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Personal Leadership Portrait
Learner’s Name
Capella University
NHS8002: Collaboration, Communication, and Case Analysis
for Doctoral Learners
Instructor Name
July 1, 2021

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Personal Leadership Portrait
Health care leadership plays an important role in developing
quality health care and in
developing effective leaders. There are many different
approaches to leadership such as
transformational, charismatic, strategic, servant, participative,
and the trait approach. The
effectiveness of one’s leadership depends largely on one’s
approach to leadership and the style of
implementation of this approach. A leader must demonstrate a
strong set of values and ethics and
develop a diverse and inclusive work environment that is
supported by scholarly research. The
approach that works best for me is participative leadership,
which offers my team the
opportunity to lead.

Personal Approach to Leadership
In the health care field, it is critical for a leader to create an
organizational culture that
promotes care and compassion at all levels of the hierarchy. An
effective health care leader
builds such a culture by fostering and energizing team members
whose actions are consistent
with the values of care and compassion (Stanley, 2017).
Participative leadership, which may also
be known as a democratic style, focuses on shared decision
making. This approach is
characterized by the diffusing of leadership responsibilities to
subordinates. In my academic and
professional experience, I have found that the participative
leadership approach promotes
ownership and improves staff buy-in for the shared vision and
goals of an organization.
A leader needs to have conversations with team members to
look at issues objectively
and ensure that work-related outcomes and behavioral
expectations are clear. A key competency
that enables a leader to identify early signs of conflict is a high
degree of intelligence. The five

most important aspects of emotional intelligence are self-
awareness of one’s own feelings, self-
regulation of one’s emotions, empathy to recognize the feelings
of others, social skills to manage
others’ emotions, and the ability to motivate (Stanley, 2017). In
practice, I strongly exhibit the
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first two aspects. As a leader, it is important for me to
recognize my own feelings, especially in a
conflict situation. I keep my ego in check and am aware of
changes in my emotions. Regulating
my own emotions before I respond gives me the space to
consider the consequences of my
actions in a calm and thoughtful manner. I am careful not to
react impulsively, do not
compromise on workplace ethics, and hold myself accountable
for my actions. However, my
leadership style is currently limited in the remaining three
aspects, especially in scenarios
concerning conflict management. I need to work on improving
my ability to connect with others

with empathy. Developing social skills such as listening without
judgment and having
constructive and empathetic dialogs with others can help me
manage conflicts effectively. The
ability to motivate others is also crucial for a leader in such
situations. I rely on effective
communication and logical reasoning to reinforce compliance
with organizational goals by
reiterating the benefits of working together to achieve goals,
without leaving much room to
understand the role of possible emotional root causes. In
practice, participative leadership
enables me to enlist the help of other team members to tune my
perception of conflict and
identify what I may have missed. This, in turn, ensures that the
resolutions I offer resonate
deeper with conflicting parties.
Interprofessional Communication, Collaboration, and Change
Management
The creation of interprofessional teams necessitates the
reexamining of leadership. It
presents new challenges such as enabling teams that are
sometimes large and consist of different

professionals with different skills to coordinate their efforts.
Participative leadership has helped
me ensure that each team member has the opportunity to take on
the responsibility of a leader.
Team members step in and out of leadership roles when their
professional expertise and specific
knowledge of a client, patient, or a community become relevant
to providing effective outcomes
(Smith et al., 2018). This leadership approach has resulted in
individual staff members displaying
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leadership behaviors and utilizing opportunities to make
decisions that lead to improved
outcomes.
Participative leadership relies on multiple resources for
leadership and the flexibility of
leadership boundaries. Participative leadership promotes
community engagement by encouraging
the inclusion of context and reciprocity. I believe that the
participative leadership approach

emphasizes improved outcomes over bottom-line financial
decisions. This leads to a more
positive perception of an organization by the community, which
promotes community
engagement.
The success of participative leadership depends on open
communication horizontally and
vertically within an organization. I find that open
communication promotes healthy forms of
dissension and helps team members productively shape ideas
and provide differing points of
view and unexpected solutions. Open communication is also
effective at driving the
implementation of new changes as the exigency of change is
more easily communicated. A
potential barrier to the effective implementation of the
participative leadership approach is the
differences that can exist between professional groups and an
interprofessional team. Groups
form through identification and socialization developing their
own norms and stereotypes which
may lead to one professional group viewing themselves as better
than other professional groups.
Communication Best Practices

