Differences Between Leaders and Managers

Differences Between Leaders and Managers Order Description Chamberlain" rel="nofollow">in College of Nursin" rel="nofollow">ing NR-534 HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS MANAGEMENTS Differences Between Leaders and Managers (graded) As an alternative to the main" rel="nofollow">in prompt, you might consider this question and use it for the basis of your discussion: I look forward to your response to either direction you decide to take this week! Course outcomes 2 Differentiate between decision-makin" rel="nofollow">ing, problem solvin" rel="nofollow">ing, and critical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing, and describe how these approaches are utilized by the registered nurse in" rel="nofollow">in coordin" rel="nofollow">inatin" rel="nofollow">ing patient care. (PO 2, 6) 6 Describe a patient-centered model that uses clin" rel="nofollow">inical pathways, nursin" rel="nofollow">ing care plans, and multidisciplin" rel="nofollow">inary action plans to assist in" rel="nofollow">in plannin" rel="nofollow">ing quality-driven and cost-effective care. (PO 8, 9) Discussion Question: In your current healthcare organization, consider someone who is a leader but not a manager and someone who is a manager but not a leader. Usin" rel="nofollow">ing examples and descriptions, identify the behaviors of each that has led you to your conclusions. What characteristics make both of these people successful in" rel="nofollow">in the organization? Leadership "The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born—that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain" rel="nofollow">in charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in" rel="nofollow">in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born." — Warren G. Bennis (Retrieved from https://getmotivation.com/wbennis.htm) Leaders are created every day. Every day, we fin" rel="nofollow">ind someone who has had no prior leadership experience thrust in" rel="nofollow">into a situation in" rel="nofollow">in which courage is required, and he or she steps up to lead. Thin" rel="nofollow">ink of a recent local, national, or global crisis when the news reported heroism; that hero is a leader. Leaders are heroic and they sacrifice to make a difference in" rel="nofollow">in the lives of others. Nurses are leaders. Nurses are heroic and sacrifice to make a difference in" rel="nofollow">in the lives of others. Some nurses are formal leaders, some are in" rel="nofollow">informal leaders, and some lead through the patient care they deliver. Leaders advocate for their patients and the patients’ families. Leaders see and anticipate needs and have the skills and resources to in" rel="nofollow">intervene with positive results. In order to meet the needs of others, leaders must have a specific skill set. In that skill set are communication, delegation, collaboration, time management, teachin" rel="nofollow">ing, and application of evidence-based practice. The nursin" rel="nofollow">ing process guides nurses to develop and execute plans, measure and analyze results, and present an evaluation for further consideration of additional action. Nurses work together to achieve short- and long-term patient goals. Thus leadership and leader qualities or characteristics are a part of every nursin" rel="nofollow">ing experience. Nursin" rel="nofollow">ing leaders in" rel="nofollow">in formal roles fin" rel="nofollow">ind that additional traits or characteristics in" rel="nofollow">include the ability to share their vision so others can clearly see it. They can share the path and will walk the path toward the vision achievement with their staff. These nursin" rel="nofollow">ing leaders in" rel="nofollow">inspire and motivate; they believe that anythin" rel="nofollow">ing is possible. Leader Traits Once the leader has generated the vision with the staff, the leader begin" rel="nofollow">ins the process of in" rel="nofollow">inspiration and motivation. There are certain" rel="nofollow">in traits or characteristics that will support the leader in" rel="nofollow">in creatin" rel="nofollow">ing a professional, in" rel="nofollow">inspired, and self-motivated staff. But traits or characteristics make up just one of four components of leadership. These components in" rel="nofollow">include (a) a strong and clear belief system that is ethical; (b) values that are focused on the best outcomes for all who are in" rel="nofollow">involved; (c) the skills to communicate, plan, and budget to ensure organizational and professional viability; and (d) traits or characteristics that support success. The traits or characteristics are important and encompass a wide variety of expectations (Peters & Santa Clara University, 2014). As you read through these characteristics, consider the strength that you have for each and where you should focus for improvement. The first trait is honesty. Leaders must be people whom followers can trust. They must have in" rel="nofollow">integrity and open communication in" rel="nofollow">in all behaviors. Deception is never tolerated. The second trait is competency. All actions are based on strong rationale and moral concepts. Decisions are measured and carefully determin" rel="nofollow">ined. Reaction is not acceptable. The third trait is forward lookin" rel="nofollow">ing. The vision that is created is aligned with the organizational vision and an understandin" rel="nofollow">ing of what the leaders expect to achieve and how they plan to achieve it. The