Dicussion 1

I have the five main strengths of Relator, Learner, Discipline, Intellect, and Futuristic. I was surprised by a couple of these strengths but overall these did fit my personality, work ethic, and behaviors. Discipline really stood out to me, I felt drawn to this strength. I love a world where it is predictable and I can make small goals towards a larger goal. I don't like unexpected changes and prefer plenty of advanced notice of timelines. I enjoy checking off the boxes, always keeping my end goal in sight, and feeling pride in my accomplishments. Relator also stroke a cord in myself. I very much enjoy having a small group of very close friends. I feel out of sorts in large crowds and have to really go against the grain to small talk. However, meeting people and having a network of people to rely on is important to me personally and professionally. Learner is a clear strength as I do find myself always looking for something to help me grow and I enjoy the process of learning. Intellect is interesting to me as I was a little surprised. I actually do not like to have banter with people over various subjects. I prefer to introspectively have a dialog with myself than with others. However, maybe this is a part of the Intellect strength but in a different perspective. Lastly, futuristic is my final strength. I love to plan the future and make goals towards that future I envision. However, I have learned that all plans work out exactly as planned and I have grown to embrace the variances rather than feel disappointment.

Then, briefly describe two core values, two strengths, and two characteristics that you would like to strengthen based on the results of your StrengthsFinder assessment.

I want to focus on the strength of Communication. The idea of bringing ideas to life and making them stick in people's minds translates to making a lasting impression on people. I could develop this as a leader and leave people with a better understanding of my visions and hopefully inspire others. I don't necessarily want to be the one that talks all the time, but the one who listens to others, digests that information, and people listen to when speaking. Communication goes beyond a conversation or well written email, "Leaders communicate in speech, writing, actions, body language, and even in silence. Effective communication begins with an awareness of your own style, of how others respond to you" (Broome, and Marshall, 2021). In a leadership study conducted it was found, "the research demonstrated that, for leadership styles, leaders’ communication, emotional intelligence, decision-making, and personal characteristics are important" (Lorber et.al. 2015). Developing this strength would help me become a transformational leader who develops and inspires others through self awareness of my own communication style and how this affects others perception of me as a leader.

The second strength I would like to develop is Arranger. Arranger can see a complex problem and figure out how to rearrange that problem into an intricate and well oiled solution. An Arranger can see the micro and macro elements of a problem. I would like to develop this strength as it would help both at an intimate level of management and as a leader who can not just have a vision of the future, but can see how to rearrange things to make that vision come to life. It would go hand in hand with my Futuristic strength, as well as my Discipline strength. The idea of finding a better way and not being intimidated by the unexpected is a welcome challenge to me.

References:

Lorber, M., Treven, S., & Mumel, D. (2016). The examination of factors relating to the leadership style of nursing leaders in Hospitals. Naše Gospodarstvo/Our Economy, 62(1), 27–36.

Marshall, E. S., & Broome, M. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader. Springer Publishing Company, LLC.

Rath, T. (2017). Strengthsfinder 2.0. Gallup Press.

File Ramos. J Clifton Strengths.pdf (236.394 KB)

Discussion 2

According to the Clifton Strength Finder assessment, it is apparent that I am more of a democratic leader or transformational leader (Rath, 2007). I like to include others' input and make my decisions based on the group's ideas as a team approach. Other leadership styles, such as strategic and lateral approaches, can help me understand how to network with various groups inside and outside my company (Broome & Marshall, 2021). I tend to focus on the work at hand and forget that others are doing the same job in better ways. I could challenge my co-workers to introduce new ways of producing positive outcomes by intellectual stimulation that can lead to the efficiency of the overall work.

Two core values for me are good communication skills and gaining respect from others. I was described best with the achiever theme. I have a great deal of stamina and work hard. I take great satisfaction from being busy and productive only to produce top-notch results. Being the very best at something is quite important to me. I do not tolerate mediocrity, especially about what matters most to me. And because of those strengths, I set very high expectations for myself. With this strength, I can influence people also to work hard. I like to lead by example to increase productivity and competition (Bracamonte & Gonzalez-Argote, 2022).

My two main strengths, I would say hard work and high expectations of myself. Typically, I push myself until I reach my goals. I believe that I do this because my second theme was futurist. My vision opens people's minds to new and wondrous possibilities. Because of my strengths in planning for the future, I think a lot about the coming months or years. I want to leave the job better for the next person behind me. The downside is that I worry about being left behind if what I know and do is no longer valued or needed. My biggest fear is not having a job to provide for my family or leaving a good legacy.

Communication was my next strength, and I am an excellent talker. I freely share my ideas or feelings with others, both a blessing and a curse. I am quick to talk as words quickly come to me when I am with people. It is easy to get people to talk about themselves, and I like making them feel like they are the most important person at that time. The verbal give-and-take between human beings is something I value. I will not meet a stranger. The impact of a good nursing leader focuses mainly on patient safety and the satisfaction of other nurses. Hughes (2019) states that the highest job satisfaction was associated with relationship-oriented leadership styles.

The relator theme was my next strength. I believe this goes along with the communication theme. I love to mentor or teach without being overwhelmed with too many details. I bond and work well with co-workers who tell me what they want to accomplish in life. I have close companions who frequently seek my guidance. I want everyone to like me or find me valuable.

The activator theme described me very well. Especially the part that said these types of people are often impatient. This would be one characteristic that I would like to strengthen. I am assertive and want certain people to like me and do what I tell them to do. I like to get everyone to concentrate on performing one task at a time to keep it simple. Another characteristic I would like to build on would be to stay calm in a storm. I get easily overwhelmed if I have many jobs to complete simultaneously. I have had to learn to focus on one thing at a time. But as soon as I make up my mind on what I want to do, I am eager to get started. People who interfere with my progress can irritate me.

I could improve on these five strengths as a leader by understanding that not everyone is the same type of person. By nature, I want them all to be, but dealing with different personalities and ethics makes it a challenge to get the same results from everyone. Finding each person's strengths and building on them can help me know who to assign specific tasks to and who might need extra motivation to succeed. I tend to be disappointed when those results are not what they should be. Setting different goals or better expectations depending on the situation can be something I work on by having more patience and understanding that we can do all things with time and more effort.

References

Broome, M., & Marshall, E. S. (2021). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert clinician to influential leader (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.

Hughes, V. (2019). Nurse leader impact. Nursing Management (Springhouse), 50 (4), 42-49. DOI: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000554338.47637.23.

Bracamonte, L. M. & Gonzalez-Argote, J. (2022). Leadership style in heads of nursing services and it´s relationship in job satisfaction. Revista Científica Arbitrada de La Fundación MenteClara, 7(0).

Rath, T. (2007). Strengths Finder 2.0

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