When is it delegation and when is it "Being bossy"???

[SNBTaylor]

As I complete my final semester of nursing school I hear a lot of talk about leadership and management using terms like accountability and delegation and it makes me think... At what point is a nurse delegating to support staff (i.e. CNA, RT, PT, etc.) and when do we cross that line into bossing people around? I know when I was a CNA and even as an EMT I had a bad attitude when it came to nurses Telling me what to do rather than asking me.

So what do you think? When do we cross the line between delegation and being bossy?

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

I have no problem delegating tasks, but I also say please and thank you. A little politeness and consideration for the hard work the CNA's do goes a long way. As a result of my being nice to them, they are much more likely to do their assigned tasks with a minimum of complaining.

[macawake, MSN]

I know when I was a CNA and even as an EMT I had a bad attitude when it came to nurses Telling me what to do rather than asking me.

So what do you think? When do we cross the line between delegation and being bossy?

I'm a second career nurse, previously law enforcement. It's a different environment and I'm sort of accustomed to "barking" (and receiving) orders, short and sweet (well, short at least ). Not that we were rude, but communication was often direct and to the point, limited to the necessary parts, without a lot of fluff/social niceties added.

Perhaps it's because I have this background I don't expect my manager to say "Nurse macawake, would you please take care of the patients assigned to you, pretty please". It's why I was hired in the first place and s/he has a right to expect that I carry out the duties in my job description.

I'm the same way with the CNA's I work with. I always talk to other people (regardless of position) with respect/good manners but I have an expectation that the person fulfills his/her professional duties without a ton of cajoling necessary on my part. I treat my CNA's as a valued member of the team (which they are) and I have a good working relationship with most of them.

I've only had real problems once, with a 25-year CNA veteran when I was a brand new (ink not yet dry on my license ) nurse, and she didn't think it was necessary to do what the new nurse asked of her. Oh, well. Crisis dealt with, WWIII averted.

[JustKeepSmiling, ADN, BSN, RN]

I'm a second career nurse, previously law enforcement. It's a different environment and I'm sort of accustomed to "barking" (and receiving) orders, short and sweet (well, short at least ). Not that we were rude, but communication was often direct and to the point, limited to the necessary parts, without a lot of fluff/social niceties added.

Perhaps it's because I have this background I don't expect my manager to say "Nurse macawake, would you please take care of the patients assigned to you, pretty please". It's why I was hired in the first place and s/he has a right to expect that I carry out the duties in my job description.

I'm the same way with the CNA's I work with. I always talk to other people (regardless of position) with respect/good manners but I have an expectation that the person fulfills his/her professional duties without a ton of cajoling necessary on my part. I treat my CNA's as a valued member of the team (which they are) and I have a good working relationship with most of them.

I've only had real problems once, with a 25-year CNA veteran when I was a brand new (ink not yet dry on my license ) nurse, and she didn't think it was necessary to do what the new nurse asked of her. Oh, well. Crisis dealt with, WWIII averted.

I could not agree with you more. I also read a leadership book that explained there are 3 types of performers. Most CNAs I work with are basically class C, that is they do the bare minimum to get by and drag morale behind them. You can't ask these types of people to do something, you have to be direct and clear with expectations.

I don't believe in asking an employee to please do something they were HIRED to do.

When I'm a staff nurse I hardly ever gripe about admits/discharges because that is my job and that is nursing. When I charge and assign admits, I'm astounded by the attitude.

The ER does not close, people are sick, this is a hospital.

Ancillary staff being offended by being delegated to and not sugar coated asked with a cherry on top to do something tend to have an internal issue and are probably projecting anger due to some form of discontent.

I think I'm sounding bitter here but I don't believe in begging people to do a job they were hired for. I worked as a CNA, nurse tech and nurse. I know what the job takes and I know it's insanely hard. Management needs to hold these employees accountable to their job duties. Likewise nurses can hold the CNAs accountable be setting clear expectations with direct delegation and following up on the delegated task.

Definitely not advocating rudeness or barking at anyone but there is a huge difference between:

A - Please can you go change Mrs Patient when you have a minute?

B - Mrs Patient needs to be changed.

Question vs statement.

Questions lead to yes/no answers that lead to arguements. Statements are closed ended.