In an interprofessional setting, effective communication occurs
when two or more
professions learn with, from, and about each other to improve
collaboration and the quality of
outcomes. Health care providers must collaborate across
clinical, administrative, and community
settings to make joint decisions, coordinate interaction and care,
combine resources, and develop
common goals. Effective teams must cultivate critical
interprofessional communication
behaviors such as these to attain efficient outcomes that are also
safe.
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A shared vision that all members of the team contribute to can
act as a source of
motivation for the team. The absence of a shared vision could
leave the team poorly aligned or
directionless. I find that in times when progress is slowing
down, reminding the team of the
shared vision serves to reignite their enthusiasm. I actively seek

out members of the team who
demonstrate strong leadership to spearhead new efforts. I ensure
to seek out even those who do
not have official leadership titles (Melnyk & Raderstorf, 2019).
During the initial stages of forming a team, I have discussions
with the team to determine
what values (such as honesty and transparency) are important to
them. This helps develop
consensus on the core values for the team. It is also critical to
establish team norms including
norms pertaining to being on time, respecting confidentiality,
and being unbiased. All team
members must adhere to these norms once they are established.
The goals set by the team must
be specific, easily understood, measurable, attainable, aligned
with the shared vision, and time
bound (Melnyk & Raderstorf, 2019).
In an interprofessional setting, a lack of clarity on priorities and
expectations leads to
anxiety and ineffective team performance. Therefore, an
effective leader must set clear priorities
and expectations. The leader must also strive to match each
team member’s roles and

responsibilities to their strengths. When people are placed in
roles or positions that build on their
strengths or what they do best, they perform their best work
(Melnyk & Raderstorf, 2019).
It is crucial to build and maintain a culture of trust within an
interprofessional team. A
culture of trust and openness increases the likelihood of
discovering and learning from mistakes
and misunderstandings, because all topics are open for
discussion. An effective leader must have
integrity, be transparent, be accountable, and follow through on
what they say. I ensure I
communicate with team members and believe in them and their
ability to accomplish goals. I
listen carefully to team members and act on the suggestions
they offer when feasible. I strive to
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be fair and give credit to deserving team members. I find that
developing a shared vision
enhances community engagement. A culture of trust can also
help with change management.

Concerns over changes in processes or technologies can be dealt
with better in teams when
leaders foster a culture of trust and openness (Melnyk &
Raderstorf, 2019).
Ethical Leadership in Professional Practice
There has been an increase in public scrutiny of the ethics of
organizations since the
advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. A failure to operate
ethically results in health care systems
that treat health as a commodity and not a human right. This in
turn puts disadvantaged people at
a higher risk of infection and death from illnesses such as
COVID-19 as they have limited access
to care (Chiriboga et al., 2020). In response, organizations have
attempted to adopt ethical
principles to nurture ethical work cultures that improve the
community’s trust in the
organizations’ ability to operate fairly. In this light, ethics can
be described as “shared social
principles of right conduct in relation to a particular context or
culture” (Swanwick & McKimm,
2017, p. 203). An individual may find theoretical models and
development programs useful

when developing leadership skills. However, it is my belief that
one must be self-reflective and
commit to a strong set of core values to be a truly ethical
leader. It is incumbent on a leader to
lead by example to foster ethical behavior among members of
the organization.
Health care leaders must ensure patient/client-centric care is the
core principle behind
decision-making and planned interventions. Information must be
represented honestly,
comprehensively, and clearly. Representing patient/client or
community information in such a
manner not only ensures all team members have the most
current information but also helps to
highlight any potential risks that may be faced during care.
In my professional experience, it has become clear that the right
expectations must be set
early for team members to respect my efforts and for me to
respect their opinions. In an
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interprofessional setting, an effective leader listens respectfully
to the perspectives of
interprofessional team members and engages in constructive
discussions to determine the best
allocation of resources for better outcomes. To be an ethical
leader, one must be aware of how
one reacts to others. One must treat all team members fairly and
without prejudice (Swanwick &
McKimm, 2017).
Honesty and integrity are important virtues for an ethical
leader. One must be transparent
about one’s intentions and strive to meet any commitments
made. Compromising on these
virtues with false or exaggerated promises or premature
reassurances could jeopardize not only
the outcomes for patients or clients but also a leader’s
reputation and credibility. An ethical
leader remains accountable and conscientious. If a crisis arises,
an ethical leader addresses it
immediately and sees it through to its resolution. An ethical
leader understands the significance
of adhering conscientiously to processes. Well-set processes
enable the team to maintain
consistency in delivering care. They also help promote an

