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brought it to my attention.” Billie’s nurse manager raised the issue at the next executive meeting, giving credit to Billie for having brought it to her attention. The other nurse managers had the same response. “We were so focused on the new electronic health record system that we overlooked that. We need to take care of this situation as soon as possible. Billie Thomas has leadership potential.” Leadership Defined Successful nurse leaders are those who engage others to work together effectively in pursuit of a shared goal. Examples of shared goals in nursing would be providing excellent care, reducing infection rates, designing cost-saving procedures, or challenging the ethics of a new policy. Leadership is a much broader concept than is management. Although managers need to be leaders, management itself is focused specifically on achievement of organizational goals. Leadership, on the other hand: . . . occurs whenever one person attempts to influence the behavior of an individual or group—up, down, or sideways in the organization—regardless of the reason. It may be for personal goals or for the goals of others, and these goals may or may not be congruent with organizational goals. Leadership is influence (Hersey & Campbell, 2004, p. 12). In order to lead, one must develop three important competencies: (1) diagnose: ability to understand the situation you want to influence, (2) adapt: make changes that will close the gap between the current situation and what you are hoping to achieve, and (3) communicate. No matter how much you diagnose or adapt, if you cannot communicate effectively, you will probably not meet your goal (Hersey & Campbell, 2004). What Makes a Person a Leader? Leadership Theories There are many different ideas about how a person becomes a good leader. Despite years of research on this subject, no one idea has emerged as the clear winner. The reason for this may be that different qualities and behaviors are most important in different situations. In nursing, for example, some situations require quick thinking and fast action. Others require time to figure out the best solution to a complicated problem. Different leadership qualities and behaviors are needed in these two instances. The result is that there is not yet a single best answer to the question, “What makes a person a leader?” Consider some of the best-known leadership theories and the many qualities and behaviors that have been identified as those of the effective nurse leader (Pavitt, 1999; Tappen, 2001): Trait Theories At one time or another, you have probably heard someone say, “She’s a born leader.” Many believe that some people are natural leaders, while others are not. It is true that leadership may come more easily to some than to others, but everyone can be a leader, given the necessary knowledge and skill. An important 5-year study of 90 outstanding leaders by Warren Bennis published in 1984 identified four common traits. These traits hold true today: 1. Management of attention. These leaders communicated a sense of goal direction that attracted followers. 2. Management of meaning. These leaders created and communicated meaning and purpose. 3. Management of trust. These leaders demonstrated reliability and consistency. 4. Management of self. These leaders knew themselves well and worked within their strengths and weaknesses (Bennis, 1984). Behavioral Theories The behavioral theories focus on what the leader does. One of the most influential behavioral theories is concerned with leadership style (White & Lippitt, 1960) (Table 1-1). The three styles are: 1. Autocratic leadership (also called directive, controlling, or authoritarian). The autocratic leader gives orders and makes decisions for the group. For example, when a decision needs to be made, an autocratic leader says, “I’ve decided that this is the way we’re going to solve our 3663_Chapter 1_0003-0016.indd 4 663_Chapter 1_0003-0016.indd 4 9/15/2014 4:36:37 PM /15/2014 4:36:37 PM Process Cyan rocess CyanProcess Magenta rocess MagentaProcess Yellow rocess YellowProcess Black rocess Black chapter 1 ■ Leadership and Followership 5 problem.” Although this is an efficient way to run things, it squelches creativity and may
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