Leadership Self-Assessment: Finding Your Niche

“A leader is not an administrator who loves to run others, but someone who carries water for his people so they can get on with their jobs.”
—Robert Townsend

“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
—Vince Lombardi

Consider the quotes by Townsend and Lombardi. Since individuals first emerged to take the helm of government, organizations, and people, a major question has been what constitutes an effective leader. In other words, are the core competencies needed to lead in the healthcare field based on innate talent or on skills learned over time? Does this differ for leaders versus managers?

Following in the footsteps of Jim Collins’s seminal publication on leadership, Good to Great (HarperBusiness, 2001), Chip Caldwell & Associates followed up between 2001 and 2002 with the Good to Great in Healthcare Research Project. The group found a number of leadership qualities and skills that differentiated “good” healthcare leaders from “great” healthcare leaders. For this Assignment, you will examine what makes a leader, and complete an assessment to help you identify your strengths and weaknesses as a healthcare leader in order to identify any gaps that will help you in your career.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review the Learning Resources, including “‘Good to Great’ in Healthcare: How Some Organizations Are Elevating Their Performance” and the two leadership skills assessments.
• Select and complete one of the leadership assessments in your resources to determine your strengths and weaknesses related to your future career in healthcare management.
• Complete the Leadership Skills Assessment Template in your Learning Resources. (Note: Print and keep this completed template handy; you will revisit your results in Week 6.)
• Review the insights provided on your results.

To complete this Assignment, write a 1- to 2-page paper that identifies the following:

• Explain whether you agree with the statement “Leaders are not born, they are made” and why.
• What are the key differences between a manager and a leader?
• Based on the results of your completed leadership skills assessment, what are your current strengths and weaknesses as a healthcare manager and/or leader? Do you agree?
• What areas do you feel you need to work on to go from “good” to “great” as a healthcare manager and/or leader in the setting you described in the Discussion?