INTRODUCTION
Trait theories states that leaders have certain innate traits that enable them to lead, such
traits as assertiveness, dependability, persistence and adaptability it is convenient to list the
elements that Ralph Stodgill (1974), the originator of the trait theory determined.
(http://www.leadership-central.com)whereas behavioral theories believe that people can
become leaders through the process of teaching, learning and observation. Leadership learning
is lifetime activity. Good leaders seek out development opportunities that will help them learn
new skills.(www.linkedin.com).Great leaders give their teams challenges and get them excited
about them, says leadership expert Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly
Effective People (Free Press, 1989). Strengths aren't the same as talent. Andy Murray has a
natural talent for tennis, but it is not the technical or physical abilities that separate him from
other top tennis players. What separates him are his strengths. (Chu.T, 2014). Thus, there is not
only born with talent, a leader should know his or her strength and how to use it to become a
great leader. Sharpening your personal development skills can help you to become a more
effective leader. A successful leader always should be open to change and willing to grow as
both an authority figure and an individual. It is important to continuously work to improve your
leadership skills to keep your skill set properly aligned with the constantly changing goals and
priorities of today’s professional work force. A good leader also should work on the improvement
of interpersonal and inter-departmental communication. Taking the time to ask for the opinions
of your colleagues and listening carefully to the viewpoint of each person also shows that you
respect them. Your colleagues also will appreciate the little things, such as paying them a
compliment for work well done or remembering the name of a person you’ve recently met.
(smallbusiness.chron.com).A good leader should react to situations, rather than to stress. That
way, the situation is handled and doesn't become stressful. For example, when dealing with an
unsatisfied customer, rather than feeling stressed, she should focus on the task at hand. Ability
to communicate effectively with customers during these moments helps reduce her own stress
in these situations and also reduces any stress the customer may feel. (Doyle. A, 2017). True
leadership is less about following policy and procedure and more about leading in times when
there is no policy and procedure. It’s about making decisions, often difficult decisions that may
or may not end up being right. The great leaders are the ones who surrounded themselves with
good people and listen to their ideas. They then stand up, make the difficult decisions and
continue to keep doing so. There is a clear demonstration of confidence and courage, but
without arrogance or disregard for the implication of their actions. (Baines. P, 2016).
Each leadership style has its own positive effect. It has their own strength that can be
applied on different situations. Nowadays, transformational leadership may be found at all levels
of the organization: teams, departments, divisions, and organization as a whole. Such leaders
are visionary, inspiring, daring, risk-takers, and thoughtful thinkers. They have a charismatic
appeal. But charisma alone is insufficient for changing the way an organization operates.
Transformational leadership is more likely to address issues before they become problematic.
transformational leaders emphasize new ideas and thereby “transform” organizational
culture.
transformational leaders attempt to achieve positive results from employees by keeping
them invested in projects, leading to an internal, high-order reward system.
transformational leaders, appeal the group interests and notions of organizational
success.(lumenlearning.com).
The common examples of transformational leaders are Mahatma Gandhi. A transformational
leader makes other people feel confident and powerful, which wasn’t the case of the Indians,
since they were under the rule of the British. Gandhi empowered all these people to believe in
themselves and feel influential in the change they were trying to create. India’s independence
couldn’t have happened with one person; everyone had to be a part of it. Gandhi encouraged
them to believe in themselves in order to cause this great change in their country. At the same
time, he was open to new ideas and opinions from his followers, and some of these were
implemented in his campaigns. Without being humble and empowering, Gandhi's change
wouldn't have been that influential. Transformational leaders are those who work together with a
group of people, to make a difference, as well as leaving a legacy of that change.(Weebly.com).
Four types of leadership styles that can be applied according to different situations. Each
style has their own importance and significant. Firstly, Democratic leadership is suitable for
creative groups. Idea needs to flow in creative environments to create new concepts and
designs. When paid to explore problems and find solutions, your role will be to explore the
possibilities in depth, and that means there has to be a great deal of exploration and open
discussion.(www.ukessays.com).Second type of leadership isAutocratic,thatcan be used
effectively in emergency or chaotic situations where there is little time for discussion. Knowledge
is seen as power.Instead of wasting time, the expert leader can quickly make the best decisions
for the group. (Frandsen. B, 2014 & Cherry, 2017). For example, when an EMLSCS is needed
for a pregnant women, without the presence of the husband or family member (probably MVA
patient), and life threatening event is happening (such as abruption placenta). Specialist will
decide to post her for the operation.
