Management: What it meant

There is a thin line that separates a Leader from a Boss. If you would ask me  my own version of 'comparison and contrast' between the two, then this would be it:

A Leader might be described as your father while a Boss could be your menopausal high school  Principal.

You see, a leader gives the follower a freedom to act on his own depending on the orders given to him. Based on initiative, the follower would finish the task more easily than the employee who collapsed after his Boss fired him for an unfinished mandatory work!

When you are dealing with a leader, most probably you are in a peaceful and friendly environment. Your thoughts, opinions, and values are counted by your leader and he would definitely treat those things as of his greatest concern. Unlike a boss, he listen only to what he wants to hear. He is the center of everything and all of the people working under him have nothing to say but yes. Yes Sir!

According to Peter Drucker, managers have the power and responsibility to make decisions to manage the enterprise. So in other words, managers decide while his employees agree to his decision.

If I were to choose between being a manager or a leader, I would definitely pick 'being the leader'. Why? because i am already a leader.

The Nurse Ethics at a Glance

It is our duty as nurses to know the code of ethics of our profession. For sheer love of this path, I decided to read about The Nurse Code of Ethics.

Take note that I am referring to the original code and not merely the short versions we often read in books. I had no idea of what lies ahead, but I moved on in the hope that it will deepen my dedication to this unselfish occupation. So, I sat there with a glass of cold water in hand ready to enhance my knowledge and then I began to read. I scanned the first few paragraphs of the Code and find myself going wide-eyed with each word. The Code of Ethics is not like any short story, or news article that I ever read. It is filled with numbers and words that I barely understood, and some that I have no idea whatsoever. I sometimes catch myself skipping off paragraphs and fighting boredom. But I read on, determined to finish the whole thing.


I read about the how the welfare of the people is important to a nurse. That we should respect every aspect of one’s being whether it is spiritual, emotional, and physical. Furthermore, it is also as essential to have harmony within our workplace. We should also respect our colleagues, superiors and even those outside our network, in other words, everyone.



At last, I was able to conquer that piece of work and something changed within me. I realized that you don’t have to be intelligent nor pretty, or tall even, to be a great nurse. What you need is the heart and compassion to help others. Reading the Nurse Code of Ethics, I learned that high grades or perfect scores don’t matter but what’s important is your desire to be of service to the people, sick and well. If we engrave in our heart and mind this sincerity, then studying and memorizing all the drug actions, illness pathology, and skills will be easy. For example, when taking care of a patient with tuberculosis you would do everything that you can to help your patient. And in order to do that, you need to read your books, do research, master the skills, and know all there is to know about your patient’s illness.

As students, we spend sleepless nights studying, completing requirements and such so that we can pass our course. But, if we think differently, if we think more about our patients and less about ourselves, won’t studying to be the best nurse that we can be easier? Learning doesn’t end once we become full-fledged nurses. We will undergo different trainings to hone our skills. Some of us may even take on Masters Classes, but what for? To have jobs and go abroad or be chief nurses and be rich? If so, maybe we spent four years on the wrong course.

Nursing a caring profession. It is not designed for richness or fame. It is a great cause headed by humble people. We may not change the world in an instance but we can touch the lives of others one patient at a time.

LEADERSHIP: What it takes to ‘LEAD a SHIP’

Great leaders are made not born. One can’t will others to do something just by simply coming out of his mother’s belly. Though it may seem like a baby have total control over his parents with just an irresistible smile or deafening cry, leadership doesn’t work that way. One has to possess certain traits and skill to be considered a true leader.

Read on and see if you have what it takes to be a leader.

  

What is leadership?
John Maxwell, author of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, defined leadership simply as “influence – nothing more, nothing less.” It is the ability to influence the people around you, those who are considered followers as well as the ones who are outside your circle. Influencing differs from giving orders in a sense that the followers are motivated to do a task in the belief that it will yield favorable results. Telling a person what to do is easy. But inspiring someone to do something, now that’s quite a challenge.

Factors of Leadership:
According to the U.S. Army (1983), there are four major factors in leadership. These factors will help determine how one leads given the circumstances. They are as follows:

Leader
To be a good leader, you have to have an honest and deep understanding of yourself. Define your capabilities, what you know and what you can do. Know your strengths and use them to your advantage. At the same time, identify your limitations and learn how to work with it, if not, around it. Most importantly, always remember that you success is determined by the followers and not by you or anyone else. You need to convince your followers that you are worthy to lead them. You have to gain their trust, because without it, inspiring them to work is like asking a rock to sing and dance.

Follower
Each person is unique. They have their own values, beliefs, skills, and characteristics. This diversity requires various types of leadership styles. For example, experienced members require less supervision than beginners. Furthermore, leading a group with a dismal amount of motivation needs a different approach than one with fairly high enthusiasm. As a leader, it is essential that you know your followers. In order to do that, you must have a good knowledge of human nature, their needs, emotions, and motivations, among other things. Understanding your followers enables you to lead effectively.

Communication
Communication is a significant aspect in teamwork. You should lead with a two-way communication process in which there is an exchange of thoughts, actions, and ideas. However, most of this process involves nonverbal communication. You don’t have to actually put into words what you want your team to know. For instance, setting an example tells your members what you are willing to do. And if they follow in your lead, then you can consider it as ‘message conveyed.’ But be careful with what you communicate and how you did it, since it can either build up or harm the dynamics between you and your members.

Situation
Like human beings, every situation is distinct. What works with this condition may not work with the other. It is your duty to use your better judgment to determine the suitable leadership style and appropriate course of action in a given case. For example, in times of calamity, it is beneficial to use an authoritarian style of leadership rather than a democratic style. Furthermore, to effectively correct a follower’s undesirable behavior, you should confront him at the right time and with sufficient intensity.

Leadership is not child’s play nor is it easy. Good leaders are developed through endless pursuit of knowledge, extensive training, and experience. And with the right attitude and willpower, any one of us can lead.