In general I avoid yes/no questions with other staff and either delegate with statement or invite then to do a task jointly - lets go change Mrs. Patient so we can pull her up together. Hard to argue with teamwork too!

[ICURN3020]

I agree with using statements rather than questions when delegating. Technically, the act of delegating is assigning tasks, not asking. I think when we start saying "if you have time", "if you're able to", or "would you mind", the communication can become misinterpreted and can lead to problems.

I think of it similarly to how I communicate with my children. If I say, "would you mind brushing your teeth when you have a minute?" it will never happen. When I say, "It's time to brush your teeth", they know I'm not asking, I'm telling and there's no room for negotiation. Not saying that nursing assistants are child-like, it's just kind of a similar role dynamic. Mothers are in an authoritative position in the parent-child relationship, similar to how a nurse is in an authoritative position in the nurse-nurse assistant relationship.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Your overall approach, body language, and tone is important. Be polite and ensure that people understand what is being asked of them. Supporting and following up with employees is also important when delegating tasks.

Allowing for input is valuable as well. Very often, even though you are delegating a task there is more than one way to accomplish the task. That makes all the difference.

[ComeTogether, LPN]

It's quite simple. If you are delegating for any reason other than need, you are being bossy. Delegating for convenience shouldn't happen, ever. It is your job before it is anyone elses.

[Nibbles1]

I tried to be "friends" with the CNAs and try to not be so "bossy" when giving orders. Only for it to bite me in the rump. They took my kindness for weakness. I have been cussed out by cnas when asking for their help. Not anymore....

Now, I have more experience, I make sure they can do the task, give clear directions with a timeframe. If they are swamped, I'll do it then. I'm not going to sabotage my team. But, I sure don't let them walk all over me.

[Gooselady, BSN, RN]

This is an excellent question. Other posters have covered the "you're the RN, you have the responsibility and authority" angle so I won't go there.

What you want, ideally, is to work with staff who cooperate with your delegations, who willingly carry them out, and gosh, even take the initiative and have a state of 'readiness' to take direction if you have any for them.

YOU create this willingness in your staff. Well, to be more specific, the ONLY control you have is control over how you speak to the staff, your tone of voice, your choice of words and importantly, you choice of tasks to delegate. It's all you have true control over. Sure, your position as RN means fundamentally if a subordinate staff doesn't want to take direction, they have to take it anyway, but you never want to resort to "Because I told you so!" unless you've exhausted your other options.

When you delegate, have in mind you are delegating to busy professionals who have important jobs to do (including 'non' professional staff like transport, housekeeping, the gals in the staffing office, etc). Keep in mind that all of you have important jobs to do, and one of YOUR jobs is to delegate specific tasks to individuals with specific job descriptions. You'd not 'delegate' bed-making to the transport staff who brings you a low-boy bed, for instance. You'd not delegate to a CNA to make sure Mr Poo took his HS pills.

In your mind, you are cooperating in a team effort that lasts as long as your shift does. Everybody, including the MDs and the hospital operator and the guy in the blood bank have their jobs to do. So when you delegate you are impacting them in a sensitive way. Make a point to verbalize respect for what the person is already doing and that you need to ask them to do something also. Even though RNs are expected to delegate and administrate staffing, the RN can still approach this part of his/her job with sensitivity.

I never mean to insinuate we should hover or gush gratitude or praise or criticism lol. Then people will wonder what you REALLY want LOL or get paranoid (I would).

Another thing I do is expect people to do their work to the best of their abilities and means. It's a deliberate kind of optimism. I worked with a charge nurse who functioned out of a more pessimistic orientation, she was fond of saying "People only do the work you make sure that they do." To me, this was belittling and insulting to trained professionals. Granted, it does happen. But I think it 'works' best for most of the people, most of the time to employ 'Innocent until proven guilty'. DO check up on work to make sure it is done to standards. Avoid assuming it won't be done to standards until it isn't. Most of us RNs were inculcated on the dangers and terrors of being in charge and being held accountable (ie, to blame) for another staff's mistakes.

Each staff with a professional license is held accountable for their actions and choices. YOU as an RN enter the picture as accountable when you are aware of or informed of a situation, or stumble upon it. It's not as simple as you getting canned for a CNA's mistake. CNAs have professional standards as do other nurses, so your butt is not in the sling quite like the horror stories indicate. Like everything else, really crappy stuff happens, really unfair stuff too. But rather than make it a 'rule', make it an exception until evidence proves differently.

