Question 1: Followership
Followership is the capacity and willingness to follow a certain leader(s). It happens when employees admire the methods and attributes of their leader. The follower must have certain critical attributes to contribute to their followership. The attributes are awareness, diplomacy, courage, collaboration and critical thinking. Being a follower, means that one has to be aware of the needs of the employees and be in a position to read and understand people, particularly, the things that motivates or upsets them. Secondly, a good follower is diplomatic; he/she understands how to get along with employees with contrary opinions. Thirdly, being a better follower means that one does not have to agree on everything. However, a follower should have the courage to disagree or offer alternative views on issues that he/she feels that the leader, supervisor or manager is not doing right. On the other hand, the follower also must have the courage to defend the leader or manager when they are doing things rationally. Further, a follower must be able to collaborate with others and work as a team to ensure goals are attained regardless of whether the leader receives all the credit. Finally, followers must be able to think critically and independently. Critical and independent thinking is useful because it helps the leader do things right. Leaders frequently use trainings, education, personal development and promotions to groom followership because these techniques are inexpensive and available for nearly all organizations (Moran, 2014).
Question 2: Summary of articles
Best Companies: All-stars by Omar Akhtar
The leader as servant Think of him as the dream boss, a selfless steward mostly out to help you be your best. Does that really have to be just a dream? by Walter Kiechel III
Walter Kiechel, the author of this article, discusses the main attributes of a servant leader. He argues that a servant leader attaches value to employees and takes them seriously. Secondly, a servant leader must listen; express the will of the people and question issues. In addition, he/she champions, builds consensus and solicits views before taking decisions. Thirdly, the leader is open, exudes willingness to share pains and mistakes and offers every employee a chance to vent their feelings. Further, the leader is self-effacing and views him/herself as a steward (Kiechel, 2012).
Why you shouldn't lead like Don Corleone by Bruce Weinstein
The article presents a survey study involving 2431 managers. The findings of the study revealed that employees performed better when motivated due to the desire to achieve benefits as opposed to fear of missing opportunities. The study also revealed that servant leadership as exuded by Taylor Swift was characterized by humility, care, ability to call employees to action and taking responsibility (Weinstein, 2015).
Servant leadership is an important concept for healthcare management. It is important that managers become stewards, build consensus between employees and attach value to each employee. In addition, they should exercise humility and care when dealing with patients and employees, and become more accountable and transparent. Effective communication is important in servant leadership especially when it comes to building teams and streamlining operations in healthcare organizations. The information concerning servant leadership is critical in contributing to understanding of good practice because it brings new dimensions and variations of different leadership styles. Servant leadership becomes a better model of leadership than transactional, collaborative or authoritarian styles of leadership. The information regarding servant leadership can be communicated through continuous training programs, seminars, manuals, and workshops.
References
Weinstein, B. (July 1, 2015). Why you shouldn't lead like Don Corleone. Retrieved from: http://fortune.com/2015/07/01/servant-leadership/?iid=sr-link1
Kiechel, W. (May 4, 2012). The leader as servant Think of him as the dream boss, a selfless steward mostly out to help you be your best. Does that really have to be just a dream?. Retrieved from: http://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1992/05/04/76345/index.htm?iid=sr-link5
Akhtar, O. (January 17, 2013). Best Companies: All-stars. Retrieved from: http://fortune.com/2013/01/17/best-companies-all-stars/?iid=sr-link2
Moran, G. (April 30, 2014). 5 Ways Being A Good Follower Makes You A Better Leader. Retrieved from: http://www.fastcompany.com/3029840/bottom-line/5-ways-being-a-good-follower-makes-you-a-better-leader
