Post on 25-Sep-2020
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 1
Leadership Exemplar and Personal Leadership Development Plan
Marla Michaels
University of Mary
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 2
Leadership Exemplar and Personal Leadership Development Plan
Introduction
The desire to pursue a graduate degree in nursing administration began during my senior
year of undergraduate nursing school 18 years ago. Since then, I have continued to have positive
and negative experiences during my professional career working on inpatient units and in
ambulatory patient care settings, which have inspired my ambition to become a leader for future
generations of nurses. The Influential Nursing Leadership course at UMary has further increased
my desire to learn of the essentials of leadership and deepened my appreciation to incorporate
faith through servant service in my career. The following paper provides results and reflection of
a surveyed assessment of my leadership skills by my co-workers, an overview of the leadership
aspect of a book, If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9½ Things You Would Do Differently by Fred
Lee (2004), and my own personal narrative discussing my strengths, areas needing further
development, my Leadership Development Action Plan and my philosophy of nursing
leadership. I have learned a great deal of information about leadership during this course and I
look forward to continued personal and professional growth throughout the remainder of my
graduate studies curriculum and my nursing administration journey.
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 3
Part 1: Leadership Evaluation
Leadership Evaluation
For the Leadership Evaluation process, I chose to use the Nursing Leadership Evaluation
Tool (University Of Mary, 2013) available in the UMary syllabus (see Appendix A). I surveyed 4
RNs and 1 care assistant from the Kidney Center clinic where I am the charge nurse, and I also
surveyed my immediate nurse manager for a total of 6 participants. Porter-O’Grady & Malloch
(2011) points out that feedback from supervisors is the traditional valued method of developing
skills, but the more challenging method of “coaching upward” or providing feedback to
individuals with greater authority can deter serious negative outcomes as a result of appropriate,
timely, and constructive upward feedback. The participants I chose encompass both methods of
feedback. In order to maintain confidentiality of the evaluators, I selected Paula Robinson who is
a member of the Talent Development team in Human Resources at CMH to have the surveys
sent to for the computation of score averages and listing the responses of open-ended questions.
I asked each evaluator individually if they would like to participate in the survey and upon
acceptance, I handed them the paper survey and an envelope to put the survey in after
completion. At that time, I verbalized that the envelope is to be sealed by the participant and put
in an inter-office envelope in the Nurse Manager’s office by 4:00pm. I had pre-addressed the
inter-office envelope to Paula Robinson in HR before giving it to my Nurse Manager. At 4:00pm
the Nurse Manager took the inter-office envelope with the 6 surveys to the mailroom. After 7
days, Paula provided me with the results (see Appendix B, Table A1).
In looking at the average responses of the survey, I was a little surprised to see one of the
lowest ratings was in taking accountability to improve department performance, patient
satisfaction, staff morale, etc, (question 5). I feel that I have lobbied hard with management to
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 4
make several changes to reduce the amount of time consuming “busy work” tasks that team
members used to complain about. The complaints from staff earlier this year were that the
“morning huddle”, patient visit time studies and weekly staff meetings took time away from
staff’s ability to provide quality patient care and frustration resulted reducing staff morale. It
seems like I listened, responded and delivered action, but that it has been forgotten about and
other issues have moved up in their place. It was interesting to see that there was a somewhat
higher score for questions 1 and 2 when they are quite similar to question 5. Setting and
enforcing high standards of care and holding self and others accountable for meeting objectives
and commitments are the actions that lead to taking accountability for improving department
performance and patient satisfaction. The questions related to marketing and financial knowledge
(7, 8, 11) were low or marked as “don’t know or not applicable”, which I felt was accurate in my
self-survey as well. I have not been involved in budget or financial items to date, but my
manager’s plan is for me to begin learning next year. I was delighted to see that some of my
highest ratings from the survey were questions 9 and 16 that covered listening carefully and
soliciting input from staff as well as generating enthusiasm for work and compliance with
requests. I gave myself lower marks (see Appendix B, Table A2) for those and higher marks for
encouraging teamwork, cooperation and identification (question 9). The surveyed participants
reported lower marks for my skills related to analyzing problems in a systematic, logical and
timely manner, as well as facilitating constructive resolution of conflict (questions 4 and 15).
