Today we are going to talk about "Ineffective Leaders and Managers." I am sure many of you know one, or maybe even two of your managers or leaders being ineffective and function on something that we always called, "crisis management." So, what is an ineffective leader or manager?
Ineffective leaders or managers are people who follow other people's agendas and manage their life around pressing matters. Just like effective leaders and managers, they have developed 7 habits that add to the inefficiency. Let's think about "The 7 Habits of Effective People" as designated by Stephen Covey (2003), or should I say "The 7 Habits of Ineffective People: Don't Be One."
In effective people :
1. Be reactive, instead of proactive. They do not take responsibility for their own lives and often feel victimized. They feel that they are the product of circumstances that have happend and do not see themselves as being responsible for their own creative forces in their lives. Reactive people blame others for everything, the parents for issues that cause them to have bad things, and even the environment is responsible for what is going on with them. The famous words one hears with reactive individuals are "I can't, I must, if only..."
2. Begin with no end in mind. In other words, these individuals do not have a vision, nor have they developed a deep sense of personal meaning. They live life based on society's values rather than their self chosen ones. Ineffective managers and leaders have no goals or dreams. There is no mission statement and no direction because they have no vision.
3. Put the second thing in their lives first. These are the crisis managers. They are unable to focus on the higher tasks and be proactive. The leaders and managers get pre-occupied with the past or with people and then they get caught up in the thick or thin of things. Ineffective nurse managers and leaders tend to react to popular, pleasant, and pressing things that can cause priorities to shift, and they become disorganized and unfocuised on tasks.
4. Tend to think win-lose instead of win-win. There is a presence of the scarcity mentality. Usually the seel life as a zero sum game, meaning they have nothing in their lives that is of value. Ususally they are defensive and adversarial, and definitely have poor and ineffective communication skills. Usually the thoughts run into the terms of either/or; either you are nice or you are tough and mean. If these managers become high on courage, but low on consideration of others, then it becomes a win-lose situation. These individuals borrow strength from power, and then become egocentric. If they lose, then they subdue themselves to the point that it overtakes them and then frustration becomes the underlying motivation, and they vent.
5. Seek first to be understood, instead of trying to understand. Their point of view is most important, and they are motivated solely on themselves. These people do not think of others and don't even try to understand them. Selective listening happens, and sometimes they only pretend to listen. There is definite lack of empathic listenind as the energies are not focused on the other person.
6. Compromise, fight or flight. In other words they clone other people to be like them, becasue differences in others are looked upon as threats. They tend to set upbarriers to success. They use attack techniques to putting down the ideas because they are defensive and fearful. In addtiion, the negativity is rampant and the common words used are "It won't work, it has not been done before, etc."
7. Wear out the saw, instead of sharpening it. Ineffective managers and leaders tend to lack a program of self re-newal and self-improvement. The lose the cutting edge to their performance that they may have had at one time. There is a limit or poor growth process when self renewal is absent. There is also decreased productivity levels and inability to handle challenges and eventually they burn out. (Covey, 2003)
Well, after reading and seeing the different types of managers and nurse managers, I hope you will reflect on what is important to you, as you begin your journey into nursing leadership. Leaders are needed in nursing and with the radical changes that are occurring in healthcare today, we need effective nurse leaders and managers. Take a few moments, refelect on a time when you had to work under an ineffective manager. How did you feel? What did you do to make the work environment more palatable? What about when you worked under an effective leader? What was the difference?
Write your thoughts in a journal. Ponder these questions carefully as in a few weeks you will be working for one of theses types of managers and leaders.
Till we meet again.
Reference
Covey, S. (2003). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Personal Workbook. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
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