Kouzes And Posner Model Of Leadership: An Example Essay.

Example of Leadership

Discuss about the Kouzes and Posneer.

Leadership can be explained as a variable practice of determining a target or an aim, motivating a team to achieve the set goal, sharing a vision, supporting the team, and motivating them to achieve the targeted aim. In a day to day routine of a nurse, this could mean coordination of day and night work shifts, and the team of nurses, and supporting the staff on duty under the direction of a leader (Abraham, 2011). The leadership skills of a nurse are to successfully operate the shifts, enhancing the staff morale, and managing and giving hundred percent of dedication in a case of challenging or difficult situations. Kouzes and Posner have designed a model of leadership called Kouzes and Posner (2012) that can define in the best way the required skills of an effective leader. Some have inborn leadership skills, and some have to develop these skills to be an effective leader. The Kouzes and Posner (2012) have divided its model into five practices that a leader should excel in his field. Here in this report, the same has been explained with the help of an example of leadership and the progress made in leading (Abu-Tineh, Khasawneh and Omary, 2009).

I am working as a registered nurse with a reputed Hospital in Hong Kong. Under my stature, there are about five male and seven female nurses whom I have to lead as per to the day to day requirements. 7^th September was a usual working day, when I was called by the head nurse and was told that a train accident had happened, and many of the victims would be coming to our hospital. She asked me to be ready with my team and other arrangements. I gathered my team and directed them with the duties, they were supposed to handle. Along with the duties I also told them that most of the victims are away from their family, so they need the sympathy, support, and love from us. Everybody is of different nature, and so many of them together will be testing our patience thus, it is necessary that all of us should understand the tough situation all patients are in and behave accordingly. There were about hundred patients that came from the accident site. It was really a challenging process to provide the necessary first-aid to them and then send them to doctors for further treatment. I stood there with my team and started treating all the victims of the accident. A tireless and emotional day was ahead of us, but I encouraged my team members regularly for their efforts they were putting along with that completing my duties also. Once all the patients were treated and set. I gathered my team and thanked them for their support and hard work which they showed in such a difficult situation and asked them to be like this in future also, as it would help them to improve their work. As a reward of their hard work I told that next coffee party will be on me. This experience made me learn a lot as it helped me to know where I stood with my team, and how well I was leading them to face the upcoming circumstances and be a better person in work and in life.

Kouzes and Posner Model (2012)

In this experience, the exemplary level of the leadership is displayed. This could be explained with the help of the leadership model Kouzes and Posner (2012). How a leader has followed the five practices of the leadership model and the commitments that a leader should make with him-self or her-self to lead his or her team in an effective way is being well explained in the example.

Model the Way- The personal credibility of a leader is one of his essential qualities and also the base on the leadership. The team members or the subordinates should have a belief on their leader, then only they will be able to clearly understand the message that a leader want to communicate. A leader should be able to clearly state the right path that his or her subordinates should take. As given in the example I had the responsibility of leading a team of twelve members and when I realised that a particular situation needs my leadership quality where I had to guide my subordinates the best way to treat the patients I tried to put my best foot forward and explained them the situation (AL-Dossary, Kitsantas and Maddox, 2014). My leadership had proved successful as my team was able to successfully understand the sensitivity of the situation and performed in the best way. I had successfully fulfilled the commitments of the model. I shared my idea of practice with my subordinates whom they were able to replicate and I my-self worked with them with the same rigour to achieve the target set by us. An example was set by me for my team members to follow which was a necessity at that moment (Bensfield, Solari-Twadell and Sommer, 2008).

Inspired a shared vision- A leader should be able to pass on the vision he has to his subordinates. If his or her vision is clearly passed and understood by his or her team members then they will be able to change the vision into a reality (Waite and Brooks, 2014). It is necessary that the communication level between the members and the leaders has to be very comfortable and clear. In the above-given example, (Kouzes and Posner, 2011) I passed on my vision of treatment that was needed to be given to the patients and how to deal them with sympathy and sensitivity. My vision was delivered to my team, and they were able to cope with the sensitive and challenging situation standing in front of them. I tried to fulfil both the commitments of this practice as I assumed the situation and what lie in the future and delivered my vision to my subordinates also and replicate it into a reality (Brightman, 2007).

Challenge the process- The life is full of challenges and a leader should always be prepared to face the upcoming challenges that life throws in front of him or her. The commitments of this practice also state that a leader should grab the opportunities by doing experiments, taking risks, and learn from their mistakes. Same as in the example, when a challenging situation came in front of me and my team, I took the challenge and boosted my team, to follow my instructions to easily pass through the situation and help all the patients (Player and Burns, 2015). I tried to prove my leadership skill by setting an example for my team to follow and grow in their work experience. There were a lot of chances of the failure in handling the difficult situation, but my faith in myself and on my team lead me to success. This challenge had also helped in proving that I as a leader and my team can tackle any challenge thrown at us (Bruno and Lay, 2008).

Model the Way

Enable other to act- A leader needs a team to show his or her leadership skills. A leader knows very well that a good team is a necessity to achieve any target set by the management. A team is a group of people who have their own ideas and nature. It is very necessary for a leader to make individuals form a team and work with each other by respecting each other’s thoughts and nature (Butko, 2012). The commitments of this practice also state that a leader should be able to make his people work as per the given directions given by collaborating with the group members and strengthening the team by supporting each other in all types of circumstances. Treating hundred of patients was not an easy task, but me, and my team was able to conquer the task because we all worked like a team and I as a leader was able to get my team work as per my directions. I welcomed any suggestion coming from my team and told them how to work with a lot of patience and sympathy with the patients. My directions not only helped my team to work through a difficult situation but also helped the victims by supporting them and giving them sympathy and cure (Castille, 2012).

