Curious about how followership shifts the focus as we look to new, more effective, ways of leading?
I share what I’ve found bringing together academic expertise and professional practice.
Follow & Lead regular articles on my substack.
Conversations:
Inspiring interest and curiosity about followership with Israel Oyedare, the Future of Leadership podcast
The other side of leadership with Paula Turbill, The Catalyst Project.
How to inspire followership with Julia Middleton, founder of Women Emerging and author of If that’s leading, I’m in, Leading beyond Authority and Cultural Intelligence.
Influence of Followership Behaviours on Organizational Success with Sharna Fabiano, author of Lead & Follow: the dance of inspired teamwork.
Seriously Social with host Simone Douglas.
Business and Management Ink article Why followership is [finally] equally important.
HRM Online article Followership: why you need to cultivate this skill in your teams
My PhD research into followership and leadership explains how leaders and followers achieve success together. It challenges how we often think about workplace relationships and roles. A better understanding of followership behaviours and the contribution followership makes to organisations has implications for human resource management practices and for professional development of both followers and leaders.
link to At the core of followership - identification of followership behaviours
contact me if you are unable to access the full papers and would like a copy
Ruth Sims
I work with organisations and individuals who know that traditional ways of doing leadership aren’t working. An organisational development and communications professional and followership expert based in Australia, I have global connections into leadership and followership communities. I bring a unique understanding of followership and the difference that effective followership can make in your organisation.
My work is practical, research informed, and crafted for your organisation. I listen and ask questions with genuine care and curiosity. Together we work toward solutions that are well designed, well planned and realistic.
My expertise in followership is complemented by more than 20 years professional communication, planning, and change experience. In addition to my PhD focused on followership behaviours I hold postgraduate qualifications in education management and human resources management. I’m an experienced non-executive director and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
If you want to keep doing leadership the same old way, I’m not the consultant for you!
“Ruth is a highly skilled professional who often brings a different and valuable perspective to complex challenges. Her expertise in team dynamics and leadership make her an ideal person to call on when trying to develop team culture or implement change.”
“Ruth is a practical and pragmatic consultant with a very clear focus on how her academic research translates into the real workplace.”
“I suspect that understanding and developing good followers in organizations may actually be a secret key to success, and every bit as important as leadership development. Ruth’s research sheds important insights into this phenomenon of followership.”