[Sharon]

Do you believe there is a difference between managers and leaders? Explain your position and provide examples.

[Mauei Caela]

Key Differences: Managers vs Leaders

Managers: Possess leadership qualities but may have limits based on employer policies/tasks. Open to discussing operational changes.
Leaders: Advocate for what they think is right based on experience/observations. Challenge the status quo, considering unique unit needs.

Example from our unit – Staffing budget decision
– Non-vent trained nurses assigned to a unit with night vent needs. Reduced overtime for vent-trained staff.
– Regular staff take on an extra workload managing vent patients when assigned to nurses without vent training, increasing their workload.
– Recent RN reductions replaced with RPNs led to increased staff workload and patient impacts.

Perspectives on Budget Decisions
Manager’s POV: Trying to manage the budget.
Leader’s POV: Impacts patient care outcomes, increases staff workload, lowers morale.

[Amit Kaur]

Hello Mauei
I do not have hospital experience in Canada, from your response I understand that some situations are similar in hospital and LTC.
Thank you for sharing your experience.

[Jessica]

I believe there is a difference between managers and leaders.
You can be a manager who lacks leadership, but you can also be a leader without being a manager.
I think of leaders as person-centered who focus on developing relationships and motivating others whereas Managers are more task-orientated, who implementing processes, following policies etc.
Managers are driven by rules set out by organizations and leaders encourage new learning opportunities and mentor staff/coworkers etc. throughout their career.

[Jessica]

I will be honest, I wrote this post before completing the required readings and I was pleasantly surprised at how closely my thoughts related to the information in the document.

Charge Nurses, Clinical educators or Clinical scholars are great examples of leaders. They have been appointed roles to support staff and guide them. This is not to say that a floor Nurse could not also be considered a leader. I think of leaders as mentors and anyone who acts in a way to support, teach and inspire others.

Senior leadership would be considered on more of a management level including unit managers and directors. They react in ways to support the organization as a whole.

[Tina]

Hi Jessica,
I agree, you can be a leader who does not manage, however be a manager who is a great leader. However in my area of LTC i feel the leadership team does not step up to help out, they do however want you to do more, and they could mentor better. I plan to be the leader that helps out and checks in.

[Kayla]

Jessica,
I realy like how you framed that, and i agree that you can be a manager who lacks leadership, or you can also be a leader without being a manager. I think we all strive to be a good combination of that while having the best interest of our team and clients in mind!

[Amit Kaur]

ACOORDING TO MY LTC experience, I see the difference in leaders and manager.
Leaders have skills to support in situations .Emergency, sudden change in health status of patient,
teach and guide staff, co-workers, take charge according to situations. They have practical experience and knowledge. For example. RPN calls RN in situation which is not in scope of practice and others related.

Managers have to deal with office, budgets, many other things in facility according to policy, admissions and discharge, staffing, attendance, arranging education to reduce errors in patient care etc.
Some nurses works as manager soon after graduations, where clinical experience is not required.

[Stephanie]

Hi Amit,

I have only ever worked LTC as a health care aid in Nursing school however I do agree that different facilities can show different types of leaders and Managers. I do agree that in LTC management is more focused on the background of care, working with budgets, staffing ect.. and your leaders are shown within the staff who are more significantly present with the residents daily and know what’s working well and what isnt, similar to my previous experience wtih acutue/surgical care. I believe it is the staff who are in the front lines who really are the leaders in this type of work enviornment.

[Anastasia]

I think there’s definitely a difference between managers and leaders. To me, a manager focuses more on the tasks—making sure schedules are done, rules are followed, and day-to-day work is on track. A leader focuses more on supporting the team, motivating, inspiring, and helping the team grow.
For example, a manager might tell staff what needs to be done and check that it gets completed. A leader would do that too, but they’d also step in to support the team, encourage them through challenges, and set an example by how they carry themselves.
I think the best people in these roles need a balance. Management skills are needed to keep things organized, but leadership qualities are what bring out the best in people.