organizational culture that places a
premium on ethical conduct and fairness (Swanwick &
McKimm, 2017).
Interprofessional collaborations have the potential to be
dominated by unproductive
alliances and quasi-territorial disputes where team members
may assume adversarial positions.
An ethical leader remains a beacon of genuine commitment and
collaboration for all the teams
they oversee. They are committed to seeking creative solutions
to problems and promote a
culture in which the interests of the individual are seen to be
dependent on the outcomes of the
collective (Swanwick & McKimm, 2017).
Diversity and Inclusion in Health Care Leadership
The underrepresentation of minorities in the health care
profession is a persistent
problem. Minorities are expected to comprise 50% of the
population of the United States by
2050 (Nair & Adetayo, 2019). Diverse populations experience
poorer health outcomes;
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according to Nair and Adetayo (2019), diverse populations call
for more personalized
approaches to meet their health care needs. This is especially
evident in the vaccine compliance
statistics for the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have found that
while the overall COVID-19
vaccination hesitancy among adult Americans was 26.3%, it was
much higher among African
Americans at 41.6% and among Hispanics at 30.2%. The
hesitancy in minority communities is
driven by factors such as greater exposure to misinformation,
medical mistrust stemming from
racial discrimination, personal beliefs about vaccines, and
concerns about safety (Khubchandani
& Macias, 2021). In an increasingly competitive health care
market, providing accessible,
affordable, respectful, and responsive care that is considerate of
individual preferences, needs,
and values is becoming increasingly important for health care
organizations’ survival.
When one thinks of workplace diversity, one tends to think in
terms of race, ethnicity,

and gender identity. However, diversity also exists in economic
status, political inclination,
religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and other characteristics
that may not be obvious. In my
practice, I promote a culture of inclusion by ensuring that I
spread responsibilities evenly across
the organization without any bias. This applies even to those
who may not feel comfortable
asking for responsibilities but are likely to handle them if given
the chance. I try to be open-
minded and listen carefully to all complaints about bias or
discrimination and take a strong
stance against inappropriate behavior.
It could be argued that cultural diversity in the workplace
increases the tendency of
organizational staff to indulge in interpersonal conflicts because
of differing opinions, thoughts,
beliefs, and traditions. I, however, believe that these differences
can be the source of innovative
approaches and interventions, particularly in crisis situations.
During a recent heat wave in the
Boston–Washington corridor, the emergency room in my
organization was inundated with

patients, most of whom were classified as “urgent” during
triage. There was a need to find ways
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to tend to “urgent” cases so that they could be considered
“nonurgent,” which would free up
clinical staff to more effectively administer to the “emergent”
cases coming into the emergency
room. Members of the care team at AZ Group (my employer)
who hailed from Southeast Asian
countries offered innovative solutions, suggesting simple
techniques for lowering the core body
temperature that were developed in their home countries, which
have much hotter climates. The
care team took the lead in implementing these techniques,
resulting in a dramatic drop in the
number of “urgent” cases. Based on this example and many
others witnessed during my
professional experience, I believe that the benefits of a
culturally diverse workplace far outweigh
its disadvantages.

To develop a diverse and inclusive workplace, AZ Group
adheres to the National
Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate
Services in Health and Health Care,
which is aligned with the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services Action Plan to Reduce
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services Office of
Minority Health, n.d.). AZ Group provides three educational
programs at the graduate level for
minorities to train the next generation of health care providers.
It conducts quarterly training
sessions with leadership and team members on culturally
appropriate policies and practices. I
ensure that the goals and policies followed by my team members
are culturally and linguistically
appropriate and permeate throughout the organization’s
planning and operations.
Scholar-Practitioners in Health Care
Scholar-practitioners form an integral part of health care,
especially when developing
innovations for better patient outcomes and greater stakeholder
satisfaction. Researchers and
practitioners prefer distinct roles and identities, which creates a

research-to-practice gap in
conversations that deal with innovative approaches for
improved patient outcomes. This means
that approaches or interventions from researchers are
disseminated among practitioners without
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much feedback about the real-world effects of the application of
those approaches or
interventions. Scholar-practitioner bridges this gap by
translating and interpreting new research
and theory for practitioners and highlighting practical problems
to theorists and scholars.
The capacity to engage in critical thinking is an indispensable
skill for scholar-
practitioners. Werner and Bleich (2017) define critical thinking
as “the analytic precursor to
decision making and action taking,” which “enriches best
practice organizational outcomes” (p.
9). It enables scholar-practitioners to have clear, stratified
knowledge structures with associated

