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.