I don't like military metaphors, but it fits. A military commander can't command anything if no one wants to follow him. Leadership is not a dictatorship or fear-based in any way. An RN can cultivate an attitude in her surrounding staff that supports the staff in 'following' her, it's the essence of leadership. Ideally, the staff would be glad to 'follow', so what makes a person glad to follow you? There are your 'answers' for how to conduct yourself as a leader.

No one pops out of BSN school a trained leader. Leadership is a combination of experience and learning to utilize your personality to motivate and support fellow staff. It takes time, so go easy on yourself at first. A good leader seeks counsel with those she leads, so if you are stuck being a 'boss' as a new grad, utilize your people skills and express thanks to those you rely on to show you the ropes, be they the housekeeper or the LPN passing meds. These people are important and vital to you doing your job, and should always be treated as the important team members they are.

[ICURN3020]

This is an excellent question. Other posters have covered the "you're the RN, you have the responsibility and authority" angle so I won't go there.

What you want, ideally, is to work with staff who cooperate with your delegations, who willingly carry them out, and gosh, even take the initiative and have a state of 'readiness' to take direction if you have any for them.

YOU create this willingness in your staff. Well, to be more specific, the ONLY control you have is control over how you speak to the staff, your tone of voice, your choice of words and importantly, you choice of tasks to delegate. It's all you have true control over. Sure, your position as RN means fundamentally if a subordinate staff doesn't want to take direction, they have to take it anyway, but you never want to resort to "Because I told you so!" unless you've exhausted your other options.

When you delegate, have in mind you are delegating to busy professionals who have important jobs to do (including 'non' professional staff like transport, housekeeping, the gals in the staffing office, etc). Keep in mind that all of you have important jobs to do, and one of YOUR jobs is to delegate specific tasks to individuals with specific job descriptions. You'd not 'delegate' bed-making to the transport staff who brings you a low-boy bed, for instance. You'd not delegate to a CNA to make sure Mr Poo took his HS pills.

In your mind, you are cooperating in a team effort that lasts as long as your shift does. Everybody, including the MDs and the hospital operator and the guy in the blood bank have their jobs to do. So when you delegate you are impacting them in a sensitive way. Make a point to verbalize respect for what the person is already doing and that you need to ask them to do something also. Even though RNs are expected to delegate and administrate staffing, the RN can still approach this part of his/her job with sensitivity.

I never mean to insinuate we should hover or gush gratitude or praise or criticism lol. Then people will wonder what you REALLY want LOL or get paranoid (I would).

Another thing I do is expect people to do their work to the best of their abilities and means. It's a deliberate kind of optimism. I worked with a charge nurse who functioned out of a more pessimistic orientation, she was fond of saying "People only do the work you make sure that they do." To me, this was belittling and insulting to trained professionals. Granted, it does happen. But I think it 'works' best for most of the people, most of the time to employ 'Innocent until proven guilty'. DO check up on work to make sure it is done to standards. Avoid assuming it won't be done to standards until it isn't. Most of us RNs were inculcated on the dangers and terrors of being in charge and being held accountable (ie, to blame) for another staff's mistakes.

Each staff with a professional license is held accountable for their actions and choices. YOU as an RN enter the picture as accountable when you are aware of or informed of a situation, or stumble upon it. It's not as simple as you getting canned for a CNA's mistake. CNAs have professional standards as do other nurses, so your butt is not in the sling quite like the horror stories indicate. Like everything else, really crappy stuff happens, really unfair stuff too. But rather than make it a 'rule', make it an exception until evidence proves differently.

I don't like military metaphors, but it fits. A military commander can't command anything if no one wants to follow him. Leadership is not a dictatorship or fear-based in any way. An RN can cultivate an attitude in her surrounding staff that supports the staff in 'following' her, it's the essence of leadership. Ideally, the staff would be glad to 'follow', so what makes a person glad to follow you? There are your 'answers' for how to conduct yourself as a leader.

No one pops out of BSN school a trained leader. Leadership is a combination of experience and learning to utilize your personality to motivate and support fellow staff. It takes time, so go easy on yourself at first. A good leader seeks counsel with those she leads, so if you are stuck being a 'boss' as a new grad, utilize your people skills and express thanks to those you rely on to show you the ropes, be they the housekeeper or the LPN passing meds. These people are important and vital to you doing your job, and should always be treated as the important team members they are.