These are areas that I feel will improve over time with the knowledge I am acquiring during my
graduate education in nursing leadership and coaching I receive at work. I gave myself a higher
score for acting promptly and decisively to address problems in the department on question 6. I
saw a pattern of lower scores for my leadership skills when it came to the amount of time I take
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 5
to address requests (acting promptly, timely manner, etc.). I think it is only human and also a
sign of the times that people in general want problems fixed immediately no matter how
unreasonable the request may be; “just fix it for me now”. I know that I would like to have
problems taken care of immediately, but it takes time to ensure that appropriate decisions are
made systematically and logically with the input and collaboration from team members, which
were also items of concern for the survey participants.
Overall, I was not surprised by the results of the survey. Recently, we have had some
turnover in the clinic, as well as 2 RNs on medical leave. These workplace disruptions may have
been a small factor in some of the responses from team members; however, I know that I have
beginner’s leadership skills now and I also understand that they will never be perfect. With that
being said, I will strive for perfection by continuing to work hard to acquire the necessary
knowledge and skills needed to foster professional growth and increase my emotional
competence as a leader. As part of my Leadership Development Plan, I will be reading the book
If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9½ Things You Would Do Differently (Lee, 2004) and attend
collaborative meetings with other ambulatory staff members in the organization to promote
quality improvement and implement learned strategies that will increase patient and staff
satisfaction. My commitment to the goals of my leadership development plan will increase
clinical performance for staff and heath outcomes for patients.
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 6
Part 2: Leadership Exemplar
Walt Disney and The Disney Corporation
There is a great number of successful business people in this world, but radically
successful business people all possess something different than the rest; a hunger for success and
ferocious drive that makes them never, ever give up (Marr, 2013). Walt Disney was one of those
radical business people who failed over and over before he built one of the world’s largest
successful business empires of film studios, theme parks and consumer products. Early in his
career, Walt worked for The Kansas City Star and was fired on the grounds that he lacked
creativity. That did not deter Walt’s ambition and continued too pursue his artistic efforts in the
Kansas based Laugh-O-Gram production company, which was his next business attempt (Mar,
2013). He started the business in 1922 making short advertising films and cartoons, but by 1923,
it went bankrupt (Marr, 2013). Walt still did not give up on his creative abilities. The same year
The Laugh-O-Gram business failed, Walt moved to Hollywood and started The Walt Disney
Company with his brother Roy, and the rest is history (Marr, 2013). The contributions of the
Walt Disney Company to film animation and the media and entertainment industries are largely
unsurpassed. Although Walt died in 1966, his company continues be extremely successful thanks
to his vision, persistence and courage to provide a world class, transformational entertainment
experience for his guests (Kober, 2000).
In an article focusing on successful business leaders by Couch (2013), it noted that The
Walt Disney Company is one of the biggest and most well known companies practicing
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) throughout their entire business model. As an employer,
Disney hires, trains and supports a workforce by consistently providing a culture of open
communication, responsibility and teamwork for the benefit their employees, guests and the
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 7
corporation (Couch, 2013). These same attributes of The Disney Company have been discussed
in depth by Porter-O’Grady and Malloch (2011) as essential for leaders in the healthcare
workplace as well. I chose to read and review the book If Disney Ran Your Hospital: 9½ Things
You Would Do Differently by Fred Lee (2004) to analyze the successful leadership philosophies
of the Disney Company and how they can be applied to the health care setting.
An Experience to Remember
The idea of creating an experience rather than just a service is how Disney team members
are coached to treat guests at Disney theme parks so that they may enter the make-believe worlds
of fun and fantasy (Lee, 2004). Patients in a hospital are hurting, sad, anxious and/or depressed
and they have traditionally been serviced by the organization, but Lee (2004) states that a
competent hospital care team should collaborate effectively to provide a dramatic transforming
experience to facilitate healing based on the “theatre” business model. Lee (2004) points out that
patients or the “the audience” need to be actively engaged by the hospital care team or “cast
members” on a physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual level by the hospital because
hospital guests talk about the experiences they had, not the services they received. The paradigm
shift is for quality empowered employees to see their daily work as a holistic health care
experience set on the hospital “stage” to give their guests a memorable experience of personal
substance, rather than providing just a service (Lee, 2004).
