Is Leadership More Important Than Management?

Is leadership more important than management? Even though leadership and management are defined differently, both have similar characteristics. A leader has characteristics of a manager and the other way around. Leadership and management skills are essential for nurses. Is one more important than the other? According to Marquis and Hutson (2017), “People want to make distinction and to compare and rank one as more important over the other—usually leadership over management—but it’s more a question of applying what’s needed in a given situation to improve performance” (p. 39).
The definition of leadership has endless meanings and not just one simple definition. The term leadership came from the term leader; therefore, leaders are known
To be a leader, one must be a priority setter, communicator, encourager, decision maker, and role model. When a leader sets priorities, something is more important to than another. If a patient comes in the emergency room with a black eye and wheezing, a nurse knows that maintaining the patient’s airway is most important. The patient’s airway is more important than the fact that the patient has a black eye. This is an example of how a nurse is a priority setter. If a nurse helps the patient that is priority, this increases the chances of saving a life. Another key aspect to leadership is being a communicator. Being able to communicate with staff and patients is extremely important. To a nurse, communication might not seem like the most important care for a patient. The most important care of a nurse to a patient might be doing a particular skill. To a patient, communication might be the most compassionate and self-healing act of care. Some patients just need someone to talk too. A leader must be an encourager. In order for a patient to get healthier, the nurse must encourage the patient throughout the process. Not only should the nurse encourage patients, but other nurses should be encouraged also. Little things mean the most, so encouraging someone throughout the day could get that individual throughout the day easier. Another important aspect in leadership is decision-making. To be a good leader, one has
The student nurse has the characteristic of time management. After playing college softball, the student nurse learned how to delegate time between studying and softball. Softball requires an enormous number of hours to be dedicated, so time management is essential. The student nurse’s time management skills from softball help manage time in nursing school. The student nurse does school work and studies at every opportunity. Organization is another manager characteristic the student nurse has. The student nurse organizes all classes in different tabs in a notebook. All notes for each class are in their own folder under what exam the notes are on. Without organization, the student nurse would not get through nursing school. Another characteristic the student nurse has is communication. Whenever the student nurse does not understand a topic, the student nurse asks questions until the topic is clarified. The student nurse communicates to the group when there are group assignments or projects. Even though the student nurse is not a manger, maybe these characteristics will encourage the student nurse to be a manger one day (Marquis & Hutson,