Ruth Sims
I am an organisational development and communications professional and followership expert based in Adelaide, Australia.
I bring a unique, research-based and expert understanding of followership and the difference that effective followership can make in your organisation.
My skills are in planning strategically and implementing those plans, making connections, engaging communication, and the ability to listen. I can see the big picture as well as the detail of how to get where we need to.
Relationships are fundamental to working well together. I work effectively with CEOs and senior managers, colleagues across organisations, and members of professional and community groups.
Integrity is important to me in my relationships and in the organisations and causes I align myself to.
Media
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.
Conversation with Sharna Fabiano, author of Lead & Follow: the dance of inspired teamwork. Lead & Follow, Influence of Followership Behaviours on Organizational Success.
Conversation with Seriously Social host Simone Douglas.
Interviewee for the HRM Online article Followership: why you need to cultivate this skill in your teams
PhD
Stepping up and stepping back: core followership behaviours, facilitators, and expectations in the workplace This research explores followership in organisations from the perspectives of both followers and leaders. The study identifies core followership behaviours, which are distinct from other behaviours which employees display in the workplace. It also explores facilitators and inhibitors of those core followership behaviours. A preliminary measure of expectations of core followership behaviours is developed and tested. Whether congruence of followers’ and leaders’ expectations was associated with the high quality of the leader/follow relationship, follower performance, role clarity and wellbeing is tested. Congruence is not found to be associated with these outcomes. Findings highlight the importance of follower agency and behaviours as well as the contribution of leaders to effective followership. Implications for human resources practices are suggested.
Followership
A necessary but misunderstood part of leadership in organisations.
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.