Reflection Essay and Managerial Toolkit

Running Head: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 1
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT 2

Leadership and Management

Student’s Name: Taneshia Davis

Professor: Scott Burleson

Institution Affiliation: UMGC

HMGT 320 7381 Management in Healthcare Organizations

Date: April 20, 2021

Leadership Style and Theory

Leadership is critical to the success of an organization. I use a theory Y leadership style in my organization to lead the employees towards the organizational goals. In the theory Y leadership, I have a positive attitude towards my employees and always feel they have the needed skills to deliver on their jobs. Through the leadership style, I have promoted collaboration with my employees because I trust their abilities. I also use less effort because I believe the employees are well-equipped to undertake designated organizational roles.
Apart from leadership Y enhancing collaboration at the company, it has helped employees feel valued and thus raised their morale. Some of their contributions have been utilized in my leadership and have heard tremendous impacts. The Y leadership approach has engendered trust and promoted good team spirit and cooperation from the workforce (Martinuzzi, 2019). Through the various sessions we have met with employees, the team spirit, especially in solving the company’s challenges, has prevailed. All the departments within the organization have contributed immensely to the organization’s success because of the support they receive and how well their skills and abilities are utilized to run the organization.
The leadership theory that has complimented my leadership style is Z theory. Z theory focuses on enhancing interaction, job security, inclusive decision making, and slow evaluation. As a leader, I have constantly met with employees and various departmental managers to ensure their long-term job security. I have developed the tendency to handle individual employee needs to enhance individual outputs. Employee needs are handled accordingly to ensure maximum input. Lastly, through the Z theory, I have mentored employees to become great leaders in the future and take up leadership roles.

Current Job and the leadership and Managerial Functions associated with it

My current role is as a phlebotomist. I work in a company that draws blood. My duties include ordering supplies, teaching new systems, entering data into systems, practicing proper patient identification using the available patient information, labeling vials with patients’ names and date of birth, and centrifuging blood samples. Among the leadership roles, I play at the organization is mentoring other employees. Mentoring is crucial in motivating new employees and those who find the working environment difficult (Lunenburg, 2020). Through mentorship, some employees have been able to adapt to their roles at the workplace. Another leadership role I apply at the company is communicating the objectives of the organization. On the other hand, some of the managerial roles I do at the company include solving technical problems, planning, and organizing the activities within the healthcare facility (Lunenburg, 2020). Technical challenges are prone in the healthcare setting, and I have had to lead peers in finding the challenges to the problems.

Future role: Laboratory Manager

I intend to work as a laboratory manager in years to come. In my new role, I will be tasked with maintaining medical laboratory equipment performance by establishing quality standards, developing operations, ensuring staff compliance, and certifying instrument performance. Also, I will be responsible for ensuring repairs at the healthcare for better services. As a laboratory manager, I will work both as a leader and manager. I will have to ensure all the laboratories at the organization have the necessary staff to help in delivering the patient needs (Lunenburg, 2020). Also, planning laboratory activities are decisive for the success of healthcare companies, and thus, my role will entail planning the activities at the company.
My motivation to work as a lab manager stems from multiple factors. First are my aspirations. As a phlebotomist, I have developed a great admiration for working in the lab. Secondly, my goal to work as a laboratory manager is informed by the current gaps in the field. There have been challenges sourcing for laboratory managers in my healthcare organization since those who have worked in the company have failed to meet the required objectives. Another reason for choosing a lab manager is that I will recommend all the tools and equipment that should or should not be used at the healthcare organization. Having the right equipment at the healthcare facility is one of the employees’ goals and promotes workplace safety and working conditions. Currently, there are challenges with equipment since some of them are outdated while others lack the required precision. Lastly, I have chosen the laboratory manager role because of the experience I have. Before working as a phlebotomist, I worked in the laboratory as a technician. Hence, I have a better understanding of the special need of employees who work in the laboratories. Further, I understand what laboratories need to do to be successful.

Future Healthcare Setting: Laboratory Services

I will prefer working in the laboratory services. Within the setting, the main roles shall be to conduct clinical lab services tests on specimens from the human body. Some of the specimens that will be used are urine, blood, and stool. The outcomes of the tests from the specimens shall then be used to prescribe the correct drugs or treatment to the patients.
The reason to specifically choose the laboratory service setting is to enhance the test results from patient samples and promote the storage of patient data information. The laboratory services departments have been faced with the challenges of providing accurate results in the past. Another setback in the laboratory service area has been the proper storage of patient information after tests. Patients have often complained about the misplacement of their test results. Therefore, by opting to work in the department, I intend to ensure that patient test results are stored electronically, and that new equipment has been acquired to facilitate precision in testing the specimens.
In conclusion, proper leadership style and management determine the success of the organization. I have utilized the theory Y leadership style to promote cooperation and trust at the workplace. Also, I have utilized the Z leadership theory to promote performance by assuring employees of long-term job security. Working as a phlebotomist, I have encountered several challenges that have enhanced my leadership and managerial skills since they provided a platform to lead and manage others. As we advance, I intend to work as a laboratory manager to provide laboratory service to ensure. I am motivated by the need to find solutions to the gaps that I have witnessed in the laboratory section as I worked as a phlebotomist. From inaccurate results to misplacement of patient test results, the laboratory department has received a lot of criticism, which makes me crave to work in the lab to find solutions to the contemporary challenge. Also, my experience as a lab technician propels me to want to work in the lab department.

References
LUNENBURG, F. (2020). Leadership versus MANAGEMENT: A key distinction—At least in theory. Main Issues Of Pedagogy And , 3(3), 15-18. https://doi.org/10.24234/miopap.v3i3.15

Martinuzzi, B. (2019, October 16). The 7 most common leadership styles (and how to find your own).  Trends and Insights. https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/trends-and-insights/articles/the-7-most-common-leadership-styles-and-how-to-find-your-own/