The Function of Leadership Is to Produce More Leaders, Not More Followers

"The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers."
— Ralph Nader

I think this quote challenges one of the most common assumptions about leadership.

When people think about strong leaders, they often picture someone who has all the answers, makes all the decisions and takes responsibility for solving every problem that arises.

In reality, many Registered Managers find themselves doing exactly that.

The demands of leading a care service can be relentless. There are staffing challenges to manage, incidents to review, complaints to respond to, audits to complete and improvements to implement. When services are under pressure, it can often feel quicker and easier to make decisions yourself rather than spending time involving others.

After all, when you know the answer, why not simply provide it?

The difficulty is that whilst this approach may solve today's problem, it can sometimes create a different challenge for tomorrow. When leadership becomes concentrated within one individual, teams can unintentionally become dependent upon that person. Staff look upwards for answers, decisions are delayed whilst waiting for approval and opportunities for learning and development can be missed.

Over time, this can place significant pressure on leaders whilst limiting the growth and confidence of those around them.

For me, this is where Ralph Nader's quote becomes particularly powerful. Strong leadership is not measured by how much a leader does. It is measured by how effectively they help other people develop the confidence, skills and judgement needed to contribute, make decisions and take responsibility within their own roles.

The most resilient services are rarely those where leadership sits solely with the Registered Manager. More often, they are services where leadership is visible throughout the organisation and where people feel confident to raise concerns, contribute ideas, challenge poor practice, support colleagues and take ownership of improvement.

Recognising Leadership Potential

One of the most rewarding aspects of leadership is seeing other people develop.

Throughout my career, I have often found that individuals do not always recognise their own leadership potential until somebody else sees it first. Leadership does not always present itself through job titles or formal authority. Sometimes it can be seen in the member of staff who consistently supports colleagues, takes responsibility, demonstrates professionalism or shows a genuine interest in improving outcomes.

As leaders, it is worth taking time to consider who within the team may benefit from additional opportunities to develop. This may involve supporting them to lead a meeting, participate in an audit, contribute to a quality improvement project or take responsibility for a specific area of practice.

Small opportunities can often become the foundation for significant growth and, over time, can help individuals develop the confidence and experience needed to take on broader leadership responsibilities.

Creating Leadership Throughout the Organisation

Another area worth reflecting upon is how leadership is distributed throughout the service.

Recently, I have seen a number of discussions about whether health and social care can learn from other sectors. Whilst our sector is unique, I do think there can be value in occasionally looking beyond our own industry for ideas that help us develop people, strengthen organisations and create opportunities for growth.

Earlier in my career, I worked for a provider called Ashbourne, which had been formed from the Stakis Hotels group. One of the approaches they brought with them was a structure based around Heads of Department.

At the time, this was not particularly common within many care homes. More often there would be a Home Manager, perhaps a Deputy Manager and then the wider staff team. The Head of Department structure created something different because it recognised leadership throughout the organisation rather than concentrating it within a small number of management roles.

Individuals took responsibility for leading areas such as housekeeping, maintenance, catering, activities, administration and care delivery. In some cases they managed teams of their own, whilst in others they acted as recognised leads for a particular area of the home.

What made this approach so effective was that it created opportunities for people to develop leadership skills whilst remaining within their area of expertise. Communication, accountability and responsibility were shared more widely across the organisation. People were encouraged to contribute ideas, solve problems, take ownership of outcomes and develop a broader understanding of how the service operated.

Looking back, one of the greatest strengths of this approach was the way it developed people. Staff who may never have viewed themselves as leaders were given opportunities to build confidence, gain experience and take responsibility. It demonstrated that leadership is not simply about position or title. It is about creating an environment where people feel trusted to contribute and supported to grow.

For me, this links directly to Ralph Nader's quote. The strongest leaders are not those who become the answer to every question. They are the leaders who recognise potential in others and actively create opportunities for that potential to develop.

Developing Confidence in Decision-Making

One of the characteristics I admire most in effective leaders is their ability to develop confidence in others.

This rarely happens by providing all of the answers. More often, it happens by creating opportunities for people to think through challenges, consider options and develop their own judgement.

Questions such as, "What do you think we should do?", "What options have you considered?" or "How might this impact the people we support?" encourage reflection and critical thinking. They help people move beyond simply seeking instructions and begin developing confidence in their own decision-making.

Over time, these conversations can have a significant impact on both confidence and capability.

Encouraging Ownership and Accountability

Leadership development is not only about building confidence. It is also about creating ownership.

People are far more likely to engage with improvement when they feel a sense of responsibility for achieving it. Whether that involves leading an initiative, supporting a project, reviewing an audit or contributing to a service improvement plan, involvement creates investment.

When staff feel trusted to contribute, they often bring valuable ideas, fresh perspectives and practical solutions that may otherwise have been overlooked. Creating opportunities for ownership helps strengthen accountability whilst also supporting personal and professional development.

In many ways, leadership growth occurs when people move from being involved in change to feeling responsible for helping to create it.

Building a Service That Does Not Depend on One Person

Perhaps one of the most useful leadership questions we can ask ourselves is this:

"What would happen if I was absent for a week?"

Would quality continue to be monitored? Would concerns continue to be escalated appropriately? Would staff feel confident making decisions? Would improvement work continue to move forward?

The answer to those questions can often tell us a great deal about how leadership is distributed within a service.

Strong organisations are not dependent upon a single individual. They are supported by systems, processes and people who understand their responsibilities and feel confident carrying them out. This is not because the leader is less important. It is because the leader has invested time and energy in helping others succeed.

The most resilient services are often those where leadership capability has been developed throughout the organisation and where people feel confident stepping forward when opportunities or challenges arise.

Reflection

As leaders, it is easy to become focused on what needs to be done today. The rota needs covering, incidents need reviewing, meetings need attending and actions need completing.

However, leadership is not only about managing today's priorities.

It is also about developing the people who will help shape tomorrow's service.

As you reflect on your own leadership this week, consider where you are creating opportunities for others to grow. Think about the individuals within your team who demonstrate potential and the opportunities available to help them develop their confidence, skills and judgement.

The strongest leaders do not create followers who rely upon them for every answer. They create environments where people feel supported to think, contribute, learn and lead.

Perhaps the question to take away from Ralph Nader's quote is not how much leadership you are personally providing.

Instead, consider this:

What are you doing today that will help develop the leaders of tomorrow?