In this paper, the purpose is to critically reflect upon information about the information that I garnered through several self-assessment tests, as well as, life experiences about mu leadership strengths and weaknesses. The present study will be informed by themes and theories that have been advanced on leadership.

There were several themes about leadership that I noted in my assessments and from the responses of my classmates. One of the central themes was characteristics of leadership. From my assessment, I discovered that I have high perceived abilities to lead and that I have a personal insight regarding an effective leader. The assessments suggested several strengths inherent in me that affirmed the above claim. As such, they indicated that I am an achiever, learner, restorative, as well as, adaptive. Inferring from Rath and Conchie (2008), an achiever is an individual who have a high capability to endure and one who tends to work extremely hard. The researcher added to this in which he revealed that an achiever is an individual who finds occupied and productivity as valuable. A person with adaptive attributes, according to Rath and Conchie (2008), is one who is motivated to follow the trend. Such a person is a highly receptive individual.

In other words, an adaptive person is one who anticipates things and adapt to them as they come. He or she finds value in discovering about incoming trends and thereby using the information to improve. A learner is an individual who sees value in gaining new knowledge and information, which he or she then uses in order to cause an improvement. Such a person is usually aggressive and continually vigilant in finding and embracing new knowledge (Rath & Conchie, 2008). A restorative person, on his or her part, is a person who anticipates problems and challenges and finds solution in order to restore the right course of events. During group discussions, I am always willing to ensure that there is cohesion. In the event that some members conflict or have some personal differences, I am often quick to intervene, providing lasting solutions.

Another theme that emerged was about conflict management. According to the assessments, the ability to manage conflicts in an effective manner is a central quality of a leader. There were several characteristics that the assessments set out. As such, they indicated that I am inspired, I am able to make great insights and that I am particularly idealistic. Inferring from Bass (2001), conflict management is one of the most integral way of ensuring that the vision of an entity is understood and facilitated. At the core of conflict management is relationship building. Therefore, a person with such ability will be able to inspire, encourage, organize and support efforts that are closely related to the organizational vision.

However, the assessment indicated that I am weak in intuitiveness. As such, it indicated that I have partial ability to understand or even recognize something in the absence of reasoning or direct evidence. A great leader, according to Bass (2001), should be able to make up something when faced with limited or no information. In this way, he or she would be able to lead even during turbulent times.

In conclusion, I tend to think that the self-assessment and the classmate responses were constructive and imperative. They helped me to acknowledge my personal.ity and whether I am on the right path towards becoming a leader. Primarily, these two assessment approaches revealed that I am more of a transformational leader. This is especially so given that I can easily identify the need for change and at the same time, create and facilitate a vision through inspiration. In order to achieve the full profile of such a leader, I need to improve on my intuitiveness, an area of weakness that I discovered. I take value in the information that I gained. I will establish ways in which I can maintain my strengths and how I can improve on the weakness. In several years to come, I see myself as transformational nursing leader, who is able to introduce a change in the American health system.