How to Write a Leadership Practice Reflective Report

Quick answer: a leadership practice reflective report works best when Part A (about 2,000 words) builds a critical theory base on transformational leadership, two comparison styles, motivation and ethics, and Part B (about 2,000 words) reflects on one real workplace change using a named reflective model, then tests your own leadership against that Part A theory.

You have 4,000 words, two parts, five learning outcomes and a draft paragraph due before the final. The most common way to lose marks is writing Part A as a textbook summary and Part B as a diary entry that never mentions it. This guide shows how to avoid that. The wording of your own brief, such as the one on this leadership practice in health and social care question page, always takes priority over general advice.

If you want a subject specialist to look at your plan, you can submit your assignment brief and ask for guidance.

Where the marks are

These splits are our suggestion, not a rule. Check your module handbook for the official weighting.

Link Part A to Part B on purpose

Your brief says Part B must draw on Part A. Treat that as the structural spine of the whole report. If Part A argues that transformational leadership energises followers but can overlook frontline voice, Part B should test that claim against what happened when you led, or watched someone lead, a change.

A simple method: while writing Part A, note three claims you could test against your workplace. Use them as signposts in Part B, for example “As argued in Part A, this reliance on one leader…” Markers read this as critical thinking because it shows theory being used rather than listed.

Choose the change carefully

Pick a change you actually experienced and where leadership clearly mattered. Good examples are a new handover process, an e-rostering system, a revised falls-prevention routine or a change in how visits are scheduled. Weak choices are huge events you only heard about, or changes where nothing went wrong, because there is little to reflect on.

Two checks before you commit. First, can you describe your own role and behaviour, not just the team’s? Second, can you identify where leadership theory and change theory both apply? Your brief requires both, so the event must give you material for each. Choosing something with some friction, a disagreement or a stall, makes the conflict and self-management sections much easier.

Do not name colleagues or service users. Anonymise the setting and follow your placement or employer confidentiality rules.

Choose and use a reflective model

Pick one model and use it visibly. Gibbs (1988) offers six stages and suits a full-length account. Driscoll’s “What? So what? Now what?” is shorter and works well if your word count is tight. Whichever you pick, name it in your draft paragraph and use its stages as sub-headings or at least clear signposts.

The common error is spending 700 words on “description”. Keep it to a short paragraph, then spend the words on feelings, evaluation and analysis, where theory belongs. You can see how a model shapes an extract in our leadership practice reflective report sample, which is for reference only.

Our reflection portfolio assignment help page covers reflective writing more broadly.

Choose leadership styles that really compare

For Part A, transformational leadership needs a critical reading. Burns (1978) and Bass and Riggio (2006) give the foundations, and West et al. (2015) give a health-care evidence base to test it. Then compare it with at least two other contemporary styles. Collective or compassionate leadership, authentic leadership, servant leadership and ethical leadership are all defensible, as long as you compare them on the same criteria.

For the historical contrast, a short paragraph is enough: trait and behavioural views against relational and distributed models. The NHS Leadership Academy (2013) Healthcare Leadership Model is a useful UK reference point for contemporary expectations.

Appraise change models, do not just describe them

LO4 asks for critical appraisal. Choose a main change model and at least one alternative, then state strengths and weaknesses in your own context. Kotter (1996) and Lewin (1947) are the usual pair.

The mark-winning move is to say which parts of the model you actually used and which you skipped, and what that cost. Where your brief mentions local or national policy, add one or two sentences on how the change fits it, for example a regulator expectation or an NHS priority your employer cites.

Evaluate your own leadership honestly

This is where many students go thin. You need an evaluation of your own approach, using ethical leadership and emotional intelligence, plus how you handled conflict and what self-awareness and self-management meant for the outcome. Goleman (1998) gives a clear emotional intelligence framework, and Brown, Treviño and Harrison (2005) give a definition of ethical leadership to test yourself against.

Name a specific moment. “I interrupted a senior colleague in a meeting and she stopped contributing” is far more persuasive than “I am a good communicator”. Then link it to theory, say what you changed and say what you would still do differently. Markers reward weakness that is analysed over strength that is asserted.

For conflict, name a model or approach, such as the Thomas–Kilmann modes, and say which mode you used and whether it worked. If you want broader support on how change is taught, see our change management assignment help page.

