Introduction
Effective leadership qualities are crucial in managing teams and delivering high-quality care in nursing practice. The paper uses the Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid platform to determine an individual’s leadership style. Additionally, it considers personal profiles founded on the Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test outcome. As a result, this study aims to apply leadership self-awareness, abilities, and strategies necessary for effective interaction in complex communication situations. The rest of the paper is organized into sections that test and evaluate leadership profiles using online test tools, consider a negotiation scenario, reflect on a conflict situation, analyze the role of a team leader, and summarize the paper’s components.
Leadership Profile
Leadership Style
Based on the online text using Blake and Mouton’s profile scoring, my preferred mode of leading is that of a team leader. The tool is a leadership self-assessment questionnaire that helps individuals identify their leadership style. A team leader focuses on high-task and relationship perfection, which entails leading by example and being determined to foster a team environment (The Vision Council, n.d.).
The highest priority of such a leader is to encourage each member to reach team goals as effectively as feasible while strengthening relational bonds (Cabuenas et al., 2021). A team leader role is one of the most daunting transitions anybody can make at work, based on personal experience. It is a significant leap from being a subject matter expert to being in charge, requiring new skills and competencies. The top skills that have enabled successful leadership include self-awareness, empathy, forward thinking, accountability, and decisiveness.
Personal Profile
According to the Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test, my profile ranking is ENFJ (Extravert, iNtuitive, Feeling, and Judging). The results indicate that I have a moderate preference for Extraversion over Introversion (41%), for Judging over Perceiving (47%), and a slight inclination towards Intuition over Sensing (22%), as well as towards Feeling over Thinking (12%). The outside world is an extrovert’s primary source of energy and expression.
When someone has intuition, they tend to trust the information they receive from their inner or intuitive world. Feeling denotes that, typically, individuals make decisions based on emotions, such as what they assume they ought to do. Judging entails planning every aspect of one’s life and, often, adhering to personal goals (Humanmetrics, n.d.). The ENFJ personality is generally associated with a belief in dreams and seeing oneself as a helper and enabler of others, which characterizes my personality.
Synthesized Personal Leadership Style
A combination of the tests above reveals a team leader who is an extrovert and a judge, but believes in intuition with a slight preference for feeling. For instance, instinct often motivates me to evaluate how others perceive me. The operational mantra has always been to look at oneself, constantly monitoring one’s body language, speech, tone, and behavior. Perhaps the strong capability as a team leader stems from the ENFJ personality, which is generally gifted with excellent relational skills and the ability to persuade others to adopt their point of view (Humanmetrics, n.d.). It also features a resilient capacity for gaining others’ trust and a complete dedication to helping people. Overall, the team leadership qualities and ENFJ personality have been fundamental in creating a positive atmosphere while speaking with many people, and an energetic and always-ready character to join a conversation.
Negotiation
Experience
During nursing practice as a fresh graduate, a scenario arose where discussing salary increments became inevitable. The thought of initiating a discussion about it felt uncomfortable because of doubts about articulating my value to the employer. An annual review was a natural opportunity to request a salary review, as my duties had almost doubled and I had gained sufficient experience. Therefore, the general expectation was a significant rise in the latest proposed compensation.
Some of the arguments against the proposals included the increased shift schedule, commuting costs, and personal value of the facility. Nevertheless, the management did not consent to the demands, citing that the hospital had had peak months that forced them to reschedule their shifts. Additionally, considering the facility’s standards, the projected compensation was reasonably in line with what the current market offers for a nurse with similar experience.
Reflection
The ability to connect with my emotions and calmly articulate how the salary increase would impact my life resonated perfectly with the manager. The personal profile of the receiver closely matched that of an ESTJ (Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Judging). For instance, the outward character was social and believed in details from the external world. The manager’s final decision was primarily based on logic and tended to adhere to a plan, which is characteristic of an authoritarian approach.
Accordingly, the autocratic approach adopted by the addressee hindered the interaction since my bid mostly appeared as a dissent. Considering the leadership approach of the colleagues earlier and providing quantifiable evidence to support the offer would have altered the outcome of the exchange.
Implications
While the negotiation was unsuccessful, there was much to learn. For example, one should research the information the decision-maker values in advance to help individuals adapt their delivery. Additionally, understanding the personality of the manager or leader and adapting one’s approach to match their style can lead to a more effective response (Osmičević & Meško, 2020). It is possible to know that the message is being received in the intended way if the responder acknowledges the issues raised as valid.
Still, the discussion can achieve its intended purpose, yet management fails to act on it due to logistical reasons that can be present in any organization. Additionally, self-awareness in a team leader, such as monitoring mood, tonal variation, gestures, and all aspects of the other person’s behavior, can help determine if the communication achieved its intended goal.
Conflict
Experience
The conflict scenario involved a patient’s family member who became aggressive, accusing me of negligence. During that time, the facility where I worked had experienced increased rates of hospital-acquired infections. The institution directed nursing managers to increase checks for conditions and routine changes in the sick. However, due to the nursing department’s severe staffing shortage and workload, many employees neglected routine checkups and time-consuming adjustments unless they were essential. Stress got the better of the nursing staff and relatives of the inpatients, who became confrontational. The argument with the person spiraled out of control, almost resulting in a physical altercation. The shift manager noted the incident, but neither the aggressor nor I was summoned to resolve the issue.