Walk the Talk
In effort to shift from an environment focused on service to improve each patient’s
experience, leadership must “walk the talk” on the “stage” because the “audience” is watching.
Lee (2004) states that what people see and feel influences their behavior and however the staff
members are engaged and influenced by leadership, they will take to the health care stage. This
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 8
principle was discussed in Porter-O’Grady & Malloch’s (2011) text, specifically, “The trust that
leaders acquire by walking their talk encourages innovative behaviors by employees, minimized
the potential for discrepancies between expectations and reality, reinforces their perceived
integrity, strengthens the confidence that employees have in the appropriateness of future
interactions, and reinforces the bond between the leader and employee.” (p. 378). The Disney
Academy, which trains leaders within the corporation, vehemently enforces the responsibility of
leadership to walk the talk and provide role-modeling behaviors in effort to display and promote
these characteristics for all cast members to follow in their interactions with the patient and
family to provide a holistic memorable experience (Lee, 2004). Servant leaders know that people
pay less attention to what people say and more attention to what people do and because of this
they willfully align their good intentions with their actions to serve others by walking their talk
(Hunter, 1998). Walking the talk is a concept that should be carried out by leaders in all settings
across the continuum of health care and in every business that aspires to promote a healthy
working environment.
Openness to New Ideas and Collaboration
Walt Disney was the innovator of the storyboard method of developing a plot for he
realized quickly in his creative endeavors that timely, successful scripts cannot be the work of
one playwright, but are collaborative effort achieved through collective brainstorming (Lee,
2004). When Walt included, encouraged, respected and relied on the collaborative efforts of his
team members, he displayed emotional confidence and servant leadership skills. Porter-O’Grady
& Malloch (2011) defined some key points of emotional competence in a leader as
understanding: “individual members of an organization are interconnected and related; creativity
is inherent in the individual wisdom of each team; leadership emerges from the combined active
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 9
engagement of all members of the organization, not from the activities of a single individual” (p.
325). The Disney Corporation continues to have a reputation as a business leader by building on
Walt’s transitional effort to place creativity and innovation in the hands of cast member process
improvement teams rather than a select few executives that are far removed from the day-to-day
operations (Lee, 2004).
Focused Hiring
Lee (2004) notes that The Disney Corporation puts a great emphasis on managers
(directors) to audition talent to perform roles rather than skills, which elevates the workplace by
“hiring on the basis of the talent needed to engage the audience (customer) and the vital role they
play in that, rather than the skills needed to do a particular job” (p. 119). The idea is that if a
leader hires smart and emotionally talented candidates with a great attitude and interpersonal
skills to play their designated role in the workplace theatre and on the workplace stage, they can
be taught the technical skills needed to complete their job description. With this in mind, it is the
responsibility of leadership to engage in focused hiring or finding the right applicant that fits into
the job requirements. Committing to the time and having the patience to hire the best candidates
needed to support the organizational goals are attributes exhibited by a servant leader. Porter-
O’Grady & Malloch (2011) reinforces the idea of focused hiring with the explanation that if an
appropriate amount of time and energy is spent to hire the right candidate, there is a greater
chance that the employee will stay in the company, become more acculturated to the
organizational structure and goals and have greater job satisfaction. An emotionally competent
leader recognizes these important factors during the process of interviewing and hiring
candidates for the benefits of the employee, staff, organization and the patients and families.