Third, Laissez-faire leadership share these characteristics. They:-
Delegate authority to capable experts
Maximize the leadership qualities of staff
Praise accomplishments and reward successes
Offer constructive criticism when necessary
Allow staff to solve problems and manage challenges
Know when to step in and lead during a crisis
(Gill. E, 2014).
Fourth, Bureaucratic leadership is bound to the structure, rules and policies. It depends on the
strict structure for management to create quality, and consistent output from worker. (Spahr. P,
2014). This type of leadership is closely related to our government organizations. It allows a
leader easily manage his/her subordinates with repetitive tasks. (Spahr. P, 2014).
This situation can be seen in our daily nurses’ routine, as we repeat the same routine each day,
such as hand over duty, serving medication in particular time.One reason why many productivity
systems fail is because you often have too much on your plate. Being able to say “yes” to the
right (read: goal-driven) things and “no” to the clutter that gets in the way is important when
prioritizing tasks. Prioritization means working along a purpose-driven path: you are aware of
what you need to do, are capable of doing it, and know how to delegate anything else that
requires help. Remember, having a clear understanding of the “why” means that you can easily
discard any tasks that do not live up to your mission statement. It’s also important to recognize
that achieving your goals often requires collaboration with others. Get to know your strengths
and weaknesses, then delegate tasks to others available to help fulfill your greater vision.
Establishing your priority and thinking through the time and effort each task will take is essential
to being your most productive self. Different people prefer performing tasks in different orders.
Whether you prefer to start easy or tackle difficult tasks first, prioritizing down to the details then
organizing those tasks based on your own process is essential. (info.trello.com).In order to
manage health organizations in a competent manner, health managers must possess various
managerial skills and be familiar with problems in health care. (Slipicevic. O &Masic. I, 2012).
Many people believe that to be an effective manager you have to give orders to the people on
your team or in your department. They are wrong. Orders should be reserved for emergency
situations. Instead, offer direction and encourage employees to define the best way forward
through the use of open-ended questions. Instead of giving orders and telling someone what to
do, good managers offer direction and provide high-level instructions. Instead of telling people
how to do something, you tell them what you want to be done and leave the rest up to their
efforts. (John. R, 2012).
INTERVIEW
Greeting : Hello Sister Julie. I am Madam Fatimah. How are you today?
Answer : Hello. I am fine. Thank you.
Question : How long have you been worked as a nurse?
Answer : It’s about 15 years.
Q1: What attract you to be a leader?
Answer :For me, I am a person who loves to learn and guide people. I also like to manage
people delegation of the responsibilities and managed to resolve problems and conflicts at an
early stage to optimize individual processes. This way, I could bring the project to completion,
even three weeks earlier than scheduled. Furthermore, I believe in Behavioral Theories
that people can become leaders through the process of teaching, learning and observation.
Leadership learning is lifetime activity. Good leaders seek out development opportunities that
will help them learn new skills.(www.linkedin.com).
Q2: What is your greatest strength?
Answer : I have an extremely strong work ethic. When I'm working on a project, I don't want just
to meet deadlines. Rather, I prefer to complete the project well ahead of schedule. Thus, I was
given trust to hold some position in my department such as innovation committee member and
link nurse of infection control.
Q3:What are your goals for the future?
Answer :I have made my research and thought about this position. My first goal will be to make
the process more effective and ensure the quality control staff works well. I will work on the
improvement of interpersonal and inter-departmental communication too.
Q4: How do you handle your pressure?
Answer :I always have a list of my goals on the table. These include both personal goals and
organization goals. When I find myself in a difficult situation, or being without motivation, I
always take the list and spend some time thinking about the goals I want to achieve. It always
makes me motivated to push forward, even if the way is extremely difficult.
Q5: Describe a difficult work situations along your experience as a leader and how you
overcome it?
Answer :The most difficult situation is when I was the one who should decide about good things,
but also about bad one. Leader should never let her emotions to get the better of her. If there is
a need to take an action to a friend for her discipline problems evenafter several reminders, you
should be able to do it without a blink of an eye (of course, with decent severance pay and clear
explanation of your decision).
Q6: What leadership style did you prefer to apply in your ward?
Answer :For me, transformational leadership is often the most effective approach to use
nowadays. Transformational leaders have integrity, they inspire people with a shared vision of
the future, they set clear goals, they motivate people towards these goals, they manage
delivery, and they communicate well with their teams. For the leadership style, in my opinion
each leadership style has its own positive effect. It has their own strength that can be applied on
different situations. An autocratic style can be used effectively in emergency or chaotic
situations where there is little time for discussion. Instead of wasting time, the expert leader can
quickly make the best decisions for the group. For example, when an EMLSCS is needed for a
pregnant women, without the presence of the husband or family member (probably MVA
patient), and life threatening event is happening (such as abruption placenta). Specialist will
decide to post her for the operation.Democratic leader make the final decisions, but they include
team members in the decision-making process. They encourage creativity, and team members
are often highly engaged in projects and decisions. A laissez-faire leadership style delegates
decision-making to managers and senior staff with expertise in their fields such as in innovation,
infection control, and EKSA. Bureaucratic leadership is bound to the structure, rules and
policies.It depends on the strict structure for management to create quality, and consistent
output from worker and allow a leader easily manage his/her subordinates with repetitive tasks.
