Leadership Development Programs: Benefits, Outcomes, and Personal Transformations

The development of nursing leaders who can steer and re-invent a rapidly-changing and complex health care environment is crucial for the profession and the nation’s health.  Indeed, the nursing profession has been tasked with the achievement of recommendations and increased engagement in the healthcare of the country.  A focus on intentional leadership growth and development is found in three recommendations of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) report The Future of Nursing (IOM, 2010; 2015).   Development of leadership skills, however, is an on-going process that requires self-reflection, opportunities for growth, and planning (Porter-O’Grady & Malloch, 2013).  Participation in a leadership development program is one route for enhancing the progression and advancement of leadership potential.  

While leadership development programs may differ in focus and target population, there are common themes and experiