{"id":261,"date":"2018-09-27T03:39:11","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T03:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/?p=261"},"modified":"2018-10-02T16:05:56","modified_gmt":"2018-10-02T16:05:56","slug":"ldrs-500-unit-1-activity-3-defining-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/2018\/09\/27\/ldrs-500-unit-1-activity-3-defining-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"LDRS 500- Unit 1 Activity 3: Defining Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cLeadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal\u201d (Northouse, 2018, p.5).<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When I first read this chapter about the evolution of leadership definitions and the defining components that each interval of time captures, I was encouraged to reflect on how my own perception of leadership has evolved over time. Northouse (2018) focuses on 5 central concepts of Leadership and how each of them play a pivotal role in the complex phenomena. I have outlined my ideas of each concept and then included some of the main highlights that Northouse envisions for support. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tProcess<\/strong>
\nIf you were to have asked me to define leadership five years ago, I would have given a very static definition. A person that possessed the traits and behaviours desired by others that influences them in a positive and productive way and occupies a position that leads, or is responsible for a group of followers whom have a common interest. Simply put, a leader at the top and his\/her followers following.<\/p>\n

In the last few years my understanding has definitely changed. My appreciation for leadership as a process, with a central relationship component has grown significantly. As Northouse (2018) highlights, leadership is a transactional event where leaders and followers equally affect one another and the exchange between them is based on a mutual purpose. The concept of leadership being a process is evident in my current position, as I work with a group of nurses that look to me for guidance and support and, I in turn, look to them to deliver compassionate and quality care. Without that interactive component that is embedded in the idea of leadership as a process, we as a group could not work as cohesive unit for the patients and families we serve. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tPower<\/strong>
\nWhen I think of the word power as it relates to leadership, my mind immediately thinks of two concepts. The power that comes with being in a hierarchal position in an organization, and the other idea that power is present in an individual because they possess compelling and desirable characteristics that draw others to them. These individuals affect people in a way that motivates and empowers them. Northouse (2018) coined the two major types of power in an organization as, \u201cpersonal power and position power\u201d (p.10), which was similar to my thoughts, that power comes from a position of rank in an organization or a person\u2019s capacity to influence others, and be a competent and considerate role model. <\/p>\n

I have seen many people in ranked positions of power in a program or organization, but don\u2019t consider them all to be leaders. The elements of awareness and trust that I associate with the term leader is earned and therefore, power is very much impacted by the quality of relationships, and the affect one has on others. \u201cLeaders are not above or better than followers. Leaders and followers must be understood in relation to each other (Hollander, 1992) and collectively (Burns, 1978). They\u00a0are in the leadership relationship together and are two sides of the same coin\u201d (Northouse, 2018, p.6). <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t Influence<\/strong>
\nLeadership involves influence and without influence, leadership does not exist (Northouse, 2018). In today\u2019s society we see both positive and negative forms of influence that impact leadership as a process. From my experience, leadership is most effective when it is based on quality relationships between leaders and followers. Influence is a product of communication that can either strengthen relationships and build teams, or cause dysfunction . A leader who acts in a way that shows value and worth towards their followers will, in most cases, notice the support being reciprocated and the level of commitment towards the goal the leader is trying to achieve stronger. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGroup context<\/strong>
\nNorthouse (2018) suggest, \u201cgroups are the context where leadership takes place\u201d (p.6).
\nI feel some of the strongest groups are the ones that are smallest in numbers. Smaller groups generally allow for more interaction, which in turn leads to stronger relationships. In my experience, in working on a surgical team, that can consist of 4-7 people, the surgeon in an emergency would lead the duress protocol, but everyone in the group would be caring out their roles and responsibilities to achieve the common goal – save the patient. It was in this group that leadership from all disciplines was needed for a positive outcome. This is a perfect example of the leader needing the followers and the followers needing the leader to meet the end goal. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tGoal Attainment<\/strong>
\nWhen I think of the concept of goal attainment as it relates to leadership I think of groups of people working together for a “mutual purpose” (Northouse, 2018, p.6). There can be multiple goals along the way to achieving an end goal, but it is how a leader motivates the follower to want to achieve this, that is most valuable. <\/p>\n

In my area of work we are alway looking for ways to improve communication, patient care practices and patient and family transitions in the healthcare setting. There may be many goals that our program wants to achieve, but some require nurses to change the way they practice and deliver care that may not be practical. My role on a daily basis is helping educate, give meaning and understanding of why these are the goals of the program and why making these changes in practice are going to benefit the population we serve. In doing this, this helps the group see the vision of the organization and the goal to exceptional care that we are trying to achieve. <\/p>\n

Question: What do you find most challenging about being a leader of a small group?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Daneen<\/p>\n

Northouse, P.G. (2018).\u00a0 Leadership: Theory and Practice.\u00a0 (8th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:\u00a0 Sage Publications, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cLeadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal\u201d (Northouse, 2018, p.5). When I first read this chapter about the evolution of leadership definitions and the defining components that each interval of… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":293,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ldrs500","category-unit-1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/293"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261\/revisions\/279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/create.twu.ca\/daneen85\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}