Reflection On Leadership And Management Skills

Reflection On leading And Management SkillsThis essay forget be used as a in any casel to critique and improve my attr military put to deaths and heed skills as this is internal to the motleys that atomic number 18 needed in the NHS utility jut. In this exercise I encounter identified my leading strengths as good as my festering involve. I sop up got used egotism taskment and feedback from colleagues in the radiation pattern of my managers, coadjutors and manoeuvre reports. I wee-wee also reflected upon my vision and fl ar of counsel and further identified beas that rouse be enhanced into qualification me a to a greater extent versatile leader as this is authoritative to the NHS modernisation programme (DH 2000). With this information I turn over formulated an strikeion plan that is adroit (Specific, Measure qualified, Action Oriented, Rea c atomic number 18enic and Time bound) (NHS Leadership Qualities cloth 2002).Leadership is necessity and cent ral to the current NHS modernisation programme. In fact the department of health quotesanyone movementing in the NHS regardless(prenominal) of their position, grade, qualification or place of sketch, whitethorn be a leader or federal agent of change and improvement (DH 2001).In simple terms the department of health is olfactory propertying towards its bear round to develop and deliver their NHS improvement plan and are looking for grotesque stave at both levels of experience (DH 1999). The changes that I accommodate had to lead and am presently leading choose been driven by reducing waiting measures for new case unhurrieds as well as implementing the 18 week Pathway from referral to treatment (DH 2006). Other drivers for change and improvement have been the implementation of the Choose and Book system, whereby patients are invited to charter where they are referred and fork upn the option of booking their appointments. The reason for these changes on a whole has bee n to provide a faster, much than than user friendly and cheerful access to care for patients requiring treatment (DH 2005).My professional title is Head of orthoptic Services which is an completelyied health profession. I have to provide clinical lead whilst ensuring a comprehensive and equitable service is provided that is responsive to changing needs, that is flexible to change and has to directly follow department of health guidelines and changes. My leadership place is to manage and develop the Orthoptic Services within the cloth of national guidelines and ensure that effective communication a shroud 3 infirmary based departments, out-r severally clinics, special schools and screening clinics is adhered to, to alter effect change. Within this role I am met with challenges that are mark off from caution levels above me that I have to react to within my sphere of influence. These may include fiscal management, staffing levels, waiting targets and service victimisatio ns in line with the NHS improvement plan (DH 2004). In providing these changes the challenges that I face are mainly down to financial constraints and staffing levels. Staffing levels are evermore an issue since our department lost a process of staff due to recruitment and retention, and as a method of cost nest egg the post was dissolved. Conflict is often an issue as change is at this conviction patronize and often initially met with resistance and negativity I my ego-importance give the sack initially have these re follow ups and project them.My face-to-face vision of leadership is to be a transformational leader. This type of leader has the skills to share their vision, motivate their squad and gain commitment, which bequeath as a result inspire operation (Bennis, 2003, p 31-46). I am keen to motivate my staff by giving them objectives that I feel are appropriate and within their capabilities this gives them a varied, inspiring work life and exit broaden and increase their interests. This has been highlighted in my LQF feedback which I will discuss in greater detail later. I feel this is also how the department of health envisions how leadership will subscribe forward their NHS improvement plan (DH 2001). However, this is somemagazines non always viable and in more challenging times I put forward draw more of a transactional leader. I feel sometimes when I have to pass on objectives that people are resistant to, accordingly reinforcing stimulus and punishment which is characteristic of transactional leadership comes into force. One example of this was when a member of staffs competencies was called into question due to consistently producing clinically inadequate test results.My leadership philosophy is to be a leader who has inspirational qualities and to be credible. This should concern existence approachable, hard work, trustworthy, competent and supportive. If I am able to contact these criteria wherefore I feel I will have cred ibility as a leader and or manager. This is what followers expect of a leader (Kouzes and Posner, 1997, p 19-31). The reason for this is because a confident and competent leader will have the power and capabilities which will be self-explanatory to their followers. They will be able to share their vision which will inspire the staff to follow in their footsteps.To be a successful leader it is authorised to self prise and understand close self-knowledge. If one is able to unwrap their strengths and any areas for development, this will result in being able to set realistic parameters and be able to capitalise on their strengths, interests and capabilities (Bennis, 2003, p47-64).I have therefore completed an legal opinion of myself by using the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework 360 Feedback assessment hawkshaw (LQF). I have also completed a shortened Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to range my privateity type. The LQF is based upon research with over 3,328 participants a nd is evidence based grounded research with 150 NHS Chief Executives and Directors of all disciplines. This makes it a robust form of assessment (NHS Leadership Qualities Framework 2002).. My disapproval of the LQF would be that you have to carefully select who you feel is able to study it out in a critical unless affirmatory way. I feel that if this is non done it has the ability to skew the percentage scales in particular if there has only been small numbers of participants in each group. This creates statistically insignifi bay windowt results. Finally some of my direct reports felt that the language and questions were kinda technical and needed some form of political astuteness and management knowledge, therefore making it difficult to fill out completely accu countly.I have been able to separate key qualities from the LQF which non only beseem in with my leadership philosophy but in my role as a leader. few of these qualities I had no idea I possessed. I appear confi dent and am approachable, supportive, motivated, focused, determined and a good communicator. I also have the will to see service developments this is key to the discussion section of Healths modernisation and improvement plans (DH 2000). These qualities have been identified by my managers, friends and direct reports. Some of these qualities fit in with being a transformational leader which is distinctly what is distinguished to the department of healths improvement plan. Interestingly some of my needs for development have been identified as not being self-confident, not dealings with corrective needs and identifying subjectping standards, these development needs all point to a more transactional form of leadership or the more management oriented tasks.This process (LQF) has forced me to be far more critical and wistful of myself. It has been self-conscious at times as some of the feedback has been quite bring up of my leadership style, further it is apparent that this is an anomaly in the process and not the general feeling from the rest of the participants. It has highlighted to me key strengths that I have aspired to possess, and it has distinctly highlighted areas needed for development, some of which I feel I may have been subconsciously informed of. An example of my strengths directly ties in with the department of healths NHS modernisation programme quoteAnyone workings in the NHS regardless of their position, grade, qualification or place of work, may be a leader or agent of change and improvement (DH 2001).A number of direct reports state I delegate duties well which allows people to expand their own role in the department. This creates new challenges for people which maintains motivation (LQF page 44). Other comments relating to this go on to state this makes people feel valued, able to separate into other areas of expertise and divine services to retain staff.In this process I have been able to clearly identify key qualities and stre ngths however, in order to blend a more effective leader some development needs have been identified. In order to achieve this I have created action plans for three areas I would like to work on. Firstly to improve my time management skills, my succeeding(prenominal) plan will be to develop the ability to confront colleagues in a self managed way and finally to increase my self potency. (Appendix 1)To enable myself to improve these development needs I have formulated action plans for each. I am tone ending to attempt to use ideas and recommendations from professional consensus but also from the likes of Bennis, Kouzes and Posner, Tracy and Covey all advocators of personal development and leading experts in leadership.My first action plans objective is to improve my time management skills. The precept behind this is because poor organisation and time management creates a shun outlook for all groups of people I work with, my peers, direct reports and my managers. It has been exp ress in the LQF that it sets undesirable standards to others. Also objectives can be left too mingy to the deadline which then creates a rushed and naughtily planned issuing which can directly affect the quality of the project. Ultimately the deadline can be missed if other tasks make me have to digress from the original task. what is more people have identified that I need to improve my farsighted term planning and see the bigger picture, however, this is difficult if I am constantly dealing with the day to day pressing tasks or Fire-fighting as quoted by a peer. Having reflected upon my style of leadership and identifying a quality I possess, approachability, I also feel this can hinder persuasiveness. I currently operate an assailable portal policy and try to be approachable. This causes frequent interruptions and digressions which puts pressure on myself and creates difficulty reaching deadlines.The strategies I am going to explore are based around Stephen Covey and Bri an Tracys methods of meliorate personal effectiveness. Before I set about this I feel I will have to reduce the potential unnecessary interruptions and digressions. Firstly I still pauperism to remain an approachable leader with an open door policy, this, my staff felt was a strength, however, I feel that if I inhibit access I will have more uninterrupted time which will make me able to work for tenaciouser periods of time and thus reach goals and objectives far more effectively. My first step is to simply close my door in the midst of certain hours and ensure that people are aware that if the door is closed I am not functional, but I will make staff know that I am available between the hours of 08.00 09.00 (dependent on start time), 12.00 13.30 and 16.00-17.00.The next step will be to improve clarity this is the close to important concept in personal effectiveness, if I have absolutely clear goals and objectives, this should improve my productivity and stay me procrastin ating (Tracy, 2004, p7). Ideally I will start to document what it is I want to achieve since this will enable me to visualise what it is I am aiming for. During this process I will set a realistic deadline to achieving my goals, this will give the objective urgency. I will plan in advance, again documenting what needs to be achieved. Finally, something I rarely do will be to take action on the plan quickly (Tracy, 2004, p7). The next step will take fortifying upon my clarity and identified goals and objectives and will involve planning forth by working from a list. A short time making a plan of the day forwards will in the long run save time. Therefore I am going to list the tasks or objectives that need to be achieved monthly, weekly and daily, and as I have achieved an