Draft paragraph before the final

Your 200–300-word draft paragraph should do exactly two things: describe the change and name the reflective model. Add a line on the leadership and change theories you expect to use. Keep it concrete. A paragraph that says “I will reflect on a change at work” with no detail will not give you useful feedback.

Mark-maximising checklist

• Transformational leadership analysed critically, not only defined.
• At least two other contemporary styles compared on shared criteria.
• Historical versus contemporary approaches covered briefly.
• Individual behaviour, team behaviour, motivation and ethics each addressed.
• One change, clearly described, with your role stated.
• One reflective model named and visibly followed.
• Leadership theory and change theory both used, and labelled as such.
• Change model appraised against at least one other.
• Emotional intelligence, conflict and self-management evidenced with specific moments.
• Explicit back-references from Part B to Part A.
• Harvard referencing (Cite Them Right) with every citation in the list.

Common mistakes

• Writing Part A as a list of definitions with no argument.
• Choosing a change where your role was minor.
• Describing for 600 words before any analysis.
• Appraising the change model by listing its steps instead of judging it.
• Being vague about emotions, then claiming strong self-awareness.
• Citing sources you have not read, or that do not exist.

What students actually struggle with

Three problems come up again and again. The first is balancing 2,000 words each side, because the theory feels endless. The second is finding a change with enough leadership content. The third is writing honestly about your own mistakes without sounding unprofessional. The answer to all three is a tighter plan: decide the three Part A claims first, choose a change that tests them, and allow roughly 1,000 words for your own leadership evaluation.

For a deeper look at health service management content, our healthcare management assignment help page lists related topics. A related guide with a different focus is our nursing practice change leadership presentation guide. For team-focused briefs see this team management brief.

We provide model answers, structured guidance and academic support. How you use them, and your university’s rules, remain your responsibility. If your deadline is close, you can talk to our health and social care team about your brief.

Frequently asked questions

How should I split the 4,000 words between Part A and Part B?

Aim for roughly 2,000 words each, as the brief suggests, and check your handbook for any tolerance. Within Part A, give transformational leadership and the style comparison the largest share. Within Part B, protect at least 1,000 words for the evaluation of your own leadership.

Can I use a change I only observed rather than led?

Possibly, but the brief asks you to evaluate your own leadership approach, so you need a role with real decisions or influence. If you only observed, check with your tutor whether a team-member perspective is acceptable and explain it clearly.

Which reflective model is best?

There is no single best option. Gibbs (1988) suits a longer, staged account, and Driscoll’s three questions suit tight word counts. Choose one, name it in the draft paragraph and use it consistently.

How many leadership styles do I compare with transformational?

At least two, according to this brief. Pick styles that differ in useful ways, such as collective leadership and authentic leadership, and compare them on the same criteria so the analysis stays critical.

Do I need both a leadership theory and a change theory in Part B?

Yes. The brief says you must identify how each was used. Label them explicitly, for example “transformational leadership in practice” and “Kotter’s step of creating short-term wins”, so the marker does not have to hunt.

What happens if I cannot find a strong example of conflict?

Use a smaller one. A disagreement over a rota or a handover note is enough if you analyse how you handled it, which approach you took and what you learned. Depth of reflection matters more than drama.

About the expert

Cheste Hughes completed a Master’s in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. Her profile lists health care, public health, nursing research and nursing education among her areas, and work as a registered nurse.

References

• Bass, B.M. and Riggio, R.E. (2006) Transformational leadership. 2nd edn. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Brown, M.E., Treviño, L.K. and Harrison, D.A. (2005) ‘Ethical leadership: a social learning perspective for construct development and testing’, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), pp. 117–134.
• Burns, J.M. (1978) Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.
• Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.
• Goleman, D. (1998) ‘What makes a leader?’, Harvard Business Review, 76(6), pp. 93–102.
• Kotter, J.P. (1996) Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
• Lewin, K. (1947) ‘Frontiers in group dynamics: concept, method and reality in social science, social equilibria, and social change’, Human Relations, 1(1), pp. 5–41. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/001872674700100103.
• NHS Leadership Academy (2013) Healthcare leadership model: the nine dimensions of leadership behaviour. NHS Leadership Academy.
• West, M., Eckert, R., Steward, K. and Pasmore, B. (2015) Leadership and leadership development in health care: the evidence base. London: The King’s Fund.