Team working part 4: managing a team

A positive, well-managed team can help turn a difficult and demanding job into one that is supportive and rewarding. Over the years, I have worked for nurses who were good leaders, but poor managers and also for nurses who were good managers, but poor leaders. I've also worked for some who were both good managers and good leaders, although they were in the minority.

Take a few moments to reflect on managers you have worked for and identify their individual management skills and abilities. Think about your own skills as a manager; what is it that you expect of yourself and other managers, irrespective of the position they hold in the healthcare hierarchy? After you have given this some thought, try to write down, in one short sentence, what you expect of a manager.

The sentence that I have compiled is: ‘A manager is someone who is able to organise and co-ordinate the human, physical and financial resources of their area and communicate the outcomes with others.’