Discussion Question:
From your assigned readings and outside research on the topic, consider the difference between a “manager” and a “leader.” What do you feel are the three biggest differences? What is the benefit and disadvantage of a manager, and what is the benefit and disadvantage of a leader?
Learning Materials
Required Resources:
- Weiss, S. A. & Tappen, R. M. (2015). Essentials of nursing leadership and management (6th ed.). F.A. Davis Company. Read chapters 1 and 2.
Additional Resources:
- GlobaLeadership Foundation. Emotional Intelligence Test.
Reply to your classmate’s post below in 200 words, citing one source.
We have all experienced good leaders and poor managers or good managers and poor leaders. The most heart breaking, in my experience, is a good leader who is then made a manager and subsequently loses the respect and admiration of the staff who had previously held them in high esteem; as a manager’s priorities inherently change from their peers who maybe even helped them get to their spot of recognized leadership potential.
You don’t have to be in charge in order to lead. I think something called servant leadership and authoritarian leadership are two sides of the same coin when we think about boundaries, leadership, management, and influence in ways that dictate our decisions and courses of action. This idea is supported by research in two styles of leadership throughout history- even in a historical event with a Native American chief and a U.S. General:
“ Crazy Horse vs. General Custer” (Langhof & Güldenberg, 2019).
It turns out that servant leadership, something we all know, have witnessed, or have atleast heard of, is becoming more recognized and more sought after as a formal type of leadership in military, group, and corporate environments. This is, however, a relatively new development – especially in high intensity environments and fields of practice – or is it?…
It has long been assumed that servant leadership (leading without swaying ones’ weight and authority for ones’ own gain) is not something that could ever work in high stakes environments.
But research is starting to argue that – in fact it is beginning to be argued that the best leaders and military visionaries in history have all been servant leaders (Langhof & Güldenberg, 2019). Apparently, Crazy Horse, the notorious warrior of the Lakota Native American tribe who defeated the famous General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn, was incredibly introverted. He was not at all an authoritarian leader like his counterpart. However, he commanded such leadership, allegiance, and respect that he even had members of his and other tribes who followed him wherever he went. In fact, the one trait that is most often cited in historical texts about the historical figure of Crazy Horse is one of humility, selflessness, and introversion.
I am not sure where the idea of authoritarian leadership originated and how it has come so far in our society to be the prevailing ideal for leadership and managerial styles. However, I am very confident in stating that every leader I have ever respected and would have blindly followed for the good of our team and the benefit of my leader was for someone who was indeed a servent leader – nothing less.
References
Langhof, J., & Güldenberg, S. (2019). Leadership and the significance of formalized organizational structures. Journal of Management History, 25(3), 341–363. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmh-12-2018-0066
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