Journey to Becoming a Leader

  This course has been one of the most enlightening educational experiences that I have had thus far. I have learned about improving my self-awareness and gaining strategies to become an ideal leader in a complex adaptive system like healthcare.  I was previously concerned with learning technical skills and being considered the most intelligent. What I have come to find out was that being the best version of yourself is so much more than the technical aspects and runs on a much deeper level emotionally than I ever took the time to think about. Also, I gained knowledge that emotional intelligence (EQ) tends to win out over intelligence quotient (IQ) when comparing career and lifetime success.  So....Who am I?   This is career me, Kari Accurso, oncology nurse at the local university cancer center. A woman striving to find a way to do what is best for my patients and trying to do more than what is expected because it inherently feels like the right thing to do. I'm co...

I knew that this week would be enlightening but also difficult for me at the same time as this is an area in which I struggle and have a known need for improvement :  Conflict management and dealing with anger.   My people-pleasing attitude leads me to want to accommodate other people's wishes and often be passive when I am upset about something. I have come a long way in actually voicing my opinion and dealing with conflict and am currently seeking several ways in which I can become a more effective communicator in this instance, particularly due to the importance of these necessary skills as a leader.                                             Thomas-Kilman Conflict Model My Results: Accommodating: 'I Lose, You Win' Accommodating means putting others wants or requests before your own. However, this style of conflict management can be viewed as ...

 Emotional Intelligence (EQ)  What is emotional intelligence (EQ) ?  According to the Oxford dictionary emotional intelligence is defined as:   the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions, and to handle  interpersonal  relationships  judiciously  and empathetically. "emotional intelligence is the key to both personal and professional success"   How is this different than  intelligence quotient (IQ) ?  💡🤔      An intelligence quotient (IQ)  is a total score derived from a set of standardized tests or subtests designed to assess human intelligence Most experts are now stating that EQ is actually MORE important than IQ in terms of becoming successful. EQ is just more challenging to quantify than IQ since IQ can be determined from a series of standardized tests and EQ is more intangible. In fact, it is suggested that 90% of top performers in most careers actu...