Leadership Style: Democratic

Vanessa Passero
Paul Jeffery
810-239-541
Leadership Styles: Democratic
Thursday January 22, 2015

Leadership Style: Democratic

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Leadership Style

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher
demonstrates. The great teacher inspires." -William Arthur Ward. (Leadership Quotes, 2015).
Leadership is defined as influencing others towards achieving a goal. The leadership theory that
is most consistent with my personal leadership style, is the democratic theory. This theory is
leading and empowering others by involving them in the decision making process. The
democratic theory resonates most with my beliefs because I think that it involves others, and
places more value on working as a team then other leadership theories. Healthcare professions
are highly based off of team work, and fast paced environments, where patients conditions can
suddenly change. Democratic leadership styles can come in handy during such situations, for
example: when considering the best possible treatment option for a patient, the interprofessional
team would facilitate a conversation, and promote the team to share their ideas/opinions and then
analyze the data to come up with the best possible plan of action. Considering such an
atmosphere, I believe that a democratic leadership style would work best so that information can
be shared and sound decisions can be made.
Reflection of Democratic Leadership
An example of a time when I demonstrated strong democratic leadership skills, was this
past year when I had the opportunity of campaigning with Charmain Emerson who was running
for counsellor in Parkdale- High Park. I was a team leader for 8 people and my job was to guide
the team while knocking on doors and speaking with people in the community. I would facilitate
conversations within my group so that each person had a chance to voice their ideas, concerns,
and strategies for implementation. I felt that by involving the team members in the process, they

Leadership Style: Democratic

would feel more empowered and inclined to do better versus me taking an autocratic approach
and making the decisions about what should be done/said going forward. I believe that I met my
goals and standards of being a good democratic leader by encouraging others to voice their
ideas/opinions, ensuring the whole team was actively involved in the decision making process,
inspiring others to be committed to the project and end result, and lastly, always working hard
and efficiently.
Application of Democratic Leadership
Leadership plays a pivotal role in the lives of nurses. It is an essential element for
quality professional practice environments where nurses can provide quality nursing care.
(Canadian Nursing Association, 2010). As a nursing student completing my pre-graduate
experience, I believe there will be many opportunities to take on a leadership role. I will always
utilize the framework of a democratic leader within my nursing practice because the profession is
highly based off of teamwork. I believe that everyone should have an equal opportunity to voice
suggestions, concerns and strategies to improve the work being done. In order to be a positive
and effective leader using the democratic theory, I will keep communication open, focus on the
discussion, and respect others ideas/opinions. More specifically, I will showcase leadership skills
during pre-grad by advocating for quality care for patients, keeping open communication with
team members, collaborating with the team and trying my best to be a role model to others. I
could be a leader to peers, co-workers, and patients. Nursing requires strong, consistent and
knowledgeable leaders who are visible, inspire others and support professional nursing practice
(Canadian Nursing Association, 2010).

Leadership Style: Democratic

References
Leadership | Canadian Nurses Association. (2010, January 1). Retrieved January 24, 2015, from
http://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/on-the-issues/best-nursing/leadership
Leadership Quotes. (2015, January 1). Retrieved January 24, 2015, from
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_leadership.html