Image from: https://blog.aiesec.org/is-leadership-a-skill-or-a-quality/

Pre-Interview reflection:  How did you choose your subject?  What qualities or characteristics have you observed before the interview that made you identify this person as a leader?  Is this a formal or informal leadership position?  How do these differ?  What are you most interested in learning from this individual?

I believe a leader can get the best out of others and themselves to reach a common goal in mind. Leaders need to have great emotional intelligence and understanding of others to know how to gain trust. A leader is someone who can adapt quickly, communicate, and understand. The qualities of leaders like motivation, emotional intelligence, empathy, communication, adaptability, and trust are qualities that I have observed.

An RN on a cardiothoracic floor comes to mind with such leadership characteristics. She would somehow put a smile on other people’s faces and offer help when noticing someone seems stressed out. She always had a positive mindset and encouraged it upon others. She wouldn’t say, “I can’t do it.” She would say, “how can I do it.” She was not judgmental and would take the time to listen. In return, it helped her build trust with those around her. She is an informal leader who is in training to become a charge nurse, where she’d be considered a formal leader because of the title. She has leadership qualities based on her emotional intelligence, curiosity, empathy, trust, passion, motivation, and communication. I’m interested to hear how she manages conflict with other people in the healthcare team, ethical issues, and maintaining a work-life balance.

I look forward to hearing about her experience and her journey to get to where she is.