The Pitfalls of Following a Past Leader to a New Job

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, FAAN

Many of us have worked for nurse leaders who are charismatic and supportive of us in our early leadership careers. We would follow them anywhere – right? Not so fast. There can be pitfalls in this as I learned from a colleague who is regrouping after a bad career experience. Her former Chief Nursing Officer relocated to a job in health system far from my colleague’s home. She was not there long when she began calling her former mentee about opportunities on her newly reorganized leadership team. “I need people that I can trust”, she said and “you would be perfect for the role.” The position paid significantly more than my colleague was making and would be a career advancement. She flew out for the interview and ultimately took the job in spite of red flags that were there during interview. She reflected that “it really wasn’t an interview – everyone knew the CNO would hire me and no one internally had even bothered to apply.” She was in the job only three months when the CEO of the organization abruptly left. A new CEO was hired and her CNO mentor then left the organization, unhappy with the senior leadership change. My colleague had uprooted her life and was now in an organization where she felt little support from her new co-workers.

There is a cautionary lesson in this professional story. Turnover in top leadership roles is greater today than ever before. While the opportunity to advance one’s career can seem too good to turn down, there are times when following a past leader to a new job may not be a good career move. The following are 4 key questions to ask yourself BEFORE you say yes:

1. Would you take the job if your former leader was not part of the organizational leadership? – This is a key question to ask yourself before making any decisions about accepting a position. If the answer is NO, then the job is probably not the right one for you.

2. Is the organizational and regional culture a good fit for you? – Leaders sometimes underestimate the importance of context. You can be very successful in one setting and fail miserably in another because of cultural and regional differences. Making a long distance move and leaving family and close friends is a big commitment. You need to be confident that you have thought it through and it is good decision for you at this point in your life.

3. Will the role build your expertise as a leader? – A job may pay more and your span of control may be larger but will the role help you to build your leadership expertise. Don’t rely on promises about future promotions or opportunities. Your due diligence must focus on getting a clear understanding about the position you are interviewing for and how it will contribute to your growth. Never accept a position based on promises about future opportunities.

4. Were other leaders and staff in the organization fully involved in your selection and will they support you? Leadership is a team support. Having supportive colleagues will make a big difference in your success. If the leaders and staff in the organization feel that your selection was thrust on them without input, it will be very difficult to gain trust in your role. It is also a red flag about the way that your former leader/mentor is managing his/her role.

Mentors can be wonderful cheerleaders for our leadership career growth. Following a past leader to a new organization may be the right career move but be sure to consider the downsides so you avoid the perils.