Very well said :)

[OnlinePersona, LPN]

this is why home health care is a beauty ;-0

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I change the way I delegate based on the CNA.

Some of them will say "No" if delegated to in the form of a question, so they no longer get the privilege of prioritizing their tasks themselves. If they tell me they are with another patient and wait in silence, hoping I will just do it myself, I then tell them to make my patient their next stop.

For the good, professional CNAs, they get a request and prioritize for themselves.

[CamillusRN, BSN]

This is an excellent question. Other posters have covered the "you're the RN, you have the responsibility and authority" angle so I won't go there.

What you want, ideally, is to work with staff who cooperate with your delegations, who willingly carry them out, and gosh, even take the initiative and have a state of 'readiness' to take direction if you have any for them.

YOU create this willingness in your staff. Well, to be more specific, the ONLY control you have is control over how you speak to the staff, your tone of voice, your choice of words and importantly, you choice of tasks to delegate. It's all you have true control over. Sure, your position as RN means fundamentally if a subordinate staff doesn't want to take direction, they have to take it anyway, but you never want to resort to "Because I told you so!" unless you've exhausted your other options.

When you delegate, have in mind you are delegating to busy professionals who have important jobs to do (including 'non' professional staff like transport, housekeeping, the gals in the staffing office, etc). Keep in mind that all of you have important jobs to do, and one of YOUR jobs is to delegate specific tasks to individuals with specific job descriptions. You'd not 'delegate' bed-making to the transport staff who brings you a low-boy bed, for instance. You'd not delegate to a CNA to make sure Mr Poo took his HS pills.

In your mind, you are cooperating in a team effort that lasts as long as your shift does. Everybody, including the MDs and the hospital operator and the guy in the blood bank have their jobs to do. So when you delegate you are impacting them in a sensitive way. Make a point to verbalize respect for what the person is already doing and that you need to ask them to do something also. Even though RNs are expected to delegate and administrate staffing, the RN can still approach this part of his/her job with sensitivity.

I never mean to insinuate we should hover or gush gratitude or praise or criticism lol. Then people will wonder what you REALLY want LOL or get paranoid (I would).

Another thing I do is expect people to do their work to the best of their abilities and means. It's a deliberate kind of optimism. I worked with a charge nurse who functioned out of a more pessimistic orientation, she was fond of saying "People only do the work you make sure that they do." To me, this was belittling and insulting to trained professionals. Granted, it does happen. But I think it 'works' best for most of the people, most of the time to employ 'Innocent until proven guilty'. DO check up on work to make sure it is done to standards. Avoid assuming it won't be done to standards until it isn't. Most of us RNs were inculcated on the dangers and terrors of being in charge and being held accountable (ie, to blame) for another staff's mistakes.

Each staff with a professional license is held accountable for their actions and choices. YOU as an RN enter the picture as accountable when you are aware of or informed of a situation, or stumble upon it. It's not as simple as you getting canned for a CNA's mistake. CNAs have professional standards as do other nurses, so your butt is not in the sling quite like the horror stories indicate. Like everything else, really crappy stuff happens, really unfair stuff too. But rather than make it a 'rule', make it an exception until evidence proves differently.

I don't like military metaphors, but it fits. A military commander can't command anything if no one wants to follow him. Leadership is not a dictatorship or fear-based in any way. An RN can cultivate an attitude in her surrounding staff that supports the staff in 'following' her, it's the essence of leadership. Ideally, the staff would be glad to 'follow', so what makes a person glad to follow you? There are your 'answers' for how to conduct yourself as a leader.

No one pops out of BSN school a trained leader. Leadership is a combination of experience and learning to utilize your personality to motivate and support fellow staff. It takes time, so go easy on yourself at first. A good leader seeks counsel with those she leads, so if you are stuck being a 'boss' as a new grad, utilize your people skills and express thanks to those you rely on to show you the ropes, be they the housekeeper or the LPN passing meds. These people are important and vital to you doing your job, and should always be treated as the important team members they are.

I'm going to print this for myself and forward it to every nursing instructor I know. Awesome advice for all new nurses, regardless of how great their interpersonal skills already are. Well said, Gooselady!