Sarah, I enjoyed your articulation of the valuable leadership lessons that Confucius gives us as well as your application of them in your daily life. I particularly like how you use the main philosophical principle of “what you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others” (Watson, 1988, p. 196) as a leader in your organization. In the Healthcare field, I find that this isn’t always the case, and I applaud you for seeking clarity and understanding in challenging situations by asking, “if I was in this person’s shoes, how would I want the situation to be handled?” (Sarah, 2018). People who embrace this principle can empathize with others in a very authentic manner. Northouse (2018) suggests that leaders that demonstrates empathy show their followers that they truly understand what they are thinking and feeling, and as a result, makes them feel validated and unique. Without empathy, a leader will struggle to build trust with their followers and without trust there is no relationship.

As a nurse we are taught to show the same care and compassion to each patient we serve. We provide care as we would wish to receive it or how we want our love ones cared for. This is a foundational component to my values as a leader and a person.

The second lesson you highlight is integrity, which is a vital element of trust. I really enjoyed your articulation of how you use it, specifically when giving feedback to your team members. As a leader with integrity, “(…) you are demonstrating that you care about the individuals on your team and are willing to invest time into their personal and professional development” (Sarah, 2018). I agree, honesty about performance is always best if it is delivered constructively so it fosters growth and not deflation. The truth is not always easy for some people to hear and is definitely the harder road when giving feedback. To me, this says a lot about you as a leader and a person.

Daneen

References

Jasmins, S. (2018, November 2). – Light from Many Lamps. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from

Light from Many Lamps

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and practice, Eighth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Watson, L. E., (1988) Light from many lamps. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc