Assignment Background Information:
A leadership philosophy is derived from your vision of how you see and picture yourself as a leader. This philosophy impacts actions, guides behavior, and shapes career progression and personal development. Leadership philosophies can grow and change over time, reflecting the impact of personal experience and a greater understanding of the context of leadership.
In order to create or find your leadership philosophy, it is important to explore and reflect upon personal beliefs, values, and assumptions specific to leadership.
Beliefs are trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something. Beliefs are personal and are shaped by experience and can affect your view of yourself as well as a situation. Many times, beliefs come from traditions or organizational culture that impacts overall behavior. This can be problematic when personal beliefs are at odds with the culture within an organization.
Personal values guide intentions and influence overall leadership. When there is an awareness of personal values, it allows you to build a foundation for leadership development. Remember, organizations also have values, and the most successful leadership occurs when personal values align with organizational values.
Assignment Instructions:
Develop a philosophy of leadership using the guidelines below. The philosophy of leadership will be submitted as an APA formatted narrative paper including a title page, introduction, conclusion, and reference page. This paper should be 3-4 pages of content (excluding the title page and reference pages). Please note that the statements provided below to develop the assignment narrative should not be inserted into the paper. Examples provided within the instructions cannot be used.
Leadership Values:
“Great leaders not only know what their values are but allow those values to guide their every decision” (Cockerell, 1998, p.250). Consider your personal values and incorporate the following aspects into your personal philosophy of leadership:
Identify and define five core values that describe and guide who you are (or desire to be) as a leader. It may be necessary to seek outside resources to assist in developing your own definition for your identified values.
Provide a concise example of how you envision each of the five core values impacting your leadership.
For example, relevancy is a concept that some may consider a leadership value. An example of relevancy related to nursing practice is the need to remain clinically current and rooted in evidence for the provision of safe and effective care.
Leadership Reflection:
Reflecting on past leadership experiences can be a valuable process when considering the type of leadership that one would like to convey. In your reflection, include the following:
Provide an overview of one leadership experience that has been most significant to your professional growth.
Discuss the leadership style demonstrated in the example you provided in #1 above. Include how the leadership style impacted the experience. You may find that there are both positive and negative impacts.
Leadership Strategies:
“Each person who receives appreciation, respect, and encouragement (ARE) from you will have more of it to give to … co-workers, colleagues, and customers. It’s not only free fuel but the main ingredient for creating a culture of magic” (Cockerell, 1998, p. 206). As we move toward creating a personal leadership philosophy, it is important to consider the impact of both values and leadership strategies. In this process include the following:
Provide an overview of how your core values impact your personal definition of leadership.
Consider your current role and discuss your ultimate professional goals as it relates to the need for effective and innovation leaders.
Discuss the impact of leadership strategies (ARE and RAVE) and how you envision the impact of these strategies within your professional role.
Using this reflective process, develop a leadership philosophy statement. This statement should be 1-2 sentences that provide a concise overview of your leadership approach. The statement should show your values, while also demonstrating a personal grasp of effective leadership.
For example: My personal leadership philosophy is rooted in the value of relevancy. When leading others, I will be clinically relevant, grounded in evidence and provide respect to my colleagues, both holding them accountable and fostering their professional growth.