priorities for the vision are also directly aligned with the leader’s values. The fourth trait is in" rel="nofollow">inspirin" rel="nofollow">ing. Leaders are take-charge when appropriate, demonstratin" rel="nofollow">ing confidence in" rel="nofollow">in all that they do. This trait represents the stamin" rel="nofollow">ina to make the long haul with the mental, physical, and spiritual strength to follow through. The fifth trait is in" rel="nofollow">intelligence. Demonstratin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">intelligence comes through keepin" rel="nofollow">ing up to date with the profession and specialty, bein" rel="nofollow">ing active in" rel="nofollow">in professional organizations, and takin" rel="nofollow">ing on work-related organizational duties such as leadin" rel="nofollow">ing a task force. The sixth trait is fair-min" rel="nofollow">indedness. Leaders endeavor to treat all people fairly regardless of their gender, position, culture, or other diversity factors. Justice is important, and displayin" rel="nofollow">ing emotional in" rel="nofollow">intelligence supports bein" rel="nofollow">ing fair-min" rel="nofollow">inded. The seventh trait is broad-min" rel="nofollow">indedness. Diversity is appreciated, and it is understood that the organization and the patients are served best when those in" rel="nofollow">in the organization mirror the population that is served. The eighth trait is courage. Leaders persevere to succeed even when barriers and challenges must be addressed. This leader demonstrates a calm to guide all through a crisis situation. The nin" rel="nofollow">inth trait is straight-forwardness. Decision makin" rel="nofollow">ing and addressin" rel="nofollow">ing issues are done with compassion and at the right time. Those who in" rel="nofollow">interact with the leader know exactly where they stand. The tenth trait is imagin" rel="nofollow">inative. This trait addresses the thin" rel="nofollow">ink-outside–the-box in" rel="nofollow">innovation that is highly valued in" rel="nofollow">in organizations. Discoverin" rel="nofollow">ing a new and better way to accomplish tasks, meet productivity, and support the organization’s goals are all part of an imagin" rel="nofollow">inative approach. These ten traits of leadership fall in" rel="nofollow">into several broad categories that in" rel="nofollow">include (a) physical, emotional, and social aspects; (b) in" rel="nofollow">intelligence; (c) communication and experience; and (d) trustworthin" rel="nofollow">iness. Strivin" rel="nofollow">ing to achieve high levels of each trait will help the leader have the tools and skills to meet most every challenge of the job. “We know that leadership is very much related to change. As the pace of change accelerates, there is naturally a greater need for effective leadership." — John Kotter (Retrieved from https://www.alumni.hbs.edu/stories/Pages/story-bulletin" rel="nofollow">in.aspx?num=3059) Leadership Versus Management Curiously, there contin" rel="nofollow">inues to be the question of which is which or whether it really matters when discussin" rel="nofollow">ing leadership versus management. In today’s healthcare environment, the formal leader leads and manages. The goal would be to strike a balance between the two performance criteria. As we move through this discussion, thin" rel="nofollow">ink of your current or most recent formal leader. See if you can determin" rel="nofollow">ine if this leader has an even balance between the two roles or if your formal leader leans one way or the other. The general consensus is that a leader is in" rel="nofollow">inspirational, driven, and admired. The manager, on the other hand, is considered to be task driven, watchin" rel="nofollow">ing every detail, and passin" rel="nofollow">ing out criticism. From a discussion poin" rel="nofollow">int of view, we often see the terms leader and manager used synonymously. But are they really the same? Leaders have been identified in" rel="nofollow">in all types of venues from the begin" rel="nofollow">innin" rel="nofollow">ing of civilization (it is as fundamental as raisin" rel="nofollow">ing a child: the parent becomes the leader). However, the idea of a manager is relatively new, begin" rel="nofollow">innin" rel="nofollow">ing with the in" rel="nofollow">industrial age and large corporations. These corporations hired unskilled workers who required train" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing, control, and direction to get their jobs done. The desire to determin" rel="nofollow">ine the defin" rel="nofollow">initions and associated characteristics of leaders and managers comes from the need to select the best people to fulfill these roles and to be able to evaluate their performance. Currently transformational leadership, first theorized in" rel="nofollow">in 1978, is in" rel="nofollow">in favor, but it contin" rel="nofollow">inues to fall short of unifyin" rel="nofollow">ing the leader-manager debate. Some of the characteristics that are found in" rel="nofollow">in both the leader and the manager in" rel="nofollow">include (a) alignment within" rel="nofollow">in the organization of tasks, goals, and outcomes; (b) motivatin" rel="nofollow">ing those who work under them; and (c) determin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing the use of available resources to achieve outcomes (Marker, 2010). A manager is thought to plan and budget, whereas a leader is expected to determin" rel="nofollow">ine the direction of the plan. The manager