objective I will cross it off. Tracy (2004, p14) explains that monthly and weekly lists increases effectiveness and efficiency, and ultimately improves motivation and drive since you are able to visualise your achievements. It is this sniff out of accomplishment that generates forward motion. This strategy will be a very useful evaluation tool as it will enable me to assess my progress and achievements. This plan of action also fits in with the Quadrant II theory where I need to balance my working life between urgent and important issues (Covey, 2004, p150). There are four quadrants (I) important and urgent (II) Important and not urgent (III) not important but urgent and (IV) not important and not urgent. Currently if I reflect upon my class period and what has been highlighted in my LQF I am working in quadrant I. Jerry spends most of his time fire-fighting at work i.e. he is constantly dealing with the im liaise chore rather than getting on top of things and looking ahead and planning better (LQF, p47). This affects my drive for improvement which is key to the NHS Modernisation and cash advance plan (DH 2000). Covey (2004, p152) states that this leads to stress, burnout, crisis management and fire-fighting and therefore lead me to be far less effective and in force(p). The idea is to work more in quadrant II where I am dealing with important but not urgent tasks, if I can achieve this then this will rival on having to deal with the urgent and important tasks that prevent me from planning ahead and driving for improvement. Furthermore if I can get into quadrant II, less and less tasks will be urgent and important. An example of a problem that exists at the moment as a result of poor time management and dealing with urgent and important issues all the time is patient discharge letters. I am unable to sit for any space of time and write them, they are therefore mounting up and combine my inefficiency. If I were to list them on my weekly schedule, then I will be able to visualise the task needs doing. Therefore if I can eliminate the pile that exists, it will be easier to stay on top of the task, one letter at a time is easier and more effective than havin g to sit down and write ten. Therefore my evaluation tool will be to constantly review my task lists and assess my achievements and work on the objectives that are left outstanding.The second action plans objective is to look at developing my ability to confront members of staff at all levels in a self managed way. The rationale behind this is because confrontation at work occurs at all levels, meaning that I have to manage confrontation with my peers and direct reports. Confrontation and employment appeared frequently in my LQF assessment, with comments suggesting I shy away from it, bury my head in the sand, let standards slip rather than deal with confrontation and do not deal with corrective issues to avoid confrontation. These comments were particularly used by my peers and direct reports. All this fits in with the difficulty I have dealing with conflict management. Conflict is credibly when the work place has staff of varying backgrounds (Outhwaite, 2003, p347-375), for exam ple professionals versus semi professionals, which can then lead to perceived status differences making joint working far more difficult. One of my peer comments was to do with the perception that my staff controls me and that I have little control over them. Though I disagree with the majority of this statement, there does appear to be some obvious perceptions within my peers that this is in fact the case.The strategy to improve on my ability to confront colleagues in a self managed way will suffer on conflict resolution. My role as a leader is to identify, explore and resolve issues that may be causing conflict, this may be uncomfortable but can only be achieved with perseverance and some arcdegree of risk (Outhwaite, 2003, p347-375).Confronting my direct reports would be the logical first step, the reason for this is the feedback I received from my peers, suggesting they (direct reports) control me. My own direct reports suggested that I dislike confronting them when standards are slipping or when disciplinary issues need resolving (LQF, p 44-45). production to work interviews after sickness are left or not done, these by no means are a disciplinary action, however if they are not done it gives the opinion that I do not care. In line with improving my time management skills, my intention is to immediately list the interview down on my schedule, so that I can visualise the need to do it. If clinical case note standards slip, then I should deal with them immediately also. There was a case when a colleague had written highly inappropriate comments in clinical records that were brought to my attention. I procrastinated far too long in dealing with this, so that when I did eventually confront the member of staff I was met with hostility wherefore did you not speak to me months ago. My staff members were aware of the issue and were uncomfortable that naught had been done. If feel if I had exercised better assertiveness and had identified, explored and reso lved the issue in the beginning then the outcome would have been more positive for me and my direct reports. I feel the longer issues are left, the more I worry and become less in control. When it comes to the confrontation, I am tense, uncomfortable and out of control. The speedy I can explore and resolve the issue the easier it will be to deal with and I will be moving towards a more self managed way of dealing with confrontation. Furthermore the quicker I act on these types of issues the more it will be a self managed style of leadership, as it will prevent me from being pushed into dealing with confrontation by my direct reports and peers.Managing confrontation with my peers will employ a more open and honest form of communication (Covey 2004, p 202). Through my LQF and reflection I have identified that with my immediate peers there is differing professional backgrounds and probable peer resentment. It is clear that with both parties small issues and annoyances have been left to fester. This then leads to an escalation of unfavorable feeling and antagonism between us all. With the differing professional backgrounds there has always been a differing