304 ■ III: ROLE FUNCTIONS OF DOCTORAL ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE
represents the East; the Healer represents the South; and the Teacher represents the West
(Arrien, 1993).
In our Western culture, there are many personality templates that help identify
and differentiate character type and therefore raise self-awareness. One of the most
widely known and used in work settings is the Myers–Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI).
It is a personality profile borrowed from Jungian theory that discerns whether we are
introverts or extroverts, whether we are large systems thinkers or focused on details,
whether we make decisions based on objectivity or subjectivity, and whether we move
through the world creating closure or staying ever open to possibilities.
Another powerful vehicle for increasing self-awareness is the “360-degree”-feedback
process (Lepsinger & Lucia, 2009). This involves a leader choosing several people within
their current and past work experiences to answer—for example, the same questions
about his or her strengths, competencies, or areas of weaknesses.
Thus, the “360” provides the leader with feedback on how he or she is viewed
from several perspectives, revealing clear themes that speak of strengths and also areas
of needed development.
Personality and character assessments help us to appreciate and value the ways
in which we are unique, and appreciate and value the uniqueness of others. They
lend insight into how we operate, as well as how we are experienced by others. This
information is essential for any leader who values heightening self-awareness, deepen-
ing authenticity, and fortifying leadership consciousness.
AWARENESS OF HOW WE BEHAVE UNDER STRESS
Leaders need to know how they tend to operate when stressed and to determine if
their behaviors are useful, or not, for accomplishing a given goal. What we do well, we
tend to do more of when we are feeling stressed. If we tend to be decisive, we may be-
come controlling. If we are good at creating collaboration and consensus, under stress
we may take too much time and miss deadlines for decision making. A DNP who is
generally decisive, action-oriented, and a clear communicator may become aggressive
and appear to bully others under pressure. If the work task is to design and develop a
team approach to solving a unit’s clinical problems, this behavior under pressure does
not represent good leadership. If, however, the work task requires quick action in the
emergency department , then the momentary aggression may be quite appropriate and
acceptable.
Some of us lose the use of our greatest strength under pressure. For example,
one coaching client realized that while she was incredibly gifted as a creative and
visionary force, under pressure she often became fearful, lost her very gift, and made
snap decisions that were not always the best for her team. In the process of execu-
tive coaching, she increased her awareness of this tendency under stress and learned
to slow down, take the time she needed, and ask for input before making her final
decisions.
AWARENESS OF OUR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
In 1983, Dr. Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard University, developed
a landmark theory of multiple intelligences, which posited that the traditional notion of
intelligence (based on the standardized IQ test) was a limited way of determining hu-
man potential (Goleman, 2012). He proposed eight different intelligences (linguistic,