1. The health care environment is complex, requiring leadership
that is comprehensive and collaborative in the field. It is
essential for leaders to be well-versed in a range of areas
(practice, research, education) as a means of effective
engagement with inter-professional communities. Effective
leaders have heightened awareness of self and individual
leadership styles, leading to professional growth, career
advancement, and the ability to develop leaders for the future
across the fields of practice (nursing, health administration,
public health).
Your final assignment in your first course will bring together all
the aspects of leadership that you have examined and discussed
over the last nine weeks, as you analyze your own leadership
qualities to create a portrait of the effective health care
professional and leader you aspire to be.
Remember, in graduate work, the use of directly quoted material
should be limited as it is your understanding, interpretation,
and application of the literature combined with your experience
that is important.
Note:
Because this assignment requires you to develop a self-
assessment, you may write using first-person voice. However,
it is important for your development as a practitioner-scholar to
recognize that writing in the first person is not usually
acceptable in academic papers, which are written in the third
person. Consequently, you should always carefully consider
departing from this norm. If you have any questions about
academic writing style, please contact your courseroom
instructor, or post a question in the Ask Your Teaching
Assistant area of the NHS Learner Success Lab.

2. Assignment Instructions
Write the first draft of your Personal Leadership Portrait
(u09a1) based on the following scenario:
You have been offered the opportunity to apply for a leadership
position in your organization. As a part of preparing for your
interview, you complete a Personal Leadership Portrait. You
will use the information from the leadership self-assessment
you completed in Unit 8 for this final paper. This Personal
Leadership Portrait will bring together all the aspects of
leadership that you have examined and discussed over the last
nine weeks as you analyze your own leadership qualities, to
create a portrait of the effective health care professional and
leader you aspire to be.
Your paper should address the following:
1. Analyze your leadership strengths and weaknesses.
Identify at least one leadership theory or style that you believe
best aligns with your own thoughts of what leadership means.
Use that theory or style in your analysis and identify strengths
and weaknesses. Cite your sources.
Consider potential biases or underlying assumptions in your
analysis.
2. Explain how one's specific leadership characteristics enable
oneself to guide, educate and influence others in managing

3. change in interprofessional collaborative relationships.
Consider examples of past successes.
Consider strategies or best practices that could be applied to
improve outcomes.
Describe at least two additional leadership characteristics you
would like to develop to enhance your effectiveness in this
area.
3. Explain how your leadership characteristics will serve to
help you build and maintain collaborative relationships across,
and within, disciplines.
Consider examples of past successes.
Consider strategies or best practices that could be applied to
improve outcomes.
4. Explain how you can best apply the principles of ethical
leadership, given your leadership style.
Identify the main principles of ethical leadership within your
field of practice (nursing, health administration, or public
health). Cite your sources.
Consider examples of past successes.
Consider strategies or best practices that could be applied to
improve outcomes.

4. Where do you have room to grow in this area?
How can you prepare yourself to do so?
5. Explain why diversity and inclusion are important to
employee relations and the provision of safe, high-quality
health care.
Provide an example you have experienced or read about. Cite
your sources.
6. Explain how your leadership characteristics prepare you to
develop and lead a diverse team of employees and serve a
diverse community within an ethical framework.
In what ways can you address issues of diversity and inclusion,
both within an organization and in serving the public?
7. Explain how the academic and research skills you develop as
a practitioner-scholar can serve you in your role as an effective
health care leader.
What is your understanding of the practitioner-scholar model?
How would you apply it in your work?
How might those skills contribute to your effectiveness and
credibility as a leader?
How will the knowledge and information you have gained from

5. this course, and from your own research, guide your continued
leadership development?
Paper Format and References
Include a properly formatted cover page abstract, and reference
page (See the APA Style Tutorial paper for examples)
Length of paper: 5–7 typed, double-spaced pages, not including
the cover page, abstract, and reference page.
References: Cite at least 4–5 different sources. These can come
from peer-reviewed journals or other scholarly resources, the
assigned unit readings, and other reputable resources. Cite your
sources appropriately. Use correct APA formatting for all in-
text citations and references.
An APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] and the associated APA
Style Paper Template [DOCX] are provided in Resources to
help you in writing and formatting your paper. Use APA
formatted headers and headings. Format your work per these
documents.