Encourage the heart- Sometimes people get irritated, frustrated, and disappointed with the work they are doing, then it becomes the leader’s responsibility to encourage his or her subordinates and boost their morale. A leader should recognize the contribution of his or team and should appreciate their efforts. In the above-given example, the situation where I as a leader and my team were supposed to show our efficiency was very difficult as well as challenging (Chang and Lin, 2008). The disappointment of the victims would had easily affected the team members, but not only I encouraged my team members by appreciating what they were doing and a small token of appreciation was given by in the form of a coffee treat for their hard work and work efficiency. This way the example displayed both the commitments of the practice which is to recognize the efforts of the workers and celebrate their victory with the coffee treat as a reward which I promised them. (Click, 2014).

Here, the practices and their commitments of the leadership model of Kouzes and Posner (2012) are scored as per the progress I made in my leadership skill while working as a registered nurse.

Score- 1= Bad, 2 = OK, 3 = Good, 4 = Very Well Done, 5 = Best

As per the inventory I have scored myself 4 in both the commitments of the practice ‘Model the Way’ as I am able to guide my team with the right directions and also I myself work hard with them to set an example. In inspiring other with shared vision I scored myself 3 where I have to assume what is coming in future because I feel, I still have to work on my skill and 4 in the commitment where I have to share my vision with my team which I am able to do well. Third practice I excelled because I feel that I am ready to deal all types of challenges with the support of my team. I have full support and trust of my team which allowed me to score myself 4 in the commitment of ‘Enable Others to Act’ but in the second commitment I still have to work in developing the self-determination. In ‘Encouraging the Heart’ practices I scored myself 4 in recognizing the hard work that my team members always show but in the reward section I feel I could do better to encourage my team. In all, there are few factors where I have shown remarkable efforts in leading my team, but in some factors I still have to work very hard and achieve the success.

Inspired a shared vision

For a leader, it is necessary to know all the pros and cons of the ways and skills he or she is using to lead the team. A decision or a method used by a leader is not necessary to prove to be a success in all the situations. A leader should evaluate the circumstances and then decide the method or the practice that could be used and determine the expected result out of it. Here a critical analysis for some of the leadership skills is being done to explain the course of action one could take to achieve the target (Criscitelli, 2013).

Personal Values- a leader always set an example for his subordinates to follow. One’s personal values and thoughts affect the decision, he or she takes. If a leader evaluates all the aspects of the circumstances of the present time and also the affects of the decision taken in the future, then the success of the decision is expected more than a failure. But one never know what lay ahead in the future, a decision taken in the present times can go totally wrong in the future. It becomes very important that how a leader is using and displaying his or her personal values because the subordinates will be following the same example and that can lead them to the failure (Ellis and Abbott, 2013).

Skills and Qualities- If a leader lacks the skills and qualities of an effective leader than he can never attain the target expected from them. This is because an effective leader needs to have skills like effective personal values, good communication level, clear vision of target, and also one should be an example that can be followed on (Ricketts, 2005). If a leader lacks all these qualities and skills, then he will not be able to share the vision of targeted aim with his subordinates. It is very important for a leader to make his vision clear with the subordinates because if the team members will not have a clear idea of the vision of the leader to attain the target or they didn’t have the belief in the skills of their leader, then the targeted aim will never be achieved. Thus, it becomes very necessary that the leader should have skills and qualities to share a vision with the team members (Grossman, 2007).

Challenging the Process- The self-belief, experience, learning from one’s mistakes, and grabbing the opportunity are the factors that help a leader to challenge the regular process. If a leader lacks the self-confidence or risk taking quality than one will never be able to challenge the process and make people believe in the changes that the leader wants. If a leader displays the factors like experience and learning from the mistake than the management also listens to the point a leader want to communicate to challenge the regular process (Humpris, 2011).

Empowerment- a leader has to give directions to the subordinates that lead them to the success. To give directions it is necessary that the leader should have the clear vision and idea of the goal set by the organization. A leader should be able to gain the trust of the team members and also strengthen the belief one has on their leader. If the team members do not believe in the vision of their leader, or do not trust the judgment or decision taken by him or her, then they will never be able to work like a team (Illies and Reiter-Palmon, 2007).

Challenge the process

Positive working environment- A positive working environment enhances the work efficiency of the worker. It is very necessary for the leader to make sure that the working environment is stress-free, amiable, and positive for his or her team- members. If the environment is not work friendly and the efforts made by the team is not appreciated by the leader, then a team will not be able to give the hundred percent of work efficiency that is expected from them (Jones, 2014).

Conclusion

Kouzes and Posner have come up with a leadership model Kouzes and Posner (2012) that explains the practices and the commitments that a leader should follow to show an effective leadership quality. The example of my life shared in the report explains and displays how a leader should tackle a situation and lead his or her team members also in showing their hundred percent work efficiency. The example shared in the report follows all the practices and its commitments that a leader should follow as per the leadership model designed by Kouzes and Posner. The example also shows the exemplary development of the leadership skills working as a nurse. The critical analysis of various factors that helps a me to attain an effective leadership describes the pros and cons of all the factors that help in diagnosing the situation and then deciding the course of action that I should take in a certain circumstance or a situation. In the end, the report concludes that various skills and qualities are required by a leader to achieve an effective leadership.

References

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