Leadership and Management
A manager is an employee of an organization normally tasked with the responsibility of planning, organizing, and controlling with the aim of achieving an organization's goal. Good managers have leadership qualities such as motivation, communication, guidance, and encouragement. However, not all managers are leaders. Some managers make erratic decisions which are followed by their subjects because they are obligated to do so but not due to the manager's influence. Managerial duties are outlined in job descriptions, and one qualifies to be a manager by virtue of their position. The manager is normally held responsible for the action of his subordinates. Job tasks that require a manager include that are meant to steer the organization into meeting certain targets and goals. Also, management is required in the determination of job promotion, hiring, firing, disciplining and rewarding workers based on their performance.
Leadership, on the other hand, does not involve holding of a management position. A leader does not have to be an authoritative figure in the organization and can be any regular employee. Leaders, unlike managers, enjoy a massive following due to their personalities. A leader takes a keen interest in the success of their followers enabling them to achieve their personal goals (Bolman & Deal, 2014). A leader does not possess any formal power towards his subjects. The power a leader possesses is due to their ability to inspire and motivate the followers. Jobs that require leaders are mainly the political jobs.
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Key Nursing Leadership, Management, and Communication Concepts
Nurses can employ a wide range of leadership, management and communication concepts that would facilitate collaboration and support in inter-professional teams. Such skills would not only ensure that the goals of a healthcare setting are achieved but also that nurses work in harmony amongst each other and among other health cadres such as physicians and pharmacists (Sommer et al., 2013). A nurse can either be a manager or a leader. A nurse manager is one who holds a given hierarchy in the healthcare organization. Key decision-making duties are conferred on them including powers and controls over certain processes. A nurse leader is one who does not recognize authority but is influential in their communication and interpersonal skills. Nurses can demonstrate leadership skills in some ways that promote collaboration and support in the medical field. When a nurse works productively with a lot of enthusiasm aimed at achieving goals, he or she will be influencing the other nurses into a functionally cohesive group. Such positive influence will enhance collaboration among nurses increasing their morale in working towards organizational goals. Also, a nurse can demonstrate leadership by being a mentor by sharing knowledge and insight with fellow nurses and other professional colleagues. When mentorship is especially directed to an inexperienced nurse, it will be important in promoting competent nursing practice by influencing their quality of work. Anytime a nurse speaks about a problem or concern in the healthcare setting they are practicing leadership. A nurse can advocate for safety or high-quality patient care. He or she can also question the validity of a medical practice and advocate for evidence based treatment that is effective. With so doing, the nurse will be utilizing their leadership skills in demanding quality from all health cadres ( Bolman & Deal, 2014).
Nurse Managers need to employ leadership skills such as the ability to motivate others. In management, the nurse needs to involve fellow nurses and other allied health professional to ensure smooth service delivery and prevent conflicts. Nursing managers also need to possess conflict resolution skills so as to ensure there is a positive coexistence among nurses and fellow clinicians. More important to the managers is effective communication skills. Good communication skills between the nurses and the patients are critical in the provision of quality nursing skills. A nurse administrator should know how to deliver both positive and negative messages to the nursing fraternity or the allied health professionals in a way that is clear and understandable. Collaboration with other disciplines can be achieved through meaningful discussions and frequent communications via emails or phone calls. The nursing leadership also has an obligation to demonstrate the spirit of unison by being receptive whenever other inter-professional teams talk ( Weiss & Tappen, 2014).
Leadership Self-Assessment
I prefer a democratic leadership style that is based on involving my subjects in making decisions that impact on the wellbeing of every person. Although it is a difficult leadership style especially in achieving a consensus, it is a people based or a subject based kind of leadership. When leadership decisions are left to only one person or a few individuals, especially in nursing practice, two things can happen. One, there can be a general discontentment among other employees, and therefore their input in quality service delivery will go down. Two, unpopular decisions will be made that may only appeal to some quarter of the nurses hence leading to disharmony, and the aspect of collaboration is affected. Therefore, a democratic leadership that involves the representation of all stakeholders is the best. Regarding communication style, I prefer using a face to face delivery of messages through brief meetings that will ensure a proper engagement with the people. With this communication style, one can get reactions, suggestions, and feedbacks that arise from the message. If there is no time for a meeting, then I would employ a mode of communication that is easily accessible to everyone such as the use of internal memos or letter writing.
References
Bolman, L., & Deal, T. (2014). Leadership and management. Christian Youth Work in Theory and Practice: A Handbook , 245.
Sommer, S., Johnson, J. M., Roberts, K. K., Redding, S., & Churchill, L. (2013). Nursing Leadership and Management Review Module: Edition 6.0 . Assessment Technologies Institute.
Weiss, S. A., & Tappen, R. M. (2014). Essentials of nursing leadership and management . FA Davis.
