospital
Journal, 4(2), 121-125. https://doi.org/10.7861/futurehosp.4-2-121
Stanley, D. (2017). Leadership and Management. In (pp. 91-105). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119253785.ch5