Followership Practices in Nursing

Attributes and Skills Needed to Lead, Manage, and Follow

Introduction

Leadership, management, and followership skills and attributes are all important for nursing leadership and management. Leadership skills in nursing include the ability to inspire and motivate others, to set clear goals and expectations, and to delegate tasks effectively. Management skills in nursing include the ability to plan, coordinate, and organize work, as well as to monitor and evaluate the performance of the team. A nursing manager should also be able to budget and allocate resources effectively, and to make decisions that are in the best interest of the team and the organization. Followership skills in nursing involve the ability to work effectively within a team, to support and follow the direction of the leader, and to contribute to the team's success. Overall, effective nursing leadership and management require a combination of these skills and attributes, as well as a deep understanding of the healthcare industry and a commitment to providing high-quality patient care. This paper will discuss and describe the attributes and skills needed to lead, manage, and follow in the nursing environment and why it is important.

Leadership Attributes and Skills

There are several leadership attributes and skills that are particularly applicable to nursing. First off, effective communication is critical for nursing leaders, as they must be able to communicate with their team, other healthcare professionals, and patients. Nursing leaders should also be able to understand and manage their own emotions, as well as those of their team and patients. This is known as having emotional intelligence (Raeissi et al., 2022). Additionally, nursing leaders are often faced with complex situations that require them to make quick, informed decisions.

The healthcare industry is constantly evolving, and nursing leaders must be able to adapt to change and lead their team through it. Leaders should be able to build strong, collaborative relationships with their team and other healthcare professionals (McFarlan et al., 2019). They must be able to understand and respond to the needs and emotions of their patients and team. And they should always employ high standards of professionalism, including integrity, accountability, and respect for others (Giordano-Mulligan & Eckardt, 2019). Leaders also need to have a clear vision for the future of their team and the organization, and be able to inspire and motivate others to work towards it. They should be able to think strategically, considering the long-term goals of the team and organization and making plans to achieve them. And they should be able to effectively manage their own time and the time of their team to ensure that work is completed efficiently and effectively.

Management Attributes and Skills

As the role of nursing has evolved over time to incorporate a greater focus on management and leadership, the value of having an informed understanding of key management attributes and skills in relation to nursing has come to the fore. These include such aspects as effective communication, both verbal and nonverbal; high-level problem solving capabilities; emotional intelligence; teamwork; organization and scheduling; the ability to balance competing priorities; cultural awareness and sensitivity; financial acumen; resilience in times of stress or crisis; conscientious follow-through on given tasks or projects, and ultimately having the necessary people-skills needed to enhance patient care by forging strong relationships with physicians, patients' families and other healthcare professionals (Cunningham et al., 2019). The total sum of these qualities makes a highly effective nurse that is well placed to meet modern day institutional needs.

As nurses are often tasked with managing a diverse and demanding workload, having strong management skills is essential. Effective planning, organizing, staffing, and controlling are crucial components of successful nursing care (Pishgooie et al., 2019). Furthermore, strong management skills allow nurses to delegate and monitor tasks assigned to assistive staff such as nurse aides and medical assistants. As patients' needs continually evolve over the course of their treatment, management skills ensure that care plans remain nimble and amenable to change.

Followership Attributes and Skills

Followers have to be able to listen and perform according to the standards and expectations placed on them from above. To succeed as good followers, nurses need interpersonal and relationship-building abilities, such as communication and understanding, in order to work with other healthcare providers and colleagues (Alanazi et al., 2021). Problem solving skills help medical teams plan patient care paths and make decisions during care interventions. Also critical is a focus on staying organized to provide safe, quality care. Nurses must also possess strong ethical values that guide their professional decision making while treating patients. Followership qualities ultimately provide an extra layer of support for their coworkers, enabling greater efficiency within the healthcare team – and ultimately improved outcomes for patients.

Importance to Nursing

Leadership, management, and followership are fundamental skills that nurses need to possess in order to assume successful nursing leadership or management positions. To be an effective leader, one must have the ability to initiate change, establish clear goals and communicate effectively with their team (Heinen et al., 2019). Meanwhile, strong management skills involve setting up protocols, procedures and assessing performance. Focusing on followership involves providing guidance and support for staff while also striving for excellence in patient care delivery—this can be achieved through setting a positive example both professionally and interpersonally (Wei et al., 2020). Developing leadership, management, and followership amongst nurses is essential as it not only reinforces a positive organizational culture but also helps ensure quality patient outcomes within healthcare settings.

Conclusion

Leadership skills are essential to leading and managing others. These include self-confidence, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, emotional intelligence, delegation, empathy, motivation, and vision. Leaders should also have a good understanding of the organization’s goals and objectives, and be able to inspire others to work towards them. Managers need a variety of skills, including planning, budgeting, organizing, coordinating, mentoring, hiring and training, and conflict resolution. They must also have a good knowledge of their organization’s policies and procedures. Followers need to be able to take direction, handle criticism, and stay loyal to the leader. They should also be able to make decisions independently, work collaboratively, and communicate effectively. It is also important for followers to understand the organizational structure, and how it affects their role within the organization. Overall, leadership, management, and followership all require different attributes and skills in order to be successful in nursing.