[Jessica]

Hi Anastasia,

I really like how you explained your view on management and leadership. I agree that there is a difference between the two as well.
When I think of a “good manager”, I think of qualities such as; leadership, empathy, communication and active listening. Although some managers may not have all these great qualities, I believe they are important to have in a strong manager.

What qualities do you think of to describe a strong manager?
What qualities do you think of to describe a strong leader?

When we focus on STRONG managers and leaders I then begin to see more similarities.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

[Mauei Caela]

Hi Anastasia.
It’s really good that you mentioned management skills are needed to keep things organized. I understand and value the importance of having managers in healthcare, which is a diverse and multicultural environment. While leaders motivate and bring out the best in everyone, encouraging followers to have and be confident in their own voices, I believe that there may be conflicts or disagreements at some point because we may have different beliefs and values from others. Having both is essential for balance.

[Tina]

I see a difference for sure between being a leader or a manager
leadership will and can mentor the team, they can foster a vision as in the article. Leaders are in the people business, and working in LTC we are here for the residents/families/people. We are here to serve them and help them with all their needs or concerns. As well as there for the team, to listen, collaborate and work together.
As a manager you may be not be a leader, and will help manage the daily task of the day and report to a leader.
Both for sure have their strengths and weaknesses. Both are important as well.

[Trudy]

Hi Tina,

I like how you made reference in nursing, leaders being there for both families and team members. This is a great example of how important building relationships and establishing a good rapport helps to make better and informed decisions. A leader could take feedback to make a plan to improve the quality of care and what steps are necessary to get there. A managerial role would be able to help get to those goals, for example, ensuring staff have completed mandatory trainings.

[Miriam]

I agree with you Tina. Being in LTC myself, I have seen it from your point of view as well. I think the best way for managers and leaders to become better, is rather to learn from each other. Their are many roles or duties managers have that leaders know nothing about, and vice-versa. Everyone could definitely be better if people took the time to understand and keep an open mind.

[Stephanie]

Leaders: Inspirational, well spoken innovators of organizations. They influence the people around them with effective, compassionate listening and communication skills. Potential for optimizing care settings, and policies implemented by management.
Management: Focus on organization policies and implementation, ensure staff are following rules and regulations, scheduling, funding and maintaining the image.

A leader is someone who maintains calm and assertiveness when facing adversity, problem solving with active listening while engaging in a positive manner. A manager is factual envisionary to carry forth the polices set. From my experience with managers, they are behind the scenes, setting policies and ensuring they are followed by all staff. Focus is more on legalities, and organizational structure.

[Stephanie]

I do believe there is a difference between a manager and a leader. A manager can be a leader but as a manager there are different roles and organizational rules they need to follow. In my position as a surgical nurse a leader has not been someone who is a manager it has been an experienced Nurse who is resourceful and knowledgeable, organized, willing to speak up for the team when necessary. It was beneficial that it had been someone who was present on the floor, knew the struggles and difficulties of pt. assignments and didn’t hold back when it came to pt. safety and care. This was something the manager on my unit may have been shy to as in some cases they have never worked the floor of acute care and never truly new the difficulties and struggles staff/patients could have been experiencing.

[Viatcheslav]

Stephanie, you are making a very good point that sometimes a leader is not at the top, but within our ranks. I have also witnessed seeing an experienced nurse showing leadership qualities and not being afraid to bring the issues to the unit manager or above. As a team member, especially being somewhat new, I felt reassured having such person to work with.

[Trudy]

As some of my other peers have stated, I too I believe there is a difference between being a leader and a manager. Leadership focuses on the bigger picture and future growth, in the long term. This could mean thinking of ways to expand a small business. Managers will focus on the present task at hand to make sure things run smoothly and that deadlines are met. Managers will typically over see day to day operations.

[Amit Kaur]

Hi Trudy
I agree with you and believe that’s why managers are diplomatic according to the situation.
Thanks

[Kayla]

I do believe that there is a difference between being a leader and a manager. Being a leader focuses more on the overall wellbeing and bigger picture of their team, thinking more of the future and involving their team in decisions about how they want their team to look. Managers are more policy based and outcome driven.