This situation can be seen in our daily nurses’ routine, as we repeat the same routine each day,
such as hand over duty, serving medication in particular time.
Q7: How do you prioritize your tasks?
Answer :I manage a to-do list which has target dates for everything. I put stuff on the list as it
comes in so I don't forget things. The priority of tasks on a given day (pulled from the weekly
list) depends on several factors - when it needs to be completed, how important it is, who
requested it and the type of work it is. There are times when the workplace is too hectic to
concentrate or times when I don't have the mental energy to take on a task, or I don't have a
large enough time doing something less time-critical and perhaps less important, but fits within
the time I have. In some cases, tasks may wait until I can schedule a day to work from home
where there are fewer distractions. One thing I've learned to do is document where I was on a
task when I get interrupted, so when I get back to it, I can quickly restart where I left off.
Q8: Have you ever been through an emergency situation?What position did you handle during
the emergency situation?
Answer : When I wason my night duty shift during I was a fresh post basic graduate, a patient
with facemask 8L/min suddenly collapsed. Heart rhythm in cardiac monitor showed ventricular
fibrillation. Blood pressure gradually dropping and oxygen saturation dropped from 100% to
90%. When I checked the carotid pulse, there is no pulse. Since there was no doctor around, I
with assistance of my colleagues started CPR, and give respiratory support via manual bagging.
Meanwhile awaiting for doctor to come, we prepare for all requirement for intubation and
emergency trolley including defibrillator machine. Fortunately, the rhythm reverted to sinus
tachycardia when doctor arrived.
Q9: What challenges are you looking for in this position?
Answer :I'm someone who loves to challenge myself to achieve target and motivated when
there is a challenging deadline. I dive right in so the job is done with time to spare to polish the
project. Since I used to be in Cardiothoracic Surgery department for 10 years with various
experiences, I would like to be a leader in Cardiothoracic Surgery department so that I can train
and keep emphasizing to my staffs how important to be knowledgeable and skilful staff so that
we know what we need to do meanwhile awaiting for doctors to come in emergency situations.
Q10: How do you give instruction to your other team members?
Answer : As a team leader, I only give specific order in chaotic or emergency situations but in
normal situation, I usually offer direction and provide high-level instructions. In emergency
situations, I will delegate tasks so that everything will go smooth and can be done in time.
However, in normal situation, instead of telling them how to do something, I prefer to tell them
what I want to be done according tasks delegation and leave the rest up to their efforts.
CONCLUSION
In the past, leader was a widely respected authority. People had more respect for
authorities, doesn’t matter if we talk about managers, kings, or priests. Nowadays, in the era
when media made fools from the population, time when the cult of personality is becoming new
religion, it is as difficult as ever to lead the others.
People will simply not follow anyone’s orders, just because he’s job is labeled as a
managerial. Leaders need to get close to people, they need to win their hearts, be someone
they not only have to, but also desire to follow. This should be your characteristic of a new
leader.
Here are few good ways of attracting the others. Amongst them:
Having charisma. Some people have an easy task in attracting the others. People follow
them, just because of their charisma and non-verbal communication (or energy if you want).
Being a role model. Some people like to go by an example, working hard themselves,
doing maximum every day. The others typically follow such an example. Oppositely, when
employees see a boss just sits in the office and gives orders, they will often have a tendency
to ignore him or at least not like him.
Connecting with the others. Some leaders are able to connect with all types of
personalities. They can identify right topics for conversation and simply connect with the
others. Once a connection is made, it is easier for the leader to make the employees to
follow his example and orders, because they naturally like him.
(leadershipinterviewquestions.com).
Nowadays, transformational leadership may be found as the best leadership theory. For
bringing major changes, transformational leaders must exhibit the following four factors:
Inspiration motivation, intellectual stimulation, idealized Influence, and individualized
consideration. (iedunote.com).
All four leadership styles: Democratic, Autocratic, Laissez-faire and Bureaucratic can be applied
according to different situations. Each style has their own importance and significant. All
leadership styles and theories are important and have their own significant.
RECOMMENDATION
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