works in" rel="nofollow">in a narrow scope and main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">ins clear control and stability within" rel="nofollow">in this span of control. Leaders are thoughtful and develop goals that are aligned with the organization’s vision and values. A manager is to focus on control and problem solvin" rel="nofollow">ing and the leader motivates and in" rel="nofollow">inspires the workforce. The role of the manager is to (a) produce policies and procedures; (b) develop standards of care; (c) ensure consistency and predictability in" rel="nofollow">in work; and (d) ensure that there is order (Marker, 2010). Leaders are to produce change but may produce chaos and failure. Combin" rel="nofollow">inin" rel="nofollow">ing the two roles defin" rel="nofollow">ines the requirement for the current nursin" rel="nofollow">ing leader of today who is a combin" rel="nofollow">ination of the leader-manager characteristics. Today’s nursin" rel="nofollow">ing leader is bright, well educated, sees a vision, and knows the resources to help achieve it. The nurse leader budgets and main" rel="nofollow">intain" rel="nofollow">ins productivity as well as in" rel="nofollow">inspires the staff to work hard to meet the needs of the patients. The nurse leader is a developer of policies, procedures, and standards of care and ensures that patients have a consistent and predictable evidence-based care experience. Yet the challenge in" rel="nofollow">in nursin" rel="nofollow">ing is that most people do not have the skills to be both a high-quality manager and an in" rel="nofollow">inspirational leader. The higher up in" rel="nofollow">in the organization, the less leadin" rel="nofollow">ing occurs and the more managin" rel="nofollow">ing takes over. These formal leaders are farther from those whom they would in" rel="nofollow">inspire and motivate and have more responsibilities and accountability for manager-related tasks. Leader and manager roles are different. A mix of strong skills in" rel="nofollow">in both areas of leadership and management are needed for the organization to achieve its goals. However, there is no clear understandin" rel="nofollow">ing of what percentage of the formal leadership group should be strong leaders and what percentage should be strong managers. There is a place for both. For those who are in" rel="nofollow">inspired to lead, there must be a clear understandin" rel="nofollow">ing that managin" rel="nofollow">ing is a large part of the job. If the new leader does not appreciate this aspect of the role, he or she will become disillusioned and frustrated in" rel="nofollow">in the role. In nursin" rel="nofollow">ing, there are some leadership roles that are clearly management positions, which in" rel="nofollow">include quality assurance, risk management, and nurse educator. There are other roles that may even have the word manager in" rel="nofollow">in the title but actually are more leadership-oriented, such as clin" rel="nofollow">inical manager. The take-away message is that through understandin" rel="nofollow">ing the expectations for the role of leader and the role of manager, those who ascend to formal leadership positions in" rel="nofollow">in the organization will be better prepared to apply the appropriate characteristic to the need that is presented. Leadership Styles Across the decades, many leadership styles have been identified and articulated. Those that are most salient today for nursin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">include transactional, transformational, and situational leadership styles (Giltin" rel="nofollow">inane, 2013). The transactional leader is one who has a stronger management focus (Giltin" rel="nofollow">inane, 2013). This leader will offer in" rel="nofollow">inducements to gain" rel="nofollow">in staff compliance. The in" rel="nofollow">inducements must be somethin" rel="nofollow">ing desired in" rel="nofollow">in order for them to be effective in" rel="nofollow">in achievin" rel="nofollow">ing staff satisfaction. For example, offerin" rel="nofollow">ing vegetarians meat pizza would not be an in" rel="nofollow">inducement; a catered vegan meal would have more appeal. The challenge for the transactional leader is that with the manager focus there can be a disconnect between the values of this leader and those of the staff. The transactional leader is very effective in" rel="nofollow">in ensurin" rel="nofollow">ing that deadlin" rel="nofollow">ines are met, as well as in" rel="nofollow">in situations when a crisis requires quick and decisive action without negotiation, such as in" rel="nofollow">in a cardiac arrest. Some criticism of these leaders is that the nursin" rel="nofollow">ing staff takes cues for care from the leader. This leads to a task-oriented staff for which meetin" rel="nofollow">ing the needs of the whole patient may be missed. The classic concept of an autocratic leader would fit under the headin" rel="nofollow">ing of transactional leadership with all of the positive and negative connotations. Some of those connotations are authoritarian decision makin" rel="nofollow">ing, closed-min" rel="nofollow">indedness, and strictly enforced rules. In tough environments, these leaders are often appreciated for what they can accomplish but are not well liked. These leaders accomplish tasks through the use of reward and punishment. Unfortunately these leaders generate fear in" rel="nofollow">in the staff that has no collaboration on any decisions in" rel="nofollow">in the unit, division, or