Summary
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 10
The most essential leadership lessons that I learned from reading the book If Disney Ran
Your Hospital: 9½ Things You Would Do Differently were to; create an experience rather than a
service, to consistently walk the talk, and to hire candidates based on their intellectual and
emotional talents. In reflecting on the information in the book and our course curriculum, I found
these areas of growth to be a great place to begin to focus on in my transformative efforts to
become a more proficient leader. Specifically, I plan to implement a mental strategy as described
by Lee (2004) to visualize and treat every patient and family member as if they were my son or
daughter and every staff member, as I would like to be treated. It is my plan that my “audience”,
team members and patients alike, will follow my lead and a positive culture shift will emerge.
Increasing my effort to walk the talk by not asking anyone to do anything that I wouldn’t
honestly be willing to do myself is another area that I believe to be essential for enhancing trust
and teamwork among staff members. Lastly, I will lobby for management to increase the time,
effort and patience that it takes to interview many candidates so that the right people are hired for
the benefit of everyone involved. While completing the Leadership Exemplar assignment, I have
learned a great deal about providing an excellent patient experience and creating a desirable
workplace from the “Disney” book. In coupling ideas and information from the book with the
principles outlined in our textbook, I look forward to discussing, planning and implementing new
and innovative strategies in my role as a transformative influential leader.
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 11
Part 3: Personal Leadership
Personal Leadership Narrative
The Influential Nursing Leadership course has provided an intensely educational and
enlightening experience and transformed my perspective of the nursing leadership role. There
have been many instances when I have been reading or listening course material and have
thought that I am doing a good job in my leadership position and other times I found out how
much I need to improve. I feel that I have grown a great deal as a leader in 5 short weeks and my
manager has taken notice as well. Her positive comments about my new knowledge and
appreciation for the fundamentals of nursing leadership during our discussions has given me
mental lifts and encouragement when I have been overwhelmed with my school, work and home
lives.
Analyzing the Past, Planning for the Future
After analyzing the results of my Leadership Evaluation, my perception from the
evaluators’ responses is that I am an advanced beginner in developing the emotional competence
of a leader, which is where I see myself as well. Porter-O’Grady & Malloch (2011) define the
Advanced Beginner Stage as someone who tests the knowledge and skills attained during formal
education and developing skills in coaching, mentoring and relationship building. I believe I am
more mindful of my words and actions as my self-awareness increases and I have experienced
additional personal competence in my leadership role since beginning graduate school.
Advanced Beginners are just starting to begin to understand the connection between the
emotions and reactions of others and processes and events (Porter-O’Grady & Malloch, 2011).
The responses to the open-ended survey question number18 addressed my need to improve in
these areas as well as my openness to others’ ideas for process improvement. Patience with
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 12
people and situations are areas that I know I need improvement and I have been praying and
working on having more patience everyday.
My Leadership Development Action Plan (see Part 4 section below) defines several
action areas that will help me improve my leadership skills. Reading the book If Disney Ran
Your Hospital: 9½ Things You Would Do Differently has increased my appreciation of how to
engage employees and patients to provide an excellent experience as well as the importance of
building effective team collaboration and spending the time and effort to hire the right people for
positions. By joining the Ambulatory Education Committee, I hope to provide staff members
with pertinent quality educational opportunities that will enhance nursing and patient satisfaction
and outcomes; and for more personal areas in need of action, I know that my personal and
professional daily performances are at higher levels if I take care of my physical and mental
well-being. I plan to do this by increasing my physical activity, attending Catholic church/school
functions weekly, nurturing my soul with meditation and yoga and getting an appropriate amount
of sleep, especially on weeknights.
