Management Is Doing Things Right; Leadership Is Doing the Right Things

"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things."
— Peter Drucker

One of the challenges of leading a care service is that there is never a shortage of things to do.

There are audits to complete, incidents to review, staffing challenges to manage, meetings to attend, action plans to update and an endless stream of operational demands competing for your attention.

Most leaders do not struggle because they have nothing to do.

They struggle because everything feels important.

The real challenge is not deciding what to do next. The real challenge is deciding what deserves your attention most.

Throughout my career, I have worked with services at different stages of their quality journey. Some have been performing well and looking to strengthen what they already do. Others have been facing significant challenges and working hard to improve outcomes, rebuild confidence and prepare for inspection.

What often separates the two is not the amount of activity taking place.

It is the ability of leaders to focus on the things that will have the greatest impact on quality, culture and outcomes.

Activity Does Not Always Equal Improvement

It is possible to have a full diary, a long action plan and a calendar packed with meetings while making very little meaningful progress.

Equally, it is possible to focus on a small number of priorities and achieve significant improvements because attention is directed towards the areas that matter most.

As leaders, we have to be careful not to confuse activity with improvement.

·Completing an audit is an activity. Understanding what that audit tells us and taking action as a result is improvement.

·Reviewing incidents is an activity. Identifying trends, understanding root causes and reducing future risk is improvement.

·Holding meetings is an activity. Creating accountability, learning and positive change is improvement.

The difference may seem subtle, but it is often where leadership has the greatest impact.

Three Questions for Registered Managers

If you are leading a service this week, consider taking some time to reflect on the following.

🔍 Review Your Evidence, Not Just Your Actions

Look at one area where improvement work is taking place.

Ask yourself:

"What evidence do I have that this has improved outcomes for people using the service?"

Many services can demonstrate activity. Strong services can demonstrate impact.

The ability to connect actions to outcomes is often what separates effective governance from administrative oversight.

📈 Identify One Recurring Theme

Look beyond individual events.

Whether it is complaints, falls, medication errors, staffing pressures, recruitment challenges or feedback from people using the service, consider what patterns are emerging.

Individual incidents tell a story. Trends tell a bigger story.

Leadership requires us to recognise those patterns and understand what they mean for the service as a whole.

🗣️ Challenge One Assumption

Every service develops routines and accepted ways of working. Sometimes these support quality but sometimes they create blind spots.

Ask yourself and your team:

"If we were inspected tomorrow, what would an inspector see that we have normalised but should be addressing?"

It is often these accepted practices that provide the greatest opportunities for improvement.

Creating Space to Lead

Strong Registered Managers do not simply manage today's workload. They create the time and space to understand what their service is telling them and where improvement efforts should be focused next.

This requires reflection and a willing to be curios and sometimes it requires stepping back from the immediate demands of the day to look at the bigger picture. That’s because leadership is not about doing everything. It is about ensuring your attention is focused on the things that matter most.

Reflection

As leaders, it is easy to become consumed by the demands of the day, yet some of the most important leadership decisions are not about what we do next.

They are about what we choose to focus on.

The services that continue to improve are rarely those doing the most. More often, they are the services where Registered Managers remain clear about their priorities, use evidence to guide decisions and create the space to understand what their service is really telling them.

This week, take a moment to step back from the activity and consider where your attention is currently being directed.

·Are you focusing on tasks or outcomes?

·Are you reacting to individual events or understanding the wider patterns and themes emerging across your service?

·Are your improvement efforts concentrated on the areas that will make the greatest difference to the people you support, your workforce and the quality of care being delivered?

Leadership is not about doing everything. It is about ensuring your time, energy and attention are invested where they will have the greatest impact.

So, as you plan the week ahead, ask yourself:

Where will you choose to focus your leadership attention this week, and what difference do you hope it will make?