Understanding Maladaptive Perfectionism in College Students, Essay Example

According to the DiSC Classic 2.0 self-assessment and review, I am categorized as a perfectionist. As a consequence, my primary concern as a leader is to ensure that the required work is done accurately and efficiently. I believe I am therefore effective in terms of improving quality of care and patient safety on a personal level because I strive to do my best at all times. My perfectionism translates well into my sense of professionalism. I spend a majority of my free time reading peer-reviewed research articles to ensure that I can apply the most recent knowledge to my practice. Furthermore, I am concerned with exerting this influence on others, as I am aware that the nursing field can be furthered if the health care staff functions as a team.

Because I am a perfectionist, I believe that I embody transformationalleadership because I wish for those around me to succeed and provide them with the tools that they need to become successful (Tafvelin, 2013). However, I tend to be the leader of the group and delegate responsibilities when those around me are not quick to take responsibility. This is beneficial for the improvement of patient quality of care and patient safety because this allows all work responsibilities to be organized and completed more quickly. These aspects of my personality allow me to be an effective nurse because the ability to help others motivates and encourages me to learn more information that will be able to help my patients and my coworkers.

My primary leadership challenge is that it is often difficult for me to step down as the head of the group. Therefore, when other individuals have strong personalities, it is challenging for me to accept that they may serve as better leaders than myself. It would be beneficial for me to be able to adapt to these situations, because my tendency to take charge, I accept that there are individuals who are more experienced and knowledgeable than myself (Lampert, 2012).An additional concern is that perfectionism in nursing can lead to depression, which is a concern (Christman, 2012). As a consequence, it would be helpful for me to learn to utilize other leadership techniques. An example of an effective leadership technique that could be adopted in the place of transformational leadership is democratic leadership, as this will allow each individual in a group to participate equally in the decision making process (Vesterinen et al, 2012). While this will result in the need for me to release my control over delegating responsibilities, it is possible that doing so will be effective in the long run because it will allow for a collaboration that stems from a mixture of unique experiences. Therefore, even though the decision making process will be less controlled, it will likely result in a better end result.

The best way for me to transform the way that I engage with my peers is to begin practice implementing democratic leadership. This leadership style is more applicable in the health care setting because it is necessary for all members of staff to work together in a close manner to ensure that their patients will receive the best possible care. When I am not the leader of a group, democratic leadership is my leadership preference because it allows me to participate. It is therefore likely that this is the best method to employ so that all members of the facility can be involved with implementing and improving health care standards. Furthermore, this style of leadership is the most effective for accomplishing collaborator research projects, which will be a necessary component of my career. In conclusion, I need to work towards implementing democratic leadership in my academic and professional activities so that my team could work together to achieve the best possible result.

References

Christman E. (2012). Understanding Maladaptive Perfectionism in College Students. Nurse Educator, 37(5): 202-205.

Lampert L. (2012). Perfectionism in nursing: the double edged sword. Retrieved from http://www.ausmed.com.au/blog/entry/perfectionism-in-nursing-the-double-edged-sword-1

Tafvelin S. (2013). The Transformational Leadership Process Antecedents, Mechanisms, and Outcomes in the Social Services. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformational_leadership

Vesterinen S,Suhonen M,Isola A,Paasivaara L. (2012). Nurse Managers’ Leadership Styles in Finland. Nursing Research and Practice. Retrieved from  http://www.hindawi.com/journals/nrp/2012/605379/