Description
Submission Instructions:
You should respond to at least two of your peers by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts.
All replies must be constructive and use literature where possible.
Discussion #1
Leadership, Management, and Followership
The terms leadership, management, and followership are distinct. Despite this fact, many are not aware of the difference between the three. Leadership revolves around inspiring and guiding a team toward a common vision. The leader must inspire those around them to pursue the vision. An example of leadership is when the CEO of an organization provides strategies and guides on how an organization can reach its goals, which align with its vision. Leaders also can establish a vision for the organization (Uhi-Bien, 2021). Management, on the other hand, refers to the process of organizing, coordinating, and planning tasks and resources to complete specific objectives effectively. A manager is responsible for the collection and arrangement of resources, both human and non-human, to guarantee that a project or an objective is met (Pietraszewski, 2020). For example, a department manager is responsible for ensuring the targets for the department are met, which means that they are responsible for the collection of resources and ensuring that these resources are utilized toward the accomplishment of department goals. A manager’s decision-making authority is limited to the operations they are in charge of (Khan et al., 2020).
Followership refers to the action of supporting and contributing to the goals set by leaders. Followers are responsible for ensuring that the directives set by the leadership are met and that they collaborate with their leader through the provision of feedback and yielding to the decisions made by the leader and the managers in their spheres of influence (Uhi-Bien, 2021).
In certain capacities, a nurse can operate as a leader, manager, and follower. A good example of this is a nursing department manager. The nurse holding this department is a leader in this department (Pietraszewski, 2020). She can make goals that align with the organization’s vision and is often the chief decision-maker in this department. On the other hand, all management duties involved in this department lie squally on their shoulders (Uhi-Bien, 2021). She is also a follower, as she is responsible for aiding top-level management by following the directives they set and giving feedback on these directives (Khan et al., 2020).
This example also shows that leadership and management are also likely to overlap. While they are both distinct, there are certain similarities between the two. For example, both managers and leaders are responsible for decision-making in their spheres of leadership (Khan et al., 2020). They can both make decisions that affect the followers under their rulership. They are also responsible for coordinating and organizing efforts and resources toward the success of an organizational endeavor. They are also responsible for motivating the teams under their leadership. However, this overlap does not eliminate their distinctive nature (Khan et al., 2020).
The leader whom I will choose is President Joe Biden. He is the current president of the United States. As a leader, he is responsible for ensuring that there is a plan that improves the country in a good direction (Pietraszewski, 2020). This is done by sponsoring bills and guaranteeing that the vision he has for the country is acknowledged through the bills. Through speeches such as the State of the Nation and public service announcements, the president can rally resources, especially financial toward the goal. The president also exhibits management qualities through governance. His executive decision-making allows him to manage crises such as when the country was being ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic (Pietraszewski, 2020). The president was responsible for coordinating various stakeholders, such as the CDC and nursing unions to guarantee that a solution is found to deal with the crisis.
Discussion #2
Leader vs. Manager
Leadership, management, and followership are all quite different things. Leadership is guiding a team or organization toward a common goal by outlining the steps to take and providing examples of good practice. A leader is someone who can connect with patients who are facing clinical issues that don’t have easy answers, and then utilize their leadership qualities and personal power to help caregivers find solutions. Working along with the nurses they supervise, a nurse manager demonstrates leadership by teaching them how to use various pieces of medical equipment (Collett & Furnham, 2022). To accomplish a goal, a group or collection of units must be controlled or guided, and this is what management is all about. Managers are in charge and have a lot of power; they lead their teams via set practices based on established plans, processes, and timelines. A chief nursing officer oversees and directs the work of other nurses as an example of management (Essa & Alattari, 2021).
Last but not least, following through is what helps solve problems and finish the job. The role of a follower is not that of a bystander but rather of an active participant who works in tandem with the leader to achieve common goals. Both leadership and followership are essential for a successful organization. One takes the lead and the other follows. In some cases, a nurse may be required to do all three roles simultaneously (Essa & Alattari, 2021). This is due to the fact that followership is essential for leadership and that effective leadership requires managerial responsibility. Given the near-identical roles played by a nurse manager and a nurse leader, it is not uncommon for these roles to overlap. It is common for them to be required to coach, oversee, and advise other nurses while they are on the job. Nurse managers often take the role of unit leader (Collett & Furnham, 2022). The good news is that a nurse manager may improve management and foster a culture of accountability by taking leadership classes.
One excellent leader and manager is Barrack Obama, the 44th president of the United States. In his handling of problems, Obama has exceptional qualities of leadership and management. One quality that has helped Obama gain support from his base is his honesty. Plus, he’s great at making friends. Obama builds strong relationships with his supporters and works closely with them as a leader. His staff adores him because of his amiable personality and leadership skills. In addition, this quality compels him to follow directions. This quality shone through throughout his presidency and in his interactions with everyone he met, including his enemies (Harper, 2023).
Obama is an excellent manager because, as a strong leader, he shows empathy while doing his job. He was quite good at handing off tasks to his cabinet members when he was president. He worked hard and passionately to complete his tasks, even though there were many obstacles to overcome. Because of this quality, he is considered one of the most outstanding presidents of the United States. Plus, he knows a lot and has a high level of emotional intelligence. Obama has excellent public speaking skills and presented his views in a logical manner. It was impressive how he dealt with stressful situations, particularly the financial crisis that hit in his first years as president (Harper, 2023).
Finally, in a healthcare organization, leadership, management, and followership are essential since they greatly aid nurses in carrying out their duties. Despite their dissimilarities, they may overlap and work well together. The leadership and managerial skills shown by President Obama throughout his presidency serve as an example for aspiring political leaders. His immense popularity in the US and throughout the world is a direct result of these traits.