[Viatcheslav]

I believe there is a difference between managers and leaders.
– Manager is someone who excels at micro-management. Someone who focuses on specific tasks which they receive. Their objective is to make their department/unit/part of mechanism to work well and within set parameters.
– Leader is someone who excels at macro-management. Someone who is open-minded and can look outside of the box and be able to create, not just follow. Leader’s vision can be a change for an organization, a step outside of the known and comfortable. They create the goals for managers to achieve in order to accomplish the big picture. Leader is someone who inspires people.

For an organization to function it needs both effective managers and leaders. Without good managers the organization would not be able to achieve the vision of the leader.

[Loubna]

Hello everyone,
I believe that managers and leaders are valuable roles in nursing. However, there is an important difference between both roles. Managers focus on organisation, they make sure policies within the workplace are followed and operations run smoothly. Leaders focus on inspiration. They motivate others to achieve their goals. For example, a nurse leader inspires the team, such as nurses and personal support workers in long term care to follow best practices to reduce the risk of residents’ falls.

[Katherine]

I do think there is a difference between managers and leaders. To me, managers are more about making sure the day to day things get done; like organizing schedules, keeping track of tasks, and making sure policies are followed. Leaders, on the other hand, are more about people. They inspire, motivate and set the tone for the team.
For example, a manager in healthcare might focus on making sure there’s enough staff on a shift or that reports are completed on time. A leader, might be the person who steps up in a crisis, keeps everyone calm, and encourages the team to keep going, even if they don’t hold an official management role.
I’d sum it up like this: managers make sure things run smoothly, while leaders bring out the best in people. The best-case scenario is when someone can do both.

[CHUNYAN]

Hi Katherine
I really agree with your thought. The best scenario is someone can do both. I am a RPN working at long term care i am a unit floor nurse. I feels like plays both roles at the same time. being a floor nurse when we are short of PSW i have to assign the resident to different PSW and make sure all the resident got care. i am functioning as a manager. In another way when PSW have difficulty to provide care being a leader I would step into a model a calm, respectful approach , coach PSW through the care. . and remind PSW to provide resident -centered care.

[CHUNYAN]

I do believe there is a difference between a manager and a leader .
A manager focus on organizing tasks, maintaining routines, and making sure all work gets done correctly . But a leader inspires and motivates people to grow and reach their full potential in simple terms, manager guide the work ,But the leader guide the people.

[Donna]

Yes, I believe there is a clear difference between managers and leaders, even though both roles are essential in healthcare.
A manager focuses on maintaining structure, organization and ensuring that policies and procedures are followed. Their primary goal is to meet objectives efficiently and keep daily operations running smoothly. For example: a nurse manager ensures staffing level are adequate, schedules are completed, and patient documentations meets standards.
On the other hand, a leader inspires and motivates others to grow and reach their full potential. Leadership is not limited to a title, its about influence, guidance and building trust within a team. A leader encourages collaboration, supports learning, and help others navigate change. For instance, during my clinical placement, I worked with a nurse who demonstrated strong leadership by calmly guiding our team during an emergency, encouraging communication and critical thinking instead of assigning blame. In short, managers maintain systems while leaders build people.

[Miriam]

I believe managers can be leaders, and leaders can become managers, but in my experience and career, I have seem some that don’t always possess both.
Managers seem to look ahead in regards to policies, or focus on the issues at the time. Some have tendencies of fixing the situation, but not seeing the long-term affect. Basically, lets put a band-aid on it, but not fix the symptoms. Example (from my career): Issues with residents or families being accusatory or behavioral towards staff. Management moves staff from group or unit, than down the road, does the same with the next staff. Instead, manage the behavior with family/resident. I have had many managers in my career, I do believe there are strong ones who possess both management and leadership skills.
Leaders focus on the team and patient care. Boost moral, collaborates with their team to strive for the best way to provide the best care, despite staffing issues, policies or equipment at hand. They plan ahead to try and avoid possible issues in the future.
I think someone’s personality has a big effect on what type of leader or manager you become.

[Author]

Posts