Reflecting on all of our reading assignments and online discussions, write an essay (1,250 words) that answers the following:
Reflecting on all of our reading assignments and online discussions, write an essay (1,250 words) that answers the following:
- What common themes did you notice in your classmates’ discussion posts this week? (Below resources are some written examples from the discussion board)
- How do you define leadership and management and what is the purpose or value of each?
- What percentage of your time and energy are currently spent managing versus leading?
- What percentage of your time and energy would you ideally be spending in managing and leading?
- What specific action(s) do you agree to take to bring your current and ideal into closer alignment (if they are not aligned) or to maintain alignment (if they are already aligned)?
- In a separately labeled paragraph, describe one important takeaway from this week’s reading in Learning Leadership.
To earn full credit, each main point in your essay must be supported with at least one real-life or hypothetical example (real-life examples are more compelling, but if you can’t think of one, a hypothetical example will suffice), and relevant citations to course content where applicable. In this assignment, there are 6 separate questions you are answering which should translate to 6 main points (at a minimum, you may have more) and a corresponding number of examples, and citations where applicable. Additionally, the clarity of your writing should make it easy for the reader to know what specific question you are addressing within each section of your essay. You can label or number paragraphs within your essay to facilitate this and doing so will not negatively impact your score (and may well improve your score). If you have any questions about expectations in this assignment please contact your primary instructor.
Readings and material
(Class Text Book)
Ledlow, G.(. R. (2017). Leadership for Health Professionals (3rd Edition). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781284142051
Additional Reading materials
https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/100-answers-to-the-question-what-is-leadership.html
https://hbr.org/2001/12/what-leaders-really-do
Discussion Board Instructions:
Please respond to the following prompt: Reflect back on the best leader you ever worked for. You don’t have to tell us their name but you can if you wish. Tell us why s(he) was the very best by answering the following:
- How did you feel working for this person?
- What did s(he) do that caused you to feel that way?
- What percentage of your potential did s(he) get out of you?
Example 1
Hello Professor and Class,
Reflect back on the best leader you ever worked for. You don’t have to tell us their name but you can if you wish. Tell us why s(he) was the very best by answering the following:
How did you feel working for this person?
The best leader that I have ever worked for was Dori Stevens, CAO. She led in such a way that made me feel valued and appreciated. She made me feel like I was part of the team and that my abilities had a positive affect on the success of the organization. Dori spent time getting to know me and grow a relationship of trust. “Titles are granted, but being a leader is something that you earn, and you earn it not by your place in the organization but by how you behave. And through your behavior, you earn recognition as a leader in the eyes of those around you, and in the relationships, you have with them,” (Kouzes, J. and Posner, B. 2021).
What did s(he) do that caused you to feel that way?
She excelled at being transparent and asking for input. Dori led by example, she was kind and honest. She would check in on me to see if there was anything that I needed her support on and would jump in and help if needed. She was also great at giving positive recognition and making sure that you knew you met or exceeded her expectations. “Motivation and inspiration energize people, not by pushing them in the right direction as control mechanisms do but by satisfying basic human needs for achievement, a sense of belonging, recognition, self-esteem, a feeling of control over one’s life, and the ability to live up to one’s ideals. Such feelings touch us deeply and elicit a powerful response,” (Kotter, J. 2001).
What percentage of your potential did s(he) get out of you?
She was the type of leader that I wanted to follow and do whatever was asked to the best of my ability because she made me feel that I made a positive difference. She made me want to go above and beyond in my role because she would show that she trusted me and would say encouraging and positive things that would me feel that I was doing a great job. I feel that she was able to get 110% of my potential, I say this because I would often work more hours just to make sure that things were being done to the best of my ability. “Leadership may ultimately be about having foresight, hindsight, and vision; the personal presence to garner trust; and the art of knowing not just how to delegate but also how to elicit others’ desire to always do their best—including knowing when to seek help and not feeling badly about doing so. At the end of the day, leadership is about having that special “something” that makes others feel they are contributing in a meaningful way to the greater good,” (Ledlow, G. & Stephens, J., 2018).