organization. The transformational leader focuses on the potential of those who work with them (Giltin" rel="nofollow">inane, 2013). These leaders are considered in" rel="nofollow">inspirational. The transformational leader has a clear vision, communicates rationally with staff, and determin" rel="nofollow">ines what each staff member desires. Through the meetin" rel="nofollow">ing of the needs of each staff member, the level of satisfaction with the leader and the organization in" rel="nofollow">increases. Additionally, this leader in" rel="nofollow">includes staff as collaborative partners for decision makin" rel="nofollow">ing when appropriate. The transformational leader is similar to the classic democratic leadership style that supports and respects staff, believin" rel="nofollow">ing that they are motivated to do the right thin" rel="nofollow">ing. The transformational leader is a guide for staff rather than a controllin" rel="nofollow">ing force. This type of leader functions much like a facilitator to ensure that staff members consider the options prior to makin" rel="nofollow">ing choices. This type of leadership engenders motivation, in" rel="nofollow">inspiration, and creativity among the staff. There is some literature to support that the use of this leadership style will improve patient outcomes and work environments. The biggest issue with transformational leadership style is that it misses the mandatory components of the leader position that requires disciplin" rel="nofollow">ine and evaluation. Situational leadership style is a combin" rel="nofollow">ination of skills from various leader styles that are applied based on the issue in" rel="nofollow">in the environment that must be addressed (Giltin" rel="nofollow">inane, 2013). This means that in" rel="nofollow">in a cardiac arrest, this leader would adopt the transactional leadership style and in" rel="nofollow">in decisions when there is time for collaboration, this leader would assume the transformational leadership style. These leaders are flexible and have the ability to identify when and what style would be most appropriate to employ. The popularity of situational leadership is growin" rel="nofollow">ing as the disadvantages of a strictly transactional or transformational leader are more widely discovered. Summary Leaders, managers, and leadership styles offer many opportunities for nurses to appreciate their perspective on these matters and to select the aspects of each that resonate with them. The skills of the leader can be learned, and through personal reflection and askin" rel="nofollow">ing for feedback from those whom you lead, you will get a fair appreciation of your style. If you are happy with the results, fin" rel="nofollow">ine tunin" rel="nofollow">ing the aspects of the style that you select will place you in" rel="nofollow">in a position to obtain" rel="nofollow">in the next position that requires that skill set. If you are unhappy with the results, fin" rel="nofollow">indin" rel="nofollow">ing a mentor who has the attributes of leadership that you want to develop will give you the role modelin" rel="nofollow">ing and feedback necessary to gain" rel="nofollow">in new skills and prepare for the leadership role that you desire. References Azaare, J., & Gross, J. (2011). The nature of leadership style in" rel="nofollow">in nursin" rel="nofollow">ing management. British Journal of Nursin" rel="nofollow">ing, 20(11), 672–676, 678–680. Giltin" rel="nofollow">inane, C. L. (2013). Leadership styles and theories. Nursin" rel="nofollow">ing Standard, 27(41), 35–39. Marker, D. (2010). Leadership or management? Management Quarterly, 51(2), 31–34. Peters, T. & Santa Clara University. (2014). Traits of a good leader. In D. Clark, Character and traits in" rel="nofollow">in leadership (para. 9). Retrieved from https://www.nwlin" rel="nofollow">ink.com/~donclark/leader/leadchr.html#traits Marquis, B. L. & Huston, C. J. (2014).Leadership roles and management functions in" rel="nofollow">in nursin" rel="nofollow">ing: Theory and application (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippin" rel="nofollow">incott, Williams & Wilkin" rel="nofollow">ins. • Chapter 2: Classical Views of Leadership and Management (review) • Chapter 3: Twenty-first Century Thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing about Leadership and Management (review) Azaare, J., & Gross, J. (2011). The nature of leadership style in" rel="nofollow">in nursin" rel="nofollow">ing management. British Journal of Nursin" rel="nofollow">ing, 20(11), 672–676, 678–680. lin" rel="nofollow">ink to article Economy, P. (2013). 7 traits of highly effective leaders. INC. lin" rel="nofollow">ink to article Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). (2011). Addressin" rel="nofollow">ing the leadership gap in" rel="nofollow">in healthcare. lin" rel="nofollow">ink to article Leadership styles impact staff retention, morale. (2011). Clin" rel="nofollow">inical Trials Admin" rel="nofollow">inistrator, 9(8), 89–90. lin" rel="nofollow">ink to article Lunenburg, F. C. (2011). Leadership versus management: A key distin" rel="nofollow">inction—at least in" rel="nofollow">in theory. International Journal of Management, Busin" rel="nofollow">iness, and Admin" rel="nofollow">inistration, 14(1), 1–4. lin" rel="nofollow">ink to article Prive, T. (2012). 10 qualities that make a great leader. Forbes. lin" rel="nofollow">ink to article Tracy, B. (2013). 7 essential qualities of all great leaders. lin" rel="nofollow">ink to video