Discussion Post # 4: Leader vs Follower
Nurse leaders possess certain characteristics that enable them to perform their roles effectively. Students who aspire to become nurse leaders in the future should understand the specific characteristics that they require to perform effectively (Zhang & Wang, 2021; Anders et al., 2021). Additionally, a follower must exhibit certain characteristics that make them work properly with their leaders. The purpose of this discussion is to describe the characteristics of a great leader and those of a great follower. The following are five characteristics of a great leader and five characteristics of a great follower.
5 Characteristics of a Great Leader:
1. Clear strategic and vision focus
2. Commitment to excellence
3. Effective communication
4. Team building
5. Accountability and responsibility
5 Characteristics of a Great Follower:
1. Diligence
2. Enthusiasm
3. Self-efficacy
4. Supportive
5. Accountability and Responsibility
Leadership and followership are two complementary roles in an organization. Although leaders perform different roles from those of a follower, the characteristics of leaders and followers usually bear some similarities and differences. The leadership and followership characteristics listed above are not exhaustive. However, it is important to note that leaders can also have some of the characteristics possessed by great followers (Baird & Benson, 2022). For example, a great leader should have a clear strategy and vision focus. A great follower should demonstrate a willingness to align his or her activities to the vision and strategy that is created by the nurse leader. While a great follower should be diligent, a great leader must work persistently and carefully to effectively execute his or her functions (Zhang & Wang, 2021). According to Manzano and Vose (2021), both a great leader and a great follower should be accountable and responsible for their actions. A great leader should hold followers accountable and therefore, followers must also demonstrate to their leaders that they are accountable for their actions. It is when a follower becomes responsible and accountable to the leader that they can work towards realizing the mission, goals, and vision of their organization.
An effective leader should be that who is committed to excellence. Again, he or she should build teams strong teams that can work together to support the realization of an organization’s mission and goals. Enthusiasm, self-efficacy, and supportiveness are the characteristics that a great follower requires to enable a leader to achieve excellence and team building (Manzano & Vose, 2021). Effective communication is a key characteristic that both a great leader and a great follower require to successfully drive operations of an organization. In this regard, it is evident that a leader and a follower need characteristics that are complementary despite the fact that they are distinct positions in an organization.
One needs to be a great follower in order to be a great leader. The reason is that leadership is a role that involves working with followers. For a leader to be able to work properly with followers, he or she should first understand their needs. It is by understanding the followers’ needs that a great leader can identify the best strategies to manage them (Manzano & Vose, 2021). Essentially, it is important to start from followership before one becomes a great leader.
References
Anders, R. L., Jackson, D., Davidson, P. M., & Daly, J. P. (2021). Nursing leadership for 21st Century. Revista Latino-Americana de Enfermagem, 29, e3472. https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.0000.3472
Baird, N., & Benson, A. J. (2022). Getting ahead while getting along: Followership as a key ingredient for shared leadership and reducing team conflict. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 923150. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.923150
Manzano, W., & Vose, C. B. (2021). When nurses lead, health follows. Nursing Management, 52(12), 36–42. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000800340.10607.36
Zhang, W., & Wang, X. J. (2021). An understanding of implicit followership toward new employees’ self-efficacy: The mediating role of perceived supervisor support. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 759920. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.759920