It is important for nursing managers to reflect on their leadership capabilities. Through reflection, it is possible to identify areas of weakness and focus on making significant progress. After a critical self-evaluation of micro leading, I was able to undertake a rigorous self-criticism with the core objective of identifying areas in which I have exhibited remarkable performance and the ones that I need to improve. The self-evaluation exercise has helped me to recognise my strengths as a leader.

Discussion

In the micro-leading sessions, I was able to exhibit desirable strengths. I was able to demonstrate a remarkable level of focus on identifying conflicts and resolving them effectively. In one of the meetings, I helped the staff members to recognise that the facility needs adequate staffing even on major holidays. My explanation emphasised the organisational goals and addressed the concerns of the nurses. Moreover, I was able to ensure that the groups remained focused irrespective of emerging conflicts. The nurses exhibited a confrontational attitude and tone when trying to express their views and concerns. From my perspective, they were acting disrespectfully, a factor that compelled me to remind them that respect was of critical importance and that they should take turns when speaking. I also succeeded in demonstrating respect and critically assessing individual member needs and responses during different meetings. Based on my analysis, these were the most outstanding strengths that I exhibited in the micro-leading sessions. Many studies have explored the need for leaders to identify and resolve conflicts with the core objective of ensuring that the team remains functional (Bannister, Wickenheiser, & Keegan, 2014). Undoubtedly, conflict resolution and decision-making represent important aspects of leadership. I was impressed with the manner in which I handled the situations and maintained positive interactions with the group members.

After the self-assessment exercise, I recognised my need to improve in several areas. Evidently, I need to develop more confidence as a leader and be able to take charge of situations. I have been using the autocratic type of leadership, which enhances a significance level of bureaucracy in an organisation. I believe that there is a need for me to employ different types of leadership depending on the situation. The autocratic type of leadership is not suitable in some situations. During the sessions, there were significant moments when I made the final decision without leaving the nurses with the freedom to determine the best way forward. I conceive that I need to embrace participative leadership, as it will involve the group members at a higher level (Tiffan, 2014).

I also need to become significantly assertive so that I can restructure the group and initiate important discussions. I have not been sufficiently assertive regarding the rules of the group, factor that explains why some members chose to act disrespectfully. If I focus on becoming more assertive, I will reinforce the ground rules and restructure the group with the core objective of increasing outcomes. I have also realised that I need to improve on allowing team members to express their concerns. The session helped me to realise that I did not give attention to the concerns of the team members when addressing certain issues. Particularly, when discussing the holiday schedule, I did not allow all the nurses to air their views before making the final decision. I believe that a successful team leader should allow the team members to address all their issues before making the final decision (Dyess et al., 2016). It is imperative for me to embrace participative decision-making that allows each to have a say in the decision-making process.

Additionally, the evaluation helped me to recognise that I need to develop strategies for further learning. Particularly, I need to attend seminars or register for a leadership course that will introduce me to transformational leadership. The autocratic leadership style does not register the benefits that I intend to observe (Kershaw, 2013). An autocratic leader makes decisions regardless of the views of the followers. I believe that attending a seminar on transformational leadership will empower me to motivate and encourage team members to perform better (Raes et al., 2013). With transformational leadership, I will be able to inspire the team members to achieve a greater vision of the organisation. Moreover, I need to exhibit further learning on the registration of a balance between the completion of the task and the maintenance of relationships with team members.

During the micro-leading sessions, I focused on task completion instead of emphasising the need for positive relationships with the nurses. It is explicit that I need to work on establishing effective communication channels that will improve the level of communication in the organisation. Particularly, I will be able to receive feedback from all the team members, and the nurses will be in a position to clarify issues from me. Two-way communication channels will form the backbone of communication between the nurses and me (Cutcliffe & Cleary, 2015). There were several incidents where communication between the nurses and me was ineffective. Additionally, I need to focus on identifying similarities and differences among member perspectives and be able to encourage them to experience a sense of belonging to the group. During the facilitation sessions, I provide a measure of encouragement. However, I was unable to understand fully the various perspectives expressed by different nurses. In future, I need to give attention to the needs and concerns of each nurse.

I need to work on employing the power of shared responsibility as a way of designating tasks to each member of the group. Notably, the self-assessment helped me to recognise that I did not focus on the benefits of shared responsibilities. I realize that there is great power of shared responsibility that can help the group achieve its objectives and goals. Shared responsibility will also ensure that group members appreciate the fairness in the process. During the group facilitation sessions, I was unable to utilise all the expertise in the group with success. In the future, I will focus on identifying the unique strengths of each group member and designate tasks in agreement with expertise. Such an arrangement will promote shared responsibility that will empower the group to complete tasks effectively.

Conclusion

The self-assessment exercise helped me to recognise my strengths and weaknesses in leadership. As a nurse facilitator, I need to work on several areas to register positive outcomes. I also need to establish effective communication channels so that I can facilitate participative decision-making. Although I performed well in certain aspects, I need to increase my competencies in enhancing teamwork effectiveness, which forms the bulk of productivity in nursing.