1

Maranda Wike
Professor Lane
HCM 4630-101
December 2, 2015
Major Reflection Essay
Through this effective course on the principles leadership I have
learned how important it is to become aware of your natural leadership
skills, improve upon developmental areas, and to ultimately create a
leadership model. There are several core competencies in becoming an
effective leader. Through this course I have learned to become more
self- and socially-aware, display emotional intelligence, lead others and
participate as a team member, communicate effectively, build and
maintain relationships, value diversity, influence others, and identify
strategies for effective change.
One must understand their personal traits and characteristics
that aid or hinder them in becoming an effective leader. Selfassessment tests, such as the Myers-Briggs and Focus 2, are proficient
in gathering this data. Effective leadership does not come from
containing a certain skill set. It is about maximizing the natural
strengths you have and improving upon the ones that do not come
naturally to reach ones maximum potential. That is why it is important
to be able to recognize your natural strengths and weaknesses so you
can work towards enhancing your leadership skills. I learned a lot

2
through interviewing the people around me. I have always thought I
knew myself fairly well, but after reviewing the thoughts of my
interviewees I learned things about myself I did not previously
acknowledge. It is interesting to see how others perceive you, and also
very important for career success. My personal leadership model will
help me grown and transform into an efficient and effective leader.
Understanding my strengths and weaknesses is the first step in the
developmental process. Knowing what skills come naturally to me and
knowing which ones I need to improve is essential to growth. Through
this course, other Health Care Management courses, and by attending
outside seminars I can learn how to improve and then begin to improve
upon my weaknesses. My personal leadership model will assist me in
reaching my maximum potential as a healthcare leader.
On the contrary to becoming self-aware, one must also become
socially aware. Once you understand your own traits, characteristics,
and emotions, it is important to then understand them for the people
around you. Working in healthcare, we will always be working in teams
and coming in contact with others. The Myers-Briggs and Focus 2 selfassessments are also helpful in growing in social awareness. They
display not only personal traits, but also how those personal traits work
in interaction with others and their behavioral attributes.
Understanding the needs of the people around you is vital to success in
health care management.

3
Rubino, Esparza, and Reid Chassiakos define emotional
intelligence as the ability to identify, assess, and manage the
emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups (2013). Withholding
these characteristics is essential in becoming successful in todays
healthcare organizations. It is first important to recognize your own
individual emotional intelligence through self-assessments. From there,
one must analyze their findings and then work to improve on their
weaknesses. Emotional intelligence is critical for success in the
workplace. Gaining and improving on emotional intelligence is
something everyone can do to improve their professionalism and
leadership skills to enhance their leadership model. I have learned that
we all, as humans, have emotions. Without emotions life as we know it
would be nonexistent. Emotions are what make us react differently in
different situations. It is important to evaluate and understand your
own emotional intelligence. Hasson states that, Understanding and
managing your own emotions is essential to your personal well-being;
your mental and physical health (2014). Learning to react more calm
and rational in difficult situations can lead to a happier life (Hasson,
2014). When you become more aware of your emotional intelligence
you learn that the way you react to certain situations may not be the
best approach. Learning more appropriate ways to handle your
emotions enhances the way you express your feelings and also the
way you interpret the way others feel. Becoming aware of and

4
improving upon your emotional intelligence aids in the development of
a beneficial leadership model.
Quality leadership is a highly sought-after and highly valued
commodity. Over the past decade organizations have become
increasingly captivated by the idea of leadership. It is often questioned
as to what makes a good leader. Many people believe that leadership is
a way to improve their personal, social, and professional lives.
Healthcare facilities seek those whom have leadership ability because
they believe they bring special assets to their organizations.
Collaborative, transformational, and patient- and family-centered
leadership are all leadership models that can help shape the culture of
an organization. These particular models can be mimicked and
specialized for personal use. I have learned that I am not always the
best team player. I tend to prefer working on tasks individually, but
through this course and the constant teamwork required, I have
matured into a functional team player. This will be very beneficial to
my future as a healthcare leader.
Communication is the essential connection of the world.
Communication is what networks people together to become more
united and productive. Through the role-plays and team projects, I saw
many different perspectives of what effective communication is, and
also examples of ineffective communication. A huge learning
experience on communication was working with a team to complete

5
assignments. At the beginning of the course, my team struggled with
communicating effectively, but as the semester went on there was
definite improvement.
Networking and building professional relationships is debatably
one of the most important aspects to success in healthcare
management. Through being apart of the Future Healthcare Executives
student club for the past three years I have gained contacts and
information from some of the leading healthcare providers in North
Carolina. I have recently joined the Medical Group Management
Association, which also provides priceless information for healthcare
leaders. The group project on networking and professional relationship
building assisted me in gaining insight through a case study. This
important learning outcome will undoubtedly help me in my future.
Growing up in a small town that lacked diversity can make it
difficult to become aware and competent of your cultural surroundings.
It is essential to overcome these barriers to become a successful
healthcare leader. Understanding the demographics around you help
you to become more aware of what your objectives should be and can
then lead to an increased cultural competence. Through the selfassessments and research I have learned my areas of development to
improve my cultural competence and to ultimately improve my
personal leadership model. I have learned how essential it is to gain
this knowledge on diversity and to how to take the next step to

6
inclusion of others through the reflection and case studies I have
completed. As a healthcare executive, I will use the knowledge I have
now gained on cultural competence to create an environment of trust
and respect through my personal leadership model.
I have found through multiple self-assessment tests that my
personality leads me to be proficient at building consensus and
influencing others. Through this course I have been able to further this
skill through the Casey Davis case study. This is an important aspect of
leadership, since it is what leadership essentially is.
In order to be an effective leader you must be able to strategize.
Being able to identify and use strategies to implement change is very
important in the life of a leader. Without effective strategy behind each
decision, plans will falter. Throughout the semester while completing
group projects I was able to found out firsthand what it means to
strategize a plan and then execute it to complete the assignment. This
skill will be useful for the rest of my career.
All of the information learned throughout the semester has
helped me to develop a personal leadership model. The leadership
model I plan to access is useful for working in a team of five or leading
a staff of 5,000. It can be used in a clinical or service setting, or
neither. It is a universal leadership model, molded specifically for
healthcare leaders. The healthcare leadership model is presented

7
below (NHS Leadership Academy).

It is made up of nine leadership dimensions: leading with care, sharing

the vision, evaluating information, connecting our service, engaging
the team, influencing for results, inspiring shared purpose, holding to
account, and developing capability. This particular model aligns very
closely with the topics we have covered this semester and contains the
concepts necessary to create an effective leader. This model will work

8
for me personally, due to the alignment with my self-assessment
results from the Myers-Briggs, Focus 2, cultural competence, and
emotional intelligence tests. I sometimes struggle with team
collaboration, and through this model I will stay focused on sharing the
vision and purpose, connecting services, and engaging the team. This
model will accent my abilities to lead with care, develop capabilities,
and influence others.
In order to establish continuing education on improving my
leadership skills, there are several steps that I plan to take. Attending
seminars on leadership is a great way to learn the newest research on
leadership, to gain new perspectives, and to reiterate past learning. To
explore new leadership topics I will reach out to my professional
networks to establish new concepts and to learn with my colleagues.
Leadership topics I seek to learn more about include: ethics, human
resources, risk management, problem solving, decision-making, and
research. A great way to learn about these topics is through other
courses within the healthcare management major along with seminars
and network connections.
Learning leadership skills and personal attributes are what aid in
the development of a personalized leadership model. This course has
assisted me in reaching my desired outcomes. I have a better
understanding of myself as a person and as a leader. I now can

9
continue my education and understanding throughout the rest of my
life as a healthcare leader.

References
Hasson, G. (2014). Emotional intelligence: managing emotions to make
a positive impact on your life and career. Chichester, United
Kingdom : Capstone, 2014.
NHS Leadership Academy. (n.d.). Healthcare Leadership Model.
Retrieved December 11, 2015, from
http://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/resources/healthcareleadership-model/
Rubino, L., Esparza, S., & Reid Chassaikos, Y. (Eds.). (2014). New
Leadership for Today's Health Care Professionals. Burlington, MA:
Jones & Bartlett Learning.