Analyze your leadership development (Reflective Analysis Essay)
Grade: 20% of final grade
**Length: 4-5 pages maximum
Due Date: As assigned
• 12 font, Times New Roman, double spaced, excluding reference list and title page.
• Hard copy and electronic copy due at beginning of class as assigned by professor
• Include a copy of the rubric with the hardcopy of your essay
• Submit an electronic copy to Safe Assign on your assigned due date.
• Late submissions will have 5% deducted per day.
Topic: A Critical Analysis of Leadership
This essay is a critical analysis of one significant experience and/or challenge that demonstrates leadership skills. This should be a specific incident or situation that is clinically-based and typically focus on something that did not go as intended.
As part of this analysis you are required to examine how the experience made you feel and how you have grown and developed leadership skills as a result of the experience. It should be honest and include details to support the leadership skills you are discussing in your essay. Throughout this paper, you need to clearly support your analysis, thoughts and ideas with references from the literature. A good critical analysis essay should help you to understand yourself and/or the experience as you compare it to the leadership theory discussed in class or the literature. Theoretical references may come from the literature related to leadership theory, decision-making, critical thinking, power, conflict management, and change management theory.
Essay must be written in the first person.
A minimum of four (4) different reference resources and eight in-text citations are required and must be drawn from journal readings available from the library as well as the listed leadership textbook.
Below you will find some questions to consider as you analyze one significant experience and/or challenge.
• Examine and analyze the experience and/or challenge. How did this experience impact, shape and change you? How have you evolved and developed from the experience?
• What were the leadership characteristics or qualities you witnessed and/or experienced? Why were they important?
• Expand on why these characteristics and qualities are required by nurse leaders and nursing leadership roles?
• Draw from the topics and theory discussed in week 1-3. Think about the reading and theory reviewed in class—Did the experience make you think any differently about your role as a nurse and the role as a leader?
• What is your understanding of the leadership theory? Can you apply these concepts to specific event you experienced or witnessed?
• What actions and strategies will you implement to ensure you remain a competent practicing nurse and demonstrate leadership in nursing practice? What are some of the strategies you may use in the future if you were to encounter a similar experience and/or challenge?
• What are the leadership skills you need to work on and develop? How will you develop your leadership skills and qualities that you will need for your future nursing practice?
*Please proof read and carefully edit your paper, and follow APA format. See the rubric for a detailed grading scheme. Essays that are NOT submitted to SafeAssign will not be marked.
Essay Rubric (20% of grade)
Student Name: ______________________________ Section: _ Date:_____________________
Criteria Focus Comments Marks
Content and Ideas
35 marks 1. Introduce and explore on one specific clinical experience/challenge. (5)
- Describe the how the experience has influenced your growth and development as nursing leader. (5)
- Reflect, analyze and explore professional, social, cultural, personal and environmental factors influencing the leadership and or leaders. Explain how and/or why they impacted why and how they may have impacted the experience/challenge. (5)
- Consider and utilize leadership concepts/theories and apply them to support the analysis of the experience/challenge. (Conflict management, decision making, professionalism, accountability etc). (10)
- Describe your leadership (style and skills). Include your strengths and the areas that require further development. Answering the questions: What makes you a leader? What are the qualities and characteristics that you value in leaders? (5 )
- Describe your thoughts/concerns about your next steps in becoming a leader. (Consider consolidation, orientation and working with preceptors, future education and development of your nursing career). (5)
Research
5 marks 1. Research demonstrates a clear connection and supports ideas presented in your essay. (2)
- Research demonstrates the basis for analysis and reflects a variety of perspectives found in the literature (1)
- Minimum 4 relevant references from a variety of current sources (include 2 recent evidence-based nursing journal articles) (1)
- Topic extensively researched and supported with minimum of 8 in-text citations, (1)
Organization
5 marks • Topic and purpose of paper clearly stated and identified in the introduction paragraph. Thesis statement, (1)
• Conclusion provides a brief summary of the points discussed in the essay (1)
• Introduction and conclusion are related to the body of the essay (1)
• Paragraphs flow and transition easily into the next; paragraphs contains one idea or concept that is appropriately developed and supported with literature/theory (1)
• Reader easily follows the flow of concepts and ideas presented in the essay (1)
APA format
5 marks
50 Marks Total • Accurate title page and reference list (1)
• Accurate citations in paper (1)
• Correct font size, style and spacing.(1)
• Only papers with no grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors are eligible for full marks (2)
50