In reviewing the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) competencies
(American Organization of Nurse Executives, 2013), I see areas of strengths and weaknesses in
my nursing leadership skills. I have always been a vocal leader who communicates well and
enjoys bringing relationships together, but I still have a fear of upsetting people. I witnessed
great strength when shadowing and interviewing the 5 nursing leaders who have been in
leadership roles for a many years and I look forward to learning and gaining experience in the
future to become more confident during adverse communication. As an RN, I embrace and
promote shared decision making like Walt Disney and his Corporation. In my charge nurse
leadership role, I know I could find more opportunities to involve staff in workplace changes,
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 13
which would be beneficial for all of us. I believe that my knowledge of the health care
environment is generally good, but the business aspect is my weakest competency. I have not
had the formal business education nor been involved in major divisional or organizational
financial discussions yet. My nurse manager has plans to involve me in more financial
discussions over the next year, which will provide some much needed insight. I was fascinated to
learn about CMH organizational goals during my discussion with Kevin Mroczka, the Director
of Professional Services for Nephrology/Dermatology (personal communication, December 10,
2013). Listening to his knowledge of the business side of our division was truly enlightening. My
knowledge in other areas of the health care environment such as clinical practice, governance,
quality improvement, etc. is much better, but still has plenty of room for improvement. I have
never had an issue with displaying professionalism, demonstrating sound ethical beliefs or
advocating for my profession. These are all areas in which I am proud to hold a high standard for
myself and hope to encourage the same in others. I recognized these same attributes in all of my
interview and discussion choices as well as Walt Disney and his corporation. I would not have
chosen them otherwise.
After 1 year of performing in the Kidney Center Charge Nurse role and 2 courses of
graduate school, I believe my manager and the employees I work with have seen some positive
changes in my leadership abilities and they are very supportive of my learning process in hopes
that I will become the Kidney Center Nurse Manager in the future. Interestingly enough, I was
informed last week by Nephrology Division leadership that I am the planned successor to the
Kidney Center Nurse Manager position after the Service line Director retires in 3 years and the
current Nurse Manager is promoted into her position. I took the news as a compliment to my
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 14
integrity as a person and my emerging nursing leadership skills and look forward to the
opportunity.
Philosophy of Nursing
Nurses bring their skills, experience and knowledge to advocate and ensure the highest
caliber of healthcare is provided for their patients and families. As a registered nurse, I possess
the knowledge and technical competence that are required for my profession. As the ever-
expanding profession changes, like it has and always will, I am committed to continuously learn
and strengthen my resolve to perform my nursing duties to the very best of my ability. During
my personal and professional growth as a nurse, I have displayed the humble and compassionate
kindness along with honest integrity that transverses nursing and the concept of servant
leadership as described by Hunter (1998).
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 15
Part 4: Leadership Development Action Plan
Leadership Development Action PlanFocused
Action AreaPlanned Activity Comments/
SpecificsAnticipated Timeline:
Start/CompletionMeasurement of
AchievementIncrease
patient and staff
satisfaction
Reading/Reflecting/
Implement 2 Strategies
Read If Disney Ran Your
Hospital: 9 ½ Things You Would
Do Differently
Start: 11/26/13Completion: 12/31/14
Conduct a leadership survey/Review NRC
Picker scores
Increase quality of
educational opportunities
and involvement
for team members
Join the Ambulatory Education Committee
I have been recruited to join a committee to plan
continuing education to
enhance nursing practice and staff
involvement
Start: 12/12/13Completion: 12/31/14
Increased number of staff at educational
CEU offerings/conduct opinion of increased
quality survey
Physical Wellness
Renew commitment to exercise
Minimum 20 minutes of
moderate-high intensity exercise 4x/week through
winter
Start: 11/17/13Completion: 3/15/14
Follow exercise regimen
as planned-have more energy, less stress
Spiritual Wellness
Attend faith based activity
Attend/Participate in Catholic
church/school activity minimum
1x/week
Start: 11/9/13Completion: 12/31/14
Weekly attendance/participation in faith based activity- have more patience,
less stressPsychological renewal/soul nourishment
Meditate/Yoga1-2x/week
45 minutes of yoga and 15 minutes of meditation 1-2x/week
Start: 12/1/13Completion: 4/1/14
Follow renewal/nourishment regimen as planned-
clearer thought processes, less stress
Sleep Wellness
Lights out at 11:15 on weeknights
Plan evening tasks and events
to facilitate healthy amount of
sleep
Start: 12/1/13Completion: 4/1/13
Follow sleep regimen-clearer thought
processes, more energy, feel better, less stress
Conclusion
I have been inspired by the quality leadership that I have read about, had discussions
with, and interviewed during this leadership course. During my educational, work and volunteer
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 16
experiences, I have learned to communicate effectively and achieve common goals by
collaborating with interdisciplinary teams. In furthering my formal education, developing a
leadership action plan and committing myself to increasing my emotional competence, I will
continue to the gain the skills needed to address the endless endeavor to improve the nursing care
processes by nurturing staff participation and collaboration in decision-making, which will
enhance positive workplace outcomes. As I proceed through the MSN-Nurse Administrator
coursework, I will continue to strengthen my leadership skills with an emphasis on increasing
my emotional competence and providing selfless service.
