Leadership & Power: Journal on Experiences & Application of Concepts

This journal entry reflects on the author's experiences transitioning into a leadership role, specifically as a receptor for student nurses. The entries detail interactions with student nurses, a supervisor, and a mentor, exploring themes of power, influence, and leadership styles. Key events include dealing with a critical error made by a student nurse, supporting a student through a personal crisis, and learning the importance of empathy and understanding in leadership. The journal concludes with reflections on the lessons learned about leadership, emphasizing that effective leadership is not about dictatorship but about serving and empowering others to bring out their best.

Running head: JOURNAL ENTRY ON POWER 1
Journal Entry on Power
Name
Institution

JOURNAL ENTRY ON POWER 2
JOURNAL ENTRY ON POWER
Monday, 24th January 2018
The day started out well. I was feeling nervous. I had never been a receptor before, and
the appointment had come at a time I had not expected. The responsibility I had been given
seems way above my thinking. As I left my house for work I remembered how it was only
yesterday when I was a student nurse, I freshly remembered my receptor Mrs. Sarah and how she
received me well. She nurtured me into the nurse I am today. Starting today, I was supposed to
nurture student nurses too. I had been struggling to make an acceptance speech to the hospital
fraternity and to the new nurses whom I looked forward to meeting very much. I decided I was
going to make the same speech that was made to me by Sarah.
This appointment also meant I was going to report more often to my now new boss. I
wasn’t used to Mr. Eliot so much. A lot of times we only exchange greetings. I didn’t know the
kind of supervisor he was, and I knew I was going to meet him every evening (Rashid, 2017).
After my speech which I thought I did well since everyone including Terry, who doesn’t
clap, did clap. I met my student nurses, showed them around and told them what I expected of
them. Brian was quite anxious, asked a lot of questions, Mary is silent but does a lot of listening,
and I like Jane and Marion. Kevin looks absent-minded. It must have been too early to judge
them, but I have to. Later that evening I met Mr. Eliot, he was so soft and giggled a lot, he told
me of his expectations too (Power, 2013).
The day ended with this surprise gift from Sarah, which she had delivered to my door.
Wrapped flower with a note saying, “you are the best nurture them.”
Wednesday, 6th May 2018

JOURNAL ENTRY ON POWER 3
This day is scary, I had just woken up late and looked at my phone. Several missed call
from Kevin and Eliot, they seemed to have been related call owing to their intervals. I switched
off my phone and decided I was going to sneak into my office once I got there. I sat on my office
chair and breathed a sigh of relief when from the back of the door emerged Eliot screaming. He
was angry since Kevin, had picked the wrong file for a patient leading to wrong treatment and
these had affected the patient such that the family demanded compensation (Power, Sharda &
Burstein, 2015).
He scolded me so much; I could not hear anything until he said, “you go, or he does.”
Kevin was behind him all this time and when he said that Kevin left. As Elliot stormed
out of the office, I thought of going and scolding him too, but I took a deep breath. I asked
myself, what would have Sarah done? That evening I received several apologies message from
Kevin, but I assumed them, I didn’t even report to Elliot as I was supposed to, I only went home
and stayed awake all night.
Friday 8th May 2018
I was going to meet the hospital stakeholders as Elliot had proposed recommendation that
they were to decide how to compensate the family best and punish one of us. It was very likely
Kevin was going to be implicated so that he was going to end his work at the hospital. I think I
took the best decision I have ever made in my life. As I talked to the man’s wife, I could see the
conviction with which I was appealing to her. She made such a persuasive speech to the board I
must say I didn’t expect that, though I had to pay for the rest of the hospital bill am glad Kevin is
still here (Mouncey et al., 2015).
Saturday 9th may 2018

JOURNAL ENTRY ON POWER 4
Elliot visited me. An apology visit I guess. He said he was sorry for what he had
done and that he was under a lot of pressure. I didn’t know what to do, but I accepted the
apology, and he expressed the way I had helped him gain the experience he had never felt before.
I don’t think he was honest but he said, he had stopped being a dictator just from what I had
done.
Monday 23rdmay 2018
Jane never came to work, being concerned I found her place. Jane’s mum had passed
on, and she had become an orphan. I made her coffee and provided a little bit of counseling and
gave her two weeks off. I got back to the hospital after assuring her; I will take her duties for her.
I can’t believe that Jane reported for night shift duties claiming I had helped her feel
strong. I went home with a heroes feeling (Galbraith, 2017).
Wednesday 24th March 2018
Brian seems whole gloomy day, I made a joke about it, and he became mad about it. I
later summoned him to my office and realized her brother was at home for lack of school fees.
He couldn’t raise money to send him back. I still remember the broad smile when Talen, the
hospital director we approached agreed to give him some money. He wrote me a huge thank you
note later that night before he slept (Blau, 2017).
I have never considered myself so important in other people’s life I must have
thought. I chose to help my student nurses so that they get the best from me but they all taught
me three things.
Leadership is not about dictatorship.
Be in the life of the people that you lead.
Give people the best they will give you their best too.

JOURNAL ENTRY ON POWER 5
My bosses have made me learn that, every time you have a chance to serve to do it
to the very best. Everyone can lead only that right now you are entrusted to lead. I will never
forget Sarah words, ‘what would have I done to make this better?’

JOURNAL ENTRY ON POWER 6
References
Blau, P. (2017). Exchange and power in social life. Routledge.
Galbraith, J. (2017). American capitalism: The concept of countervailing power. Routledge.
Mouncey, P. R., Osborn, T. M., Power, G. S., Harrison, D. A., Sadique, M. Z., Grieve, R. D., ...
& Coats, T. J. (2015). Trial of early, goal-directed resuscitation for septic shock. New
England Journal of Medicine, 372(14), 1301-1311.
Power, D. J., Sharda, R., & Burstein, F. (2015). Decision support systems. John Wiley & Sons,
Ltd.
Power, S. (2013). ”A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide. Basic Books.
Rashid, M. H. (Ed.). (2017). Power electronics handbook. Butterworth-Heinemann.

JOURNAL ENTRY ON POWER 7
References
Campbell, W., Twenge, J. and Carter, N., 2017. Support for Marijuana (Cannabis) Legalization:
Untangling Age, Period, and Cohort Effects. Collabra: Psychology, 3(1).