connections among concepts, allowing them to distill efficient
and creative interpretations of
their day-to-day practices. A scholar-practitioner should be able
to know, recognize, and discuss
current strategies that will lead to improved patient outcomes. A
scholar-practitioner develops
this knowledge by keeping abreast of the latest research,
attending conferences, and engaging
with team members in scholarly discussions on how health care
professionals can collaborate to
create a culture that is rich with learning opportunities and
innovative intervention strategies
aimed at improving health care quality and safety.
Conclusion
Leadership in health care is multifaceted. I follow the
participative leadership approach
because it gives individual members of my team the opportunity
to lead, should the need arise.
Adherence to a strong set of core values is essential for a leader
to foster ethical behavior among
team members in a health care organization. A leader must
develop a diverse and inclusive
workplace to effectively cater to all population demographics.
An effective leader must also be a

scholar-practitioner who interprets new research and theory for
practitioners and highlights
practical problems to theorists and scholars, ensuring the best
possible patient outcomes and
stakeholder satisfaction.
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References
Khubchandani, J., & Macias, Y. (2021). COVID-19 vaccination
hesitancy in Hispanics and
African-Americans: A review and recommendations for
practice. Brain, Behavior, &
Immunity - Health, 15, 100277.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100277
Melnyk, B. M., & Raderstorf, T. (2019). Evidence-based
leadership, innovation, and
entrepreneurship in nursing and healthcare: A practical guide to
success. Springer.
Smith, T., Fowler-Davis, S., Nancarrow, S., Ariss, S. M. B., &

Enderby, P. (2018). Leadership in
interprofessional health and social care teams: A literature
review. Leadership in Health
Studies. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-06-2016-0026
Stanley, D. (Ed.) (2017). Clinical leadership in nursing and
healthcare: Values into action. John
Wiley & Sons.
Swanwick, T., & McKimm, J. (2017). ABC of clinical
leadership. Wiley.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of
Minority Health, (n.d.). National
Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate
Services (CLAS) in health and
health care.
https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdfs/EnhancedNationa
lCLASStandards.pdf
Werner, S. H., & Bleich, M. R. (2017). Critical thinking as a
leadership attribute. The Journal of
Continuing Education in Nursing, 48(1), 9–11.
https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-
20170110-03

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100277
https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-06-2016-0026
https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/assets/pdfs/EnhancedNationa
lCLASStandards.pdf
https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20170110-03
https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20170110-03
Create an 8 page personal leadership portrait that reflects an in-
depth assessment of your leadership skills and abilities.
Leadership may be one of the defining factors in influencing
organizational culture. Leadership impacts quality of care and
addresses the well-being and development of employees and
those served. In health care, successful leadership is aligned
with ensuring access to care, safety and quality of care,
affordability, ethical practice, and creating a culture of
inclusion that honors diversity.
The research reports a link between type of leadership and
outcomes such as patient satisfaction, organizational
performance, staff well-being, engagement, longevity in the
field, and quality of care (West, Armit, Loewenthal, Eckert,
West, & Lee, 2015). Effective leaders and their organizations
deliver high quality and compassionate care that meets the
needs of the population served.
The health care environment is complex, requiring leadership
that is collaborative and embraces interprofessional
communication and ethical practices. Leaders in the field must
have a good understanding of the emerging health care market,
be passionate about meeting the needs of the population served,
and act as change agents, inspiring and motivating others in an
organization that provides quality services at an affordable cost.
It is essential for leaders to be well versed in a range of areas
(practice, research, education) as a means of effective
engagement with interprofessional communities. Effective
leaders have heightened awareness of self and leadership styles,
leading to professional growth, career advancement, and the
ability to develop ethical leaders for the future across fields of

