Interview with leaders or managers in any organization - Essay Example

Interview with Managers in Any Organization Interview with Managers in Any Organization of the Person Interviewed I was given the opportunity to interview Ms. Sharon Rodgers, Unit Manager of the Cardiovascular and Telemetry Divisions of St. Luke’s Medical Center last January 13, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. Ms. Rodgers was currently working in her office at the Telemetry Division and was very accommodating and friendly. When asked how long had she been assigned as unit manager for the divisions under her jurisdiction, she responded that she has been serving the healthcare organization since 2008.

However, previous to that, she was also an assistant manager of an interstate bank for more than 11 years. As a unit manager, she reports directly to the department manager of nursing. Her responsibilities include planning, organizing, directing and controlling all aspects of operations pertaining to the two units: cardiovascular and telemetry. Aside from the nurse managers who are directly involved in governing nurses for patient care and for the delivery of health care services, as unit manager, she performs all responsibilities involving administration and governance of the units.

These responsibilities include performance appraisals and evaluation; scheduling of vacation leaves and monitoring of sick leaves; monitoring the upkeep and maintenance of supplies and equipment for the units, as well as the general functioning of the patients’ rooms and amenities and the emergency cart; completion of reportorial requirements of staff nurses; and monitoring the upkeep of cleanliness and maintenance of the units’ facilities to ensure maximized operations of the units with minimal costs.

When asked what the meaning of management was in her personal opinion, Ms. Rodgers replied that the term management actually involved compliance with functions of planning, organizing, directing and controlling all aspects or areas being governed. Managers create an environment for effective performance. They have the responsibilities of integrating tasks, structure, technology, resources and people into a productive and performing configuration. As revealed, Ms. Rodgers indicated that managers achieve goals through the efforts of people and they have to design strategies to influence the behavior of the people they govern.

In this regard, managers have to be leaders, as well. Leadership was noted as the process of influencing people so that defined goals are effectively achieved. Leaders focus on influencing behavior towards the attainment of an identified objective. They could or could not necessarily be managers in organizations. On the other hand, managers must be leaders with skills, knowledge and abilities of their subordinates so that they can effectively design strategies that would influence their people towards what was clearly defined to be achieved.

According to Ms. Rodgers, for her, the qualities of a good leader are consistent with the attributes found in effective leaders. She cited Ross and Hendry (1957) to have defined effective leaders having attributes such as: (1) being self-confident and emotionally stable; (2) warm and sympathetic; (3) intelligent and sensitive to the needs of others; (4) identify with the goals of the group they lead; (5) competent in handing new situations; (6) reliable and dependable consistently; and (7) highly enthusiastic in the roles they assume (pp.

59 – 60). In this regard, when asked what management style she adopts in the organization, she replied that the management style really depends on three factors: the personality of the leader, the personalities of the subordinates and the situation at hand. The most effective management or leadership style must adopt and adjust to the situation and must address the needs and capabilities, as well as the personalities of the subordinates being governed. By assessing these factors, an effective manager is able to apply either a democratic or authoritative style to ensure that identified objectives are strategically achieved.

I finally thanked Ms. Rodgers at the end of the interview and acknowledged full confidentiality in the information disclosed.ReferencesRoders, S. (2012, January 13). Personal Opinion of Management and Leadership.Ross, M.G. and Hendry, C.E. (1957). New Understanding of Leadership. Associated Press, New York.