Abstract
This chapter reflects upon the concept of servant-followership within the community of responders. Throughout the emergency services, the lowest paid and least-esteemed positions are also the most dangerous. These are the quintessential followership positions consisting of the firefighter on the nozzle, the patient technician, and the patrol officer. Each of these positions is where the rubber meets the road, most loss is realized, and the most injury and line of duty deaths occur. These follower positions make up the bulk of the emergency services career fields. The vast majority of the men and women who serve within the emergency services find themselves at this level. As noble as these positions are, textbooks and writings seemingly disregard their importance by concentrating on the role of the leader. It is the aim of this chapter to bring to life the role that followership plays in the emergency services and how executive leaders can foster healthy followership within their organizations.
Followers are more important to leaders than leaders are to followers.
—Barbara Kellerman
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Russell, E.J. (2019). Fostering Responder Servant-Followership. In: In Command of Guardians: Executive Servant Leadership for the Community of Responders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12493-9_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12493-9_11
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