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 17
References
American Organization of Nurse Executives. (2013). The AONE Nurse Competencies.
http://www.aone.org Retrieved November 10, 2013, from American Organization of
Nurse Executives: http://www.aone.org/resources/leadership tools/nursecomp.shtml
Couch, E. (2013, June 10). The Walt Disney company: A leader in corporate social
responsibility. Retrieved from: http://www.businessreviewusa.com/business_leaders/the-
walt-disney-company---a-leader-in-corporate-social-responsibility
Hunter, J. C. (1998). The Servant: A simple true story about the true essence of leadership.
Rocklin, CA: Author.
Kober, J. (2000, August 26 2000). Of failure and success: The journey of Walt Disney.
Retrieved from:
http://www.mouseplanet.com/9365/Of_Failure_and_Success_The_Journey_of_Walt_Dis
ney
Lee, F. (2004). If Disney ran your hospital: 9 ½ Things you would do differently.
Bozeman, MT: Second River Healthcare Press.
Marr, B. (2013, July 15). The one thing successful people never do. Retrieved from
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130715085900-64875646-the-one-thing-
successful-people-never-do
Porter-O’Grady, T., & Malloch, K. (2011). Quantum leadership: Advancing innovation,
transforming health care (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 18
University of Mary. (2013). NUR 611 Syllabus. Nursing leadership evaluation tool.
https://my.umary.edu/ics Retrieved November 10, 2013, Department of Nursing Graduate
Studies, University of Mary, Bismarck, North Dakota.
https://my.umary.edu/ICS/Academics/NUR/NUR__611/2013_10-NUR__611-
01___00___DE/Course_Home.jnz
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 19
Appendix A
University of Mary Syllabus Nursing Leadership Evaluation Tool: NUR 611
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 20
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 21
Appendix B
Personal and Evaluator’s Survey Ratings and ResponsesTable A1
Personal Responses
Question # Rating1 52 33 34 55 46 57 28 29 4
10 411 312 413 414 515 516 417 4
Open-Ended Questions:
18. This person can do more of:
Have patience with difficult staff members, provide constructive feedback, provide more
positive feedback, hold brainstorming sessions for problems, hold people accountable
19. This person can do less of:
Listening to complaints without asking if the staff member has a solution
20. Additional Comments:
My leadership skills are not terrible, but they can be strengthened with a consistent effort to
be mindful of my performance all day every day.Appendix B (cont.)
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 22
Table B1
Evaluator’s Responses
Question # #Responses Avg Rating1 6 4.302 6 4.303 6 4.004 6 4.005 5 3.806 6 4.007 3 4.008 1 3.009 6 4.30
10 6 4.1611 1 3.0012 3 4.0013 6 4.0014 6 4.0015 6 4.0016 6 4.3017 5 4.00
Open-Ended Questions:
18. This person can do more of:
Going over procedures; making sure what has been implemented is working
well
Distributing nursing responsibilities evenly
Marla has not been asked to be involved in budget and financial items. In the future,
I would like to bring her in on these conversations and get her more familiar with financial
concerns
19. This person can do less of:
Nothing – she is doing a wonderful job! 20. Additional Comments:
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 23
Appendix B (cont.)
Marla does an excellent job of problem solving in the clinic. She relates well to staff and
tries hard to make sure concerns are addressed. She is an advocate for patients and staff while
keeping the overall big picture in mind. She is developing her ability to see long term and big
picture implications and she is doing a wonderful job at this.
LEADERSHIP EXEMPLAR/PLAN 24