When it comes to choosing the desired traits in a leader, my answers mostly coincide with those of other American nurses and nurse students. Like them, I believe that being a good communicator and receptive to people, as well as having excellent people skills in general are among the most important characteristics that a nurse leader must have. In addition to that, I similarly chose being knowledgeable and competent as essential for a leader. Curiously enough, all of the above-mentioned traits, with the exception of receptiveness, are listed in the acquired skills section. In my opinion, acquired skills are the easiest ones to improve: as the name suggests, they are not something that one is born with nor do they depend on one’s temper. Acquired skills can be nourished and perfected by constant practice and challenging oneself. The same, however, cannot be said about, for instance, attitudes: attitude is the way one thinks or feels about something and is more or less a person’s natural reaction.
It is peculiar to note that the only intrinsic skill that made it into the top ten desired traits in a nurse leader is honesty. Being honest, without any doubt, is essential for a nurse: a leader approaching their work with honesty helps them develop the trust needed to be productive and to create long-lasting change (Kunaviktikul et al., 2018). However, I suppose that many of the leaders around the world do not make honesty their priority: it is tough to do that when big money and power are at stake. I personally would find it hard to work with a dishonest individual: my attitude towards them would be reflective of how much I disapprove of their approach regardless of my desire.
In regard to the traits that I want to exemplify as a leader, I feel like I need to be working on being more decisive and assertive. I want to be more certain when making important decisions and more confident when expressing my opinion in a group. The way to improve this is, as has been stated above, to challenge myself: make sure to speak out and develop self-confidence by leaving my comfort zone and learn to exist outside of it.
Reference
Kunaviktikul, W., Turale, S., & Stone, T. E. (2018). Developing leadership and capacity building: Reflections of a nurse leader.Nursing & Health Sciences, 20(4), 411-414. Web.