Discussion postNursing leadership

How do you see yourself applying knowledge from this course?

An introduction post with a real question attached. The example has to distinguish leadership from management, which most examples of good managers do not.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 25, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

The example has to fail as a management example

The introduction elements are administrative and quick. The graded content is the example, and the prompt's phrasing is precise: something your manager does that makes them a good leader, not a manager. That means the example has to be something management authority does not produce. Approving leave promptly, running a fair rota and keeping the unit stocked are good management, and a competent person in that post would do them regardless of who they are. Leadership shows where authority runs out: taking a position that costs them something with their own superiors, changing their mind publicly when a staff nurse was right, protecting an unpopular decision they believe is safe, or developing someone into a role they will leave for. That is the test to apply before you commit to an example, and it eliminates most of the obvious candidates. Approving leave promptly is a job requirement, not a demonstration of anything personal.

Test your example by asking whether the same behaviour could be required by a job description. If it could, it is management, and the post will read as a description of competence rather than of leadership. The unit reading adds followership as a third role and it is worth bringing in, because it is the one most often ignored and it belongs here: leadership is only visible in what followers do, and a manager whose staff comply when watched and revert when not has authority rather than influence. Explaining why your example counts is where the citation goes, since the brief asks you to validate opinions with references and the distinction between transactional and transformational behaviour gives you the vocabulary to say what you observed rather than merely to praise it. A citation used that way is doing analytical work rather than satisfying a requirement.

Likely learning objectives

Choose an example that management authority could not produce.
Test an example against what a job description could require.
Bring followership into an account of leadership.
Use a leadership framework to explain rather than to label.

Assignment instructions

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Herzing NU 451 Unit 1 DQ 1 Instructions As a way of introducing yourselves to the instructor and your peers, please post the following: Your name and a description of your current position (If not employed, what are your expectations when you complete your program?) How do you see yourself applying knowledge from this course? Post a photo of yourself (self-portrait, family, or action photo) In your unit reading, you discovered concepts on leadership, management, and followership in nursing. Though these roles may share some commonalities, there are differences that make each role unique. Considering this please address the following prompt in your discussion: Give an example of something your direct manager does that makes them a good leader, not a manager, and explain why. Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format. The post and responses are valued at 20 points. Please review post and response expectations. Please review the rubric to ensure that your response meets criteria. Unit 1 Discussion – Introduction Instructions Herzing NU 451 Unit 1 DQ 1 Always construct your responses in a word processing program like Word. Check for grammar, spelling, and mechanical errors. Make the corrections and save the files to your computer. Find the posts that you are going to reply to. Submit your peer responses. Please respond to at least 2 peers. In your responses include the following: Compare your direct manager’s actions to your peers’ descriptions. What else would you like to see your manager do to be an effective leader? Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format.

Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

What Unit 1 DQ 1 requires

01Your name and a description of your current position, or your expectations on completing the programme.
02How you see yourself applying knowledge from this course.
03A photo of yourself.
04An example of something your direct manager does that makes them a good leader rather than a manager, with an explanation of why.
05Opinions and ideas validated with citations and references in APA format.