Leaders and Followers: The roles we each play Essay

Introduction Throughout nursing history there have been great leaders. In every nurses career there are leaders we work with that we come to admire and may even attempt to emulate. As I continue my journey to becoming a Masters prepared nurse I will need to step up as a leader. It is a role that The Nurse Leader: New Perspectives on the Profession is providing the information and understanding of how I will need to progress. The question â€Å"Are you a leader or are you a follower?† is one I will now be able to answer. Followership Style Am I a leader or a follower? If I am a follower what type of follower am I? Followership is a term I had not heard before beginning this leadership class. Taking the Followership Style Test provided by Grossman & Valiga (2009, pg. 56-57) was interesting. Scoring a 3.7, my personal followership style is described as moderately participative or Independent worker; does not need close supervision just a bit of feedback. I actually was not surprised by the results of the test. I am an experienced nurse with more than 20 years working in and around surgical services. At this point in my career I am expected to function independently and work as a leader and resource for my peers. The * With information from the Learning Resources in mind, what implications does this score have for your role as a leader? I am independent of management in my daily work ethic†¦ * Were you surprised by the outcome of the test? If yes, explain how. If the results were consistent with your expectations, offer evidence to support that assertion. * How can information gained in this survey help you become a more effective follower? Role of a Follower * Describe a role in your professional life in which you would portray yourself as a follower. As a member of the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN) I am a follower. I utilize the standards established by AORN in my daily practice. My work ethic is an example to other staff members and peers. †¦. Based on what you know now about attributes of leadership, what are some things you might want to focus on in terms of developing more effective leadership skills? Grossman & Valiga (2009) describe nurse leaders as self-confident with a high degree of self esteem, and are visionary. Experienced nurses are looked to as resource nurses and mentors. Moving forward toward my goal of becoming a nurse educator I need to step forward into a leadership role more often than I do now. I need to develop a better sense of my leadership style and practice. ANA Bill of Rights and Leadership * Briefly, explain how the ANA Bill of Rights might be of value to you as follower or as a leader. The ANA Bill of Rights provides a frame work for nursing practice. A frame work of what is expected of us as professionals and what we can expect from employers, facilities and patients. Conclusion The answer to the question â€Å"Am I a leader or a follower†, is I am both. At this juncture of my career I tend to be a follower. As a future educator and mentor I am expected to be a leader. Lead by example and inspire those I work with to achieve more than they believed possible. was never one I considered before I began. know where I fall into each of these two distinct categories. Where do my strengths lie? What are the areas of improvement I need to examine so that I can become a leader and follower . References Grossman, S. C., & Valiga, T. M. (2009). Followership and empowerment. In S. C. Grossman & T. M. Valiga (Eds.), The new leadership challenge: creating the future of nursing (pp. 35-59). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis Company.