What does an effective nurse manager do and what characteristics make him/her effective?

Drucker offered insight into the roles and expectations of management within an organization.  A manager is a servant to the institution being managed.  A manager manages workers for productivity.  A manager should take an active role in the community.  A manager should uphold the mission and values of the organization (Drucker, 2001).  While much attention was paid to what managers do and what their most important role is, I was left wondering how this translates into a hospital setting.  And in the hospital setting, what makes a nurse manager/administrator an effective servant to that organization?

Missions/values of hospitals often focus on the provision of quality/caring/supportive/finest healthcare to the patient and community.  Hospitals offer physical and emotional support to the patient and the community through services and interactions.  Caring for the physical and emotional health of an individual requires much of the caregiver.  The nursing profession is an emotionally labor intensive career.  Nurses must regulate their own emotion and expression of emotions for the sake of the patient/family.  While a nurse must regulate their own emotions, they must also recognize and support the emotions of patients in their care.  A nurse leader needs to create a supportive and positive work environment to help nurses cope with the stress of managing their own emotions and others' simultaneously (Roussel, 2013, p. 61).

In order for a nurse manager to serve the hospital effectively, practice must be based upon emotional intelligence.  A manager's ability to serve the organization relies on the interpersonal skills to manage relationships.  According to Roussel (2013), the nurse administrator orchestrates and influences the work of others in a defined environment.  The goal of the administrator is to enhance the shared vision of an organization using emotional intelligence in their administrative practice. (p.61).  While Roussel echoes Drucker's teachings that a manager/leader should serve the organization and uphold the mission, she offers attention to the emotional management that makes the job possible.

What is makes up emotional intelligence and how does nursing leadership display these competencies/characteristics?  A nurse manager/leader must display self awareness.  This is achieved through emotional self awareness (the ability of the manager to recognize their own emotions and effects), accurate self assessment (the ability of the manager to know their own strengths and weaknesses), and self confidence (the manager's sense of self work).  A nurse manager/leader must display social awareness.  This is achieved through empathy (awareness of others' feelings), organization awareness (reading and acting upon a group's political currents and power relationships), and service orientation (anticipation, recognition, and meeting of customer needs.  A nurse manager/leader must display self leadership.  This is achieved through emotional self control (unfazed by stressful situations), transparency (trustworthiness and credibility), adaptability (willingness to try new things), achievement orientation (drive to accomplish goals), initiative (motivation/seeking new ideas), and optimism (not fearing failure).  A nurse manager/leader must display relationship management.  This is achieved through developing others (developing others' abilities), giving timely feedback, inspirational leadership (inspiring and guiding), change catalyst (recognizing need for change), influence (winning people over), conflict management (understanding and negotiation), and teamwork & collaboration (working towards shared goals). (Roussel, 2013, p.66).

In order to function effectively in an emotionally charged organization, a nurse manager must be able to internally and externally anticipate and meet the needs of the organization.  Through personal and social emotional competencies in the workplace, the nurse manager can lead staff and support the mission and vision of the organization.

References

Drucker, P. F. (2001). The essential Drucker. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. 

Roussel, L. (Ed.). Management and leadership for nurse administrators (6th ed.).  Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Thanks!