Whatever your role, practice or educational environment, here are the tools and techniques you can use to realize your leadership potential, advance your career, and contribute to the future of nursing. This 2009 AJN Book of the Year Winner, by two noted educators in the field of leadership development, guides you through the process. An easy-to-read, interactive approach helps you identify the characteristics of leaders and followers and illustrates not only how, but also when to use the qualities associated with each to achieve professional and personal success. Key features: focuses on personal leadership development, as well as the distinction between leadership and management; features a student-tested, Grossman and Valiga Leadership Characteristics and Skills Assessment tool that helps readers assess their personal skills and their perceptions of good leaders; balances theory with real-world case studies from clinical practice and education and critical thinking exercises; covers both followership and leadership and the differences and similarities between related leadership roles; emphasizes globalization of health care, aging population and health care delivery settings; and, includes an annotated bibliography of articles on leadership.