Page 24 - Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management, 5th Edition

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chapter 1 | Leadership and Followership 11 CikguOnline
school only prepares you to continue learning Conclusion
throughout your career. As new and better ways
to care for clients are discovered, it is your Leadership ability determines a person’s level of
responsibility as a professional to critically effectiveness.To be an effective nurse,you must be an
analyze these new approaches and decide effective leader. Your patients, your peers, and your
whether they would be better for your clients organization are depending on you to influence oth-
than current approaches to care. Effective lead- ers. Leadership develops daily. True leaders never
ers not only continue to learn but also encour- stop learning and growing.John Maxwell (1998),one
age others to do the same. Sometimes, leaders of America’s experts on leadership,states “who we are
function as teachers. At other times, their role is who we attract” (p. xi). To attract leaders, people
is primarily to encourage and guide others need to start leading and never stop learning to lead.
to seek more knowledge. Observant, reflective, The key elements of leadership and followership
analytical practitioners know that learning have been discussed in this chapter. Many of the
takes place every day if people are open to it leadership qualities and behaviors mentioned here
(Kagan, 1999). are discussed in more detail in later chapters.

Study Questions
1. Why is it important for nurses to be good leaders? What qualities have you observed from nurses
on the units that exemplify effective leadership in action? How do you think these behaviors might
have improved the outcomes of their patients?

2. Why are effective followers as important as effective leaders?
3. Review the various leadership theories discussed in the chapter. Which ones might apply to leading
in today’s health-care environment? Support your answer with specific examples.

4. Select an individual whose leadership skills you particularly admire. What are some qualities and
behaviors that this individual displays? How do these relate to the leadership theories discussed in
this chapter? In what ways could you emulate this person?
5. As a new graduate, what leadership and followership skills will you work on developing or enhanc-
ing during the first 3 months of your first nursing position? Why?

Case Study to Promote Critical Reasoning

Two new associate-degree graduates were hired for the pediatric unit. Both worked three 12-hour
shifts a week, Jan in the day-to-evening shift and Ronnie at night. Whenever their shifts connected,
they would compare notes on their experience. Jan felt she was learning rapidly, gaining clinical
skills and beginning to feel at ease with her colleagues.
Ronnie, however, still felt unsure of herself and often isolated. “There have been times,” she told
Jan, “that I am the only registered nurse on the unit all night. The aides and LPNs are really expe-
rienced, but that’s not enough. I wish I could work with an experienced nurse as you are doing.”
“Ronnie, you are not even finished with your 3-month orientation program,” said Jan. “You
should never be left alone with all these sick children. Neither of us is ready for that kind of
responsibility. And how will you get the experience you need with no experienced nurses to help
you? You must speak to our nurse manager about this.”
“I know I should, but she’s so hard to reach. I’ve called several times, and she’s never available.
She leaves all the shift assignments to her assistant. I’m not sure she even reviews the schedule
before it’s posted.”