Reflection
The ability to remain calm and composed during the confrontation played a significant role in de-escalating the prevailing circumstance. The aggressor may have had an ESFJ personality, as they tend to make emotional decisions and are often judgmental. Accordingly, the attributes severed the possibility of dialogue and mutual understanding, failing to portray meaning. The feeling and sensing aspects may have led the other party to accept ideas from the external world without inquiring to obtain a reasoned explanation.
Reflecting on the incident, focusing on shared interests, and considering the setting from others’ perspectives, such as efficient healthcare, would have improved the reception and processing of information. Additionally, judging by the other person’s feelings may have offered the indicators to use another tactic to handle the incident.
Implications
In nursing practice, assessing the scenario and determining whether an issue requires attention is crucial. Before any burst up, there are usually signs of dissent that, if left unaddressed, can lead to irritation by the other parties. Therefore, discussing the conflict while it is still relevant and before any tension can build is the best way to send the message so that it is received and understood by the receiver as a team leader (Lewitter et al., 2019).
One can tell if the info was decoded when the counterpart stops complaining and instead seeks help. Similarly, an individual can utilize emotional intelligence attributes, such as observing facial expressions, tone of voice, attitude, body language, and behavior, in the context received from the other person.
Leading a Team
Experience
Working as a novice nurse manager presented several challenges, especially managing shift scheduling. Nurse scheduling failed to work smoothly during the first month because the final schedule became obsolete almost immediately due to fluctuations in census, sit calls, swap requests, open shifts, and other factors. Keeping track of schedules, handling sick calls, and minimizing the expense of overtime nursing hours while filling shifts with the most qualified personnel possible, based on competencies, became a significant source of conflict.
Sometimes, one had to deal with burnout, low job satisfaction, and a high patient-to-staff ratio, resulting in frequent shift swaps and appeals for sick leave. At the end of the first month, one nursing staff member left, and there was general discord among the remaining staff, as most felt their shift issues were not being addressed appropriately.
Reflection
High empathy and humility were fundamental in the exchange with team members. Compassion involves listening, putting oneself in the other person’s shoes, and responding with high emotional intelligence (Em, 2023). Additionally, the humility to adapt or modify missions in response to changing circumstances was a critical success factor. The personal attributes of the team were varied, but most met the ENTP profile.
For instance, denying one shift change appeal was often not received well, resulting in many disappointed staff members. However, the thinking attribute enabled logical reasoning, resulting in consensus and successful discussions. Evaluating the best course of action based on the ever-changing work environment, while adhering to a single guiding principle, is vital to improving the communication circle in such a setting.
Implications
A leader like the nursing shift manager must be decisive, precise, and fast to ensure the team receives and understands the message. One should recognize the importance of making swift, objective, fact-based decisions (Fletcher et al., 2020). Knowing the conversation achieved its purpose is always possible when the recipient acknowledges the decision, seeks clarification, or complies. It is also possible to anticipate successful communication through verbal cues, such as using different voice tones, asking questions, and emphasizing certain words.
Summary
The paper used online personal profile assessment tools to develop individual leadership styles and qualities. Furthermore, the article applied the leadership profile to advance interaction situations and develop strategies to advance communication skills. Specifically, it addressed how to apply leadership skills in life experiences that require negotiation, conflict resolution, and team leadership.
One key point of self-discovery is the importance of consistently monitoring one’s body language, behavior, speech, and tonal variation in all aspects of conversation, particularly as a team leader. Secondly, empathy is crucial to effective leadership because it enables you to put yourself in others’ situations, allowing you to respond with emotional intelligence. Finally, my ENFJ leadership profile will serve as a useful guide in setting missions and targets, as well as in public relations and detail, to drive everything I do and maintain high energy levels for my team.
References
Cabuenas, A., Singco, J., & Español, R. (2021). Leadership approach: The role of traits, styles, skills, and culture in Cebuano University. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies, 9(3), 385–396.
Em, S. (2023). A review of different ideas concerning the characteristics of a good leader and shaping new ideas of an effective 21st-century leader. Journal of General Education and Humanities, 2(1), 13–34.
Fletcher, A., Wagner, G., & Bourne, P. (2020). Ten simple rules for more objective decision-making. PLOS Computational Biology, 16(4), 1–7.
Humanmetrics. (n.d.). Personality type explained. Humanmetrics.
Lewitter, F., Bourne, P., & Attwood, T. (2019). Ten simple rules for avoiding and resolving conflicts with your colleagues. PLOS Computational Biology, 15(1), 1–4.
Osmičević, S., & Meško, M. (2020). Professional’s common skills on negotiation. Izzivi Prihodnosti, 5(3), 198–212.
The Vision Council. (n.d.). The Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid Leadership Self-assessment Questionnaire. BUM.