level of expectation across the workforce. Covey (2004, p 201-202) examines dealing with the issues head on by arranging a series of meetings to mediate and resolve the existing issues and promote a more open and positive working relationship. By taking these steps myself to deal with the current situation, I will be self managing confrontation and will not be forced into having to deal with issues by outside pressures and necessity. evaluation of this action plan will again be in the form of scheduling and pass off achievements, but also reflecting upon the experience.Rule Continuous defineing is the token(prenominal) requirement for success in any field (Tracy 2004, p52).If I can maintain a diary reflecting upon conflicts that have been resolved and concentrate on the problems and not the personalities t hen I will be moving towards a self managed way of dealing with confrontation. I will be forcing myself to learn from my experiences and be able to identify successful and less successful outcomes and identify why these exist or what it was that was different between each confrontation. I will reflect upon the use of some of my strengths identified in my LQF. authority but not arrogance, highly developed communication style and being able to listen, these are all important in dealing with conflict management (Outhwaite, 2003, p 374-375).My final action plans objective will be to increase my self arrogance. The rationale behind this is very personal. Already through with(predicate) my LQF assessment I have learnt that people mostly perceive me as confident and having motivational and inspiring qualities, however, my own personal confidence levels are very poor. Fear of change, conflict and failure is a barrier to my confidence. The LQF assessment showed a very low score for taking calculated risks, this does not surprise me since my direct reports and peers are very unforgiving when it comes to poor thinker and change, even if it was justified. One particular peer is very judgemental regarding failure and slipping standards. My time management skills are in need of further development and a nose out of not achieving the balance between non urgent and important tasks (Quadrant II) and constantly dealing with immediate issues constantly chips away at ones confidence levels. Not being able to achieve positive outcomes in conflicts and confrontations needs to be addressed. The more I can succeed and develop the attain/win habit the better my confidence will become. It is not about winning confrontations and moving forward my way, but more that agreements and solutions end with a mutually beneficial or satisfying outcome (Covey, 2004, p207).My strategy to improving my self confidence will start by formulating organisational plans and task sheets. When I achiev e an objective or project I will cross these of the list and highlight it as an achieved small win (Kouzes and Posner, 1997, p 242-265). This creates pulsing and the sense of achievement as previously discussed. I will rate key results on a scale of one to ten and identify strengths and weaknesses, the weaknesses can be used to further develop. If I learn from these weakness and train further this will eliminate the feelings of inadequacy and the lack of confidence I have (Tracy 2004, p 51). Key results or completed projects can be discussed with colleagues and appraised by my manager (Tracy, 2004, p 35-40). All these achievements that I have previously never reflected upon will start to give me a sense of confidence and accomplishment I have never previously persuasion about. On reflection I have assessed my achievements more on a win/lose scenario, but the more I can work towards the win/win habit (Covey, 2004, p 205-234) and pass this on to my direct reports the more I am likel y to succeed and become self confident. My direct reports tend to assess accomplishments using the win/lose way, and therefore anything that is achieved must have the outcome of us having won the battle, it is not move that this promotes the lack of confidence and a feeling of inadequacy I have.Evaluation of this action plan will be to more frequently assess my achievements and accomplishments (Kouzes and Posner, 1997, p 242-265). This will involve assessing my task sheets and my organisational plan which will be done on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. This will help me visualise the tasks that have been completed. The rating of tasks and further training can be assessed by looking at the ratings and assessing if they are improving. This will enable me to build my self confidence. Conflicts and confrontations can be reflected upon and I will be able to better understand the concepts behind win/win. If I can self manage the confrontations and aim for win/win, not only will I be a chieving mutually satisfactory benefits and outcomes, but this will be working towards building my self confidence as more and more tasks will be achievable. It will also improve the interdepartmental conflicts and possible peer resentment that has been evident since my LQF.To conclude, it is obvious that all my action plans link into each other. As I become a more effective and efficient leader, then my peers will have less reason to resent my management style and pressure me into acting upon issues that are troubling them. This will then have the effect of lessening conflicts and confrontations. Furthermore, as I improve my time management skills and lessen the confrontations that occur, this will start impacting on my own self confidence. My own self confidence is directly affected by poorly self managed confrontations and an increasing number of tasks that are left undone or incomplete. It is obvious from my strengths that I have the ability to carry out these action plans and t hat my staff members are more than willing to take on tasks that are suitable for them as they state this makes people feel valued, able to branch into other areas of expertise and helps to retain staff.The Department of Health is looking for visionary staff members that are able to implement and carry out their modernisation plan. As my leadership skills improve I will be more effective in leading change and envisioning improvements becoming the personification of the Department of Healths modernisation and improvement plan.