practice (nursing, health administration, public health).
This assessment provides an opportunity for you to create a
portrait of the effective health care professional and leader you
aspire to be.
Reference
West, M., Armit, K., Loewenthal, L., Eckert, R., West, T.,
& Lee, A. (2015).
Leadership and leadership development in healthcare:
The evidence base.
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/field_publ
ication_file/leadership-leadership-development-health-care-feb-
2015.pdf
Preparation
Complete the
Leadership Self-Assessment.
Note: As you revise your writing, check out the resources listed
on the Writing Center’s
Writing Support page.
Instructions
Create a personal leadership portrait.
Example Assessment: You may use the following to give you an
idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide
would look like:
·
Assessment 3 Example [PDF].
Writing in the third person is customary in academic writing.
However, for this assessment, you may write in the first person.
Document Format and Length
Format your leadership portrait using APA style.
· Use the
APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] to help you in
writing and formatting your leadership portrait. Be sure to

include:
. A title page and references page. An abstract is not required.
. Appropriate topic section headings.
· Your leadership portrait should be 8–10 pages in length, not
including the title page and references page.
Supporting Evidence
Cite 4–5 credible sources
published within the last five years from peer-reviewed
journals, other scholarly resources, professional industry
publications, and assigned readings to support your leadership
portrait. You will cite sources when you refer to the
characteristics of leadership styles, best practices for
interprofessional communication, diversity and inclusion, and
ethical standards for your discipline.
Assessment Grading
The assessment requirements outlined below correspond to the
grading criteria in the scoring guide, so be sure to address each
of the five main tasks. Read the performance-level descriptions
for each criterion to see how your work will be evaluated.
· Evaluate your personal approach to health care leadership.
. Identify the leadership and emotional intelligence
characteristics you already possess.
. Analyze your strengths and limitations (areas for
development).
. Analyze your ability to apply emotional intelligence in your
personal approach to health care leadership.
. Compare your leadership characteristics with a predominant
leadership style and its application to professional practice.
. Assess other leadership styles you might integrate into your
skills repertoire to enhance your effectiveness as a leader and
manage change in health care.
· Explain how your personal approach to health care leadership
facilitates interprofessional relationships, community
engagement, and change management.

. Consider interprofessional relationships with staff, community
agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders.
. Identify your strengths and weaknesses related to
interprofessional relationships, community engagement, and
change management.
. Evaluate best practices for interprofessional communications,
and compare your communication skills and attributes to those
best practices.
· Explain how ethical leadership principles can be applied to
professional practice.
. Identify the relevant ethical leadership principles for your
discipline (public health, health administration, or nursing).
. Evaluate best practices for developing an ethical culture in the
workplace.
· Explain how health care leaders can address diversity and
inclusion.
. What do diversity and inclusion mean to you within the
context of population health?
. Explain the importance of diversity and inclusion to effective
leadership.
. For example, cultivating good employee and community
relations.
· How does an effective leader develop a diverse and inclusive
workplace (strategies, best practices)?
· How do diversity and inclusion contribute to health care
quality and service to the community?
· What best practices would you recommend to address issues of
diversity and inclusion?
· Explain how scholar-practitioners contribute to leadership and
professional development in the field of health care.
· Define scholar-practitioner, in your own words.
· Explain the importance of critical thinking to scholar-
practitioners.
· Evaluate the influence of scholar-practitioners on health care
leadership and professional development.
· Explain the importance of scholar-practitioners to professional

practice. Consider their value in:
. Expanding the knowledge base.
. Applying new and existing knowledge, research, and
scholarship to solve real-world problems.
. Improving health care quality and safety.
· Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth
transitions.
· Proofread your writing to avoid errors that could distract
readers and make it more difficult for them to focus on the
substance of your evaluation.
· Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.
· Apply correct APA formatting to your document, including
headers, headings, spacing, and margins.
· Apply correct APA formatting to all source citations.
Portfolio Prompt: You may choose to save your personal
leadership portrait to your
ePortfolio.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will
demonstrate your proficiency in the following course
competencies and assessment criteria:
· Competency 1: Apply interprofessional collaboration,
communication, and leadership best practices to advance
population health.
. Evaluate one's personal approach to health care leadership.
. Explain how a personal approach to health care leadership
facilitates interprofessional relationships, community
engagement, and change management.
· Competency 2: Apply professional ethics and the principles of
diversity and inclusion to advance population health.
. Explain how ethical leadership principles can be applied to
professional practice.
. Explain how health care leaders can address diversity and
inclusion.
· Competency 3: Explain how scholar-practitioners function as

leaders in the field of health care.
. Explain how scholar-practitioners contribute to leadership and
professional development in the field of health care.
· Competency 4: Produce written work that demonstrates critical
thinking and application of knowledge, in accordance with
Capella’s writing standards.
. Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth
transitions.
. Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.