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■ Leadership and Followership 11 ■ Communicating a vision for the future. The effective leader has a vision for the future. Communicating this vision to the group and involving everyone in working toward that vision generate the inspiration that keeps people going when things become difficult. Even better, involving people in creating the vision is not only more satisfying for employees but also has the potential to produce the most creative and innovative outcomes (Kerfott, 2000). It is this vision that helps make work meaningful. ■ Developing oneself and others. Learning does not end upon leaving school. In fact, experienced nurses say that school is just the beginning, that school only prepares you to continue learning throughout your career. As new and better ways to care for patients are developed, it is your responsibility as a professional to critically analyze them and decide whether they would be better for your patients than current ones. Effective leaders not only continue to learn but also encourage others to do the same. Sometimes, leaders function as teachers. At other times, their role is primarily to encourage others to seek more knowledge. Anderson, Manno, O’Connor, and Gallagher (2010) invited five nurse managers from Penn Presbyterian Medical Center who had received top ratings in leadership from their staff to participate in a focus group on successful leadership. They reported that visibility, communication, and the values of respect and empathy were the key elements of successful leadership. The authors quoted participants to illustrate each of these elements (p. 186): Visibility: “I try to come in on the off shifts even for an hour or two just to have them see you.” Communication: “Candid feedback” “A lot of rounding.” (Note: this could also be visibility.) Respect and Empathy: “Do I expect you to take seven patients? No, because I wouldn’t be able to do it.” (punctuation adjusted). These three key elements draw on components from several leadership qualities and behaviors: skillful communication, respecting and valuing the individual, and energy. Visibility is not as prominent in many of the leadership theories but deserves a place in the description of what effective leaders do. Followership Followership and leadership are separate but complementary roles. The roles are also reciprocal: without followers, one cannot be a leader. One also cannot be a follower without having a leader (Lyons, 2002). It is as important to be an effective follower as it is to be an effective leader. In fact, most of us are followers: members of a team, attendees at a meeting, staff of a nursing care unit, and so forth. Followership Defined Followership is not a passive role. On the contrary, the most valuable follower is a skilled, self-directed professional, one who participates actively in determining the group’s direction, invests his or her time and energy in the work of the group, thinks critically, and advocates for new ideas (Grossman & Valiga, 2000). Imagine working on a patient care unit where all staff members, from the unit secretary to the assistant nurse manager, willingly take on extra tasks without being asked (Spreitzer & Quinn, 2001), come back early from coffee breaks if they are needed, complete their charting on time, support ways to improve patient care, and are proud of the high-quality care they provide. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be a part of that team? Becoming a Better Follower There are a number of things you can do to become a better follower: ■ If you discover a problem, inform your team leader or manager right away. ■ Even better, include a suggestion for solving the problem in your report. ■ Freely invest your interest and energy in your work. ■ Be supportive of new ideas and new directions suggested by others. ■ When you disagree, explain why. ■ Listen carefully and reflect on what your leader or manager says. ■ Continue to learn as much as you can about your specialty area. ■ Share what you learn. 3663_Chapter 1_0003-0016.indd 11 663_Chapter 1_0003-0016.indd 11 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 12 unit 1 ■ Professional Considerations Being an
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