An example: Dori asked me to lead the implementation of “safety stops” for our entire hospital. When she asked me to do this she said, “Sarah, I would like you to lead this implementation because I know that you will do an excellent job at communicating and getting others to understand the need for this implementation. I am also here for you if you run into any issues or complications. Thank you for doing this, it makes my job easier knowing its in capable hands.” This made me feel like I was trustworthy to do the job and it made me want to prove to her that I could do all the things that she believed that I could do. It also made me put in extra time to make sure that it was done right and would live up to her expectations.
References:
Kouzes, J. and Posner, B. 2021. Everyday People, Extraordinary Leadership. John Wiley& Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Kotter, J. 2001. What Leaders Really Do. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2001/12/what-leaders-really-do
Ledlow, G. and Stephens, J. 2018. Leadership for Health Professionals. Jones and Bartlett Learning, Burlington, MA.
Example 2
Hi Class,
Please see my below response about the best leader I have worked for.
- How did you feel working for this person?At ease. Motivated. Challenged, but understood. I have had bosses where I always had a feeling of unease. Working for a person who made me feel at ease reduced the pressure I felt and overall made my work better.
- What did s(he) do that caused you to feel that way?This leader had an immediate trust in her employees. She let us know that she would trust us unless we gave her a reason not to trust us. She provided more than enough training, so we knew how to do our job and how to do it well. If this was not happening, she would intervene. Setting this standard early on made the work better and the relationship prosper. She also had a mindset that this was not the “end all be all.” Our work-life balance was to be a priority, and if we needed flexibility, she would grant that.
- What percentage of your potential did s(he) get out of you?This was my first job out of college, and I remember saying that I would stay at that company for my whole career (life happened, I got married and we had to move for my husband’s medical school, but I still stand by that statement). I was working hard and performing very well in that role and consistently had a motivated feeling. If I had to assign a percentage, I would say she helped me to reach half of my potential. I was very early on in my career, so I cannot say that I was at my full potential because I was in such a fresh state outside of college. I had seen how I would like to be as a leader, but I wasn’t there yet. She absolutely set me in a direction to be on the path to my full potential. I have continued to learn from each role I have been in and hope that I will reach my full potential in time.
Thank you!
-Courtney
Example 3
- How did you feel working for this person?
On reading this prompt, my previous supervisor at St. Luke’s immediately came to mind. I was fresh out of college and started as the Practice Coordinator for a large Internal Medicine clinic that was 6 months out from moving to a new clinic location and merging with another clinic. There was no leadership within the clinic when I started, so I was immensely grateful when Judy joined the team 3 months after I did. Our relationship was collaborative from the beginning, and I felt empowered to be working alongside someone with experience and a positive attitude. I felt that with the two of us working together, we could tackle any obstacle faced and ultimately lead our team to success.
- What did s(he) do that caused you to feel that way?
Judy’s calmness and professionalism are what stood out the most to me about her leadership style. I strived (and still do) to be a young, female leader that commands as much respect as she did. Relocating a team of doctors is no easy feat, yet Judy and I were able to work together to divide and conquer the workload and seamlessly transition the team through this period of change. One thing she routinely did was seek my input. At the time, I didn’t have a ton of management experience under my belt and I certainly hadn’t managed as large of a project as we were in the middle of. Yet she took the time each day to ask my opinion and made me feel involved and engaged in the choices we collectively made for our clinic. She had a philosophy of assuming positive intent that is something I still carry with me today. It can be easy in a management position to see the worst in people and to assume their intent was negative or selfish. By taking a step back and forcing yourself to assume positively of your team, you’re able to build mutual respect which creates a stronger long-term relationship.
- What percentage of your potential did s(he) get out of you?
During my time working at St. Luke’s under Judy, I felt as if I was operating at 100% of my potential. After 18 months in my position as Practice Coordinator I interviewed and was hired for a promotion to Practice Manager and a clinic of my own. Judy set me up for success and challenged me with leadership scenarios I may not have had the opportunity to experience first-hand under another leader. She looped me in on the tough conversations and decisions and through those I was able to gain valuable first-hand experience.
