Concepts of leadership - Essay Example

Leadership and Management Leadership and Management The terms leadership and management are commonly used interchangeably to imply asituation of having the power to make decisions on behalf of others (Klainberg & Dirschel, 2010). However, the two terms are different in terms of how the authority to act is derived and the deliverables that come with the position. Leadership is a role that a person acquires informally from other people. Leadership positions are created based on the persons ability to lead others and represent them in various forums.

Leadership emanates from natural characteristics of persons such as effective communication and good relationship skills. Management, on the other hand, is a delegated authority. Managers are given formal roles by other people. In essence, they represent the interests of others. Management roles have goals that act as performance indicators. Managers have specific duties and roles such as planning, organizing and making decisions. Nursing managers have roles such as administration, financial management, and personnel management to meet the health objectives.

In essence, management roles require managers to act in the best interest of the organization they lead. Leadership and management roles overlap in several aspects. Overlapping is especially common for nurses who fit to be both leaders and managers. Both leaders and managers try to strike a balance between the needs of the institution, patients and other employees. Thus, both leadership and management require critical skills such as interpersonal skills, critical thinking and coping. Such skills are essential in ensuring success.

As a nurse leader, I would take advantage of the overlap to influence the welfare of nurses by seeking a management role. Leaders are influential especially if they have the management roles. ReferenceKlainberg, M. B., & Dirschel, K. M. (2010). Todays nursing leader: Managing, succeeding, excelling. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers