CONCEPTUAL QUILT
Application Exercise #4 � From Theory to Practice
This is the last of the four application exercises in this course. Please spend some time working through this exercise as it should provide you with a chance to utilize the theory in a practical way that you will take with you into your practice as a leader/manager.
NOTE: To complete this portion of Assignment 5 valued at 5% of your final grade, you need to complete Application Exercise #4 and then make a posting in the Unit 12 Conference. Please review the Assessment document before you make your posting so that you are aware of how your posting will be evaluated. Your tutor will be reviewing your posting to see if you have summarized the key findings you discovered in doing the application exercise. Your posting will achieve the maximum value if it is succinct and insightful showing clearly how you have applied the theory learned in the course to a practical situation.
Being Influential: Leadership in Action
A leader is defined as �...anyone how used interpersonal skills to influence others to accomplish a specific goal� (Sullivan & Decker, 2009, p. 45). Sullivan (2013) puts forward the assumption that, �nurses can develop the skills...to become more influential� (p. xvii). In other words, you can become a leader, a person of influence. Hopefully, what you have learned in Nursing 432 has given you a strong theoretical foundation and practical tools to lead. This application exercise is designed to assist you to use what you have learned to become influential.
First � review the section on �Leadership� in Chapter 8 of the Kelly and Quesnelle course textbook. Pay particular attention to �Kouzes and Posner�s Five Leadership Practices� on page 180 of your course textbook (Kelly & Quesnelle, 2016).
Second � read
Sullivan, E. J. (2013.) Becoming influential: A guide for nurses (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Chapters 1, 2, 13, and 14.
Third � Review advice on building a professional network. One example for review is https://careerprocanada.ca/10-tips-building-professional-network/
Fourth � Put your influence to work. Which exercise you chose will depend on where you are on your career-path Do one of the following �
Prepare a Powerpoint Presentation � focused on Leadership in Nursing incorporating the key lessons you have learned in this course and offer to share it with someone or a group in your network.
Build or Add to Your Resume � redo your resume giving it a leadership/management focus to prepare yourself to apply for a leadership role (or for a higher level role if you are already in a leadership position). Ensure that you include a statement of your philosophy of leadership and emphasize aspects of your past employment that utilized leadership/management skills. Share you revised resume with someone in your network.
Complete an Honest Self-assessment - read the \"Considering Your Next Job\" section on pages 172 - 174 in Sullivan (2013). Pay particular attention to the components of a self-assessment. Spend some time in doing this self-assessment and reflect on your current situation and on how you plan to improve. Prepare your own \" Personal Board of Directors\" - a \"group of people we turn to for advice\" (Sullivan, 2013, p. 186) to help you with your improvement plan.
Mentor Review - think of all the people who have helped you get to the point you are at in your career and make a list of these people. Specifically record what they taught you and how they contributed to your learning. Contact some of them to thank them and to discuss with them their influence on you. Look for opportunities to share these leadership lessons with others you encounter.
Make a Conceptual Quilt � decide which major concepts, theories, ideas and metaphors in this course made an \"impression\" on you and are worth holding onto and incorporating into your practice. You might discover many of these in your course notes. Could you array these into a quilt pattern using Paint or a similar program?
Finally � share the major insights you gained from this final application exercise in the Unit 12 Conference for assessment by your tutor.
