Analyse The Relationship Between Leaders And Followers

The term leadership invokes a deeper meaning than the simple Merriam-Webster dictionary definition as “the office or position of a leader” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). Candidates seeking management positions are frequently asked about their leadership styles during interviews. It is a derivative of the “what is the purpose of my leadership” question asked by William George discussed in his article, “Note on why leaders lose their way” (2004, p.2). My leadership style is best illustrated by the following quote by Rear Admiral Grace Hopper (US Navy, retired): “you manage things, you lead people. We went overboard on management and forgot about leadership” (Schieber, 1987).

In the preface of Followership, the author Tom Atchison, states the reason there has to be a dynamic followership and Leadership role it 's not that there 's a lack of effective leadership in healthcare, it’s that the current, worsening, issues are the moral and the staffing shortages of followers which result in a toxic work environment and the challenges on how followers overcome that while being a productive team.

Leadership at times can be a complex topic to delve into and may appear to be a simple and graspable concept for a certain few. Leadership skills are not simply acquired through position, seniority, pay scale, or the amount of titles an individual holds but is a characteristic acquired or is an innate trait for the fortunate few who possess it. Leadership can be misconstrued with management; a manager “manages” the daily operations of a company’s work while a leader envisions, influences, and empowers the individuals around them.

Much has been written about the difference between management and leadership. In the past, competent management staffs ran effective companies. In light of our ever-changing world, however, most companies have come to realize that it is much more important to lead than to manage. In today's world the old ways of management no longer work. One reason is that the degree of environmental and competitive change we are experiencing is extreme. Although exciting, the world is also very unstable and confused. In an article entitled What’s the Difference between Your Hospital and the Other? Gary Campbell states that the difference between a manager and a leader is that the manager “finds himself quite willing to

Leaders are not merely those who control others, but act as visionaries who help employees to plan, lead, control, and organize their activities. As states by (Hood, Leddy, & Pepper, 2006), “leadership is a complex term with multiple definitions but is normally defined as a process of influencing others or guiding or directing others to attain mutually agreed upon goals” (as cited by Agnes, 2005). There are several recognized leadership styles such as bureaucratic — where the leader rigidly follows rules, policies, and regulation; or participative — where the leader allows the staff to participate in decision making and seek the

There are so many different styles of leadership. According to Leadership, Ethics and Policing: Challenges for the 21st Century (2nd ed.) leadership could be defined as a set of traits or characteristics that a person could posses. It is very crucial not to confuse leadership and management because they cannot be used interchangeably. Leadership occurs when an individual motivates his co-workers or individuals to accomplish the goals of the organization. Leaders produce a change because they establish direction; aligning their people and motivating them to be successful. Management in the other hand involves directing

Leadership is about being proactive and having the initiative to implement strategies, being able to manage change, building relationships with employees and being able to influence employees in a way that meets the organization’s needs (Clawson, 2012). Leadership is about being able to persuade employees to acclimate to the company’s vision by motivating them and encouraging them to embrace change when needed. It is about building relationships and bonds with employees while guiding them so that they are able to meet their potential. It is about making them feel responsible so that they feel like they are important members of the team. Leadership is about leading people it is not about dictating orders and responsibilities to others. It is about installing a sense of importance

Leadership and management are alike and different in many ways. There are many different debated by scholars regarding the differences of leadership and management (Marquis & Huston, 2009). Part of the confusion stems from the word “leadership”. Marquis and Huston state that, “the word leadership was not known in the English language until the first half of the 19th century” (Marquis & Huston, 2009, p. 32). Theorists and leadership researchers disagree on what the word leadership is (Marquis & Huston, 2009). Therefore, it is wise to state what roles are integral in leadership (Marquis & Huston, 2009). Marquis lists leadership roles as decision maker, communicator, evaluator, facilitator, risk taker, mentor, energizer, coach, counselor, teacher, critical thinker, buffer, advocate, visionary, forecaster, influencer, creative problem solver, change agent, diplomat and role model (Marquis & Huston, 2009). “Leaders are in the front, moving forward, taking risks, and challenging the status quo” (Marquis & Huston, 2009, p. 33). According to Marquis & Huston (2009), the functions of management include planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling” (GCU, 2009). Grand Canyons lecture notes go on to state that, “within each of these functions,

A leader alone cannot accomplish a goal or vision by oneself. There is a built in assumption in our society that everybody should strive to be a leader. That’s where the fame and fortune are—with the leaders. “You can get a PhD in organizational leadership, but you can’t even get a bachelor’s in followership.” (Mercer) Why should an organization focus on followership as much as leadership?

Our text defines leadership as “the ability to formulate a worthy vision and inspire people to make a total, willing, and voluntary commitment to accomplishing or exceeding organizational goals” (Goetsch, 2016). Let’s start with the first element, creating a

Typical conceptions of leadership associate this word with authority and power. On the contrary, the role of effective leadership means quit the opposite. The virtue of leadership is not to hold power, but rather to empower others. A real leader selflessly devotes his or her efforts and time for the prosperity of the organization as a whole as well as the thriving of individuals. The epitome of this oxymoron can be found in how I strive to emulate the leadership of Christ, who had all the power and authority to rule, but instead humbled himself to eat with prostitutes and wash feet. Leadership shouldn’t be about being higher than others. It should be about encouraging and inspiring others to step up, staring first with the example of my own

1. When discussing leadership and followership, there is often a split in personal opinion when it comes to which one is more important. Leadership and followership both offer unique benefits in their own right and have supporting factors, which give them the perceived appearance of being more important. The focus for this paper will be to advocate the importance of followership over that of leadership. This will be accomplished by addressing the pros of followership to include some core skills of followership and the effects followership has on the development of a leader. The expectation of an officer however, places a high amount of emphasis on leadership more so than that of followership. Given this perceived importance of leadership as an officer, an effective leadership style will be explained and how officers develop this particular leadership style. While leadership has a distinct presence within the professional work environment, followership is considered the underlying backbone in developing an effective high performing team.

Before taking the leadership class I viewed leaders and managers the same and I was thinking that only a few people at the top of an organization can lead. However I was wrong and today I view leadership as the challenge and responsibility of every individual with potential to make a difference. Today, I view leadership as a social influence. It is initiating and guiding and the result is change. Leadership is more art than science and more skill than knowledge (Manning, p.61).

Organizations depend on the management and leadership skills of individuals in order to be successful. Leaders do not have to be managers but are equally important. Leaders are individuals who possess traits, behavior and abilities to influence others to accomplish tasks and other needed objectives for the company. Leadership is defined as “the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organization. . . .” (House et al., 1999, pg. 184).

Riggio, R., Chaleff, I., & Lipman-Blumen, J. (Eds) (2008). The Art of Followership How Great Followers Create Great Leaders and Organizations. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.