Week 5 Discussion: Initial Post
StrengthsFinder Assessment
Upon completion of the Strengths Finder Assessment, this online tool concluded that my top five themes are Achiever, Woo, Restorative, Learner, and Positivity. I felt these results accurately described me, as I have always been one to want to go above and beyond, win people over, solve problems, learn, and create a positive and inclusive environment.
Two Core Values
Based on the strengths that describe me, it is essential to assess these themes and understand core values I should incorporate into my daily routine to balance me out. The first core value I aim to adopt is recognition. Achievers often focus on being busy and forget to recognize when they have completed a task. According to Tom Rath, achievers should “Attach timelines and measurement to goals so that effort leads to defined progress and tangible outcomes” (2007). He says that achievers need to recognize and celebrate their victories instead of immediately moving on to their next task.
The second core value I intend to adopt is realism. Some individuals may misinterpret my positive attitude as naivety. For this reason, I must communicate that I understand unfortunate events can occur; however, I prefer to focus on the good rather than the bad. Showing people my realistic view on life can better help them understand my enthusiasm, and hopefully inspire them also to incorporate more positivity into their lives.
Two Strengths
For me, I feel I need to work on being more deliberative. I am not one to always look at all my options and assess all the risks. I find myself just doing things rather than planning or anticipating what may go wrong. I feel I can strengthen this characteristic by teaming up with someone who is more cautious and analytical when it comes to decision-making.
I also feel I need to work on being more of a commander. I find myself too passive, in that, I do not like being in charge of big decisions. Instead, I lean on my teammates and work towards an agreement between all individuals to reach a conclusion. I also find myself avoiding confrontation at all times because I do not like conflict. According to Marshall and Broome, firm leaders can resolve a dispute when necessary (2017). I strive to add command to my list of strengths as an advanced practice registered nurse.
Two Characteristics
Some characteristics I aim to improve on are my active listening skills and appreciating individualization. As someone who works in a fast-paced environment, I tend to have a selective hearing to pick out important things that people say; however, I tend to tune out the finer details that I do not need to know immediately. While this may be good for working in the emergency department where nurses do focused assessments and work quickly, it is not something that I am proud of. As a family nurse practitioner (FNP), I understand that gathering the full picture from patients will be necessary to appropriately assess and treat them. Mckenna et al. note, “Effective listening, as a quality of effective communication has been promoted by the nursing profession as a way of demonstrating care to patients and their families” (2020).
I also strive to become more appreciative of individualization. It is easy to get fixated on wanting to work with others who are like me with the drive to finish tasks while maintaining a positive attitude and solving problems along the way. For this reason, it can be hard for me to work with individuals who procrastinate, have a negative attitude, or ignore details. Rath explains that those who appreciate individualization can figure out what their team members do best and capitalize on their talents, skills, or knowledge (2007). I aim to incorporate this into my practice.
References
Rath, T. (2007). StrengthsFinder 2.0. New York, NY: Gallup Press
Marshall, E., & Broome, M. (2017). Transformational leadership in nursing: From expert
clinician to influential leader (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
McKenna, L., Brown, T., Williams, B., & Lau, R. (2020). Empathic and listening styles of first
year undergraduate nursing students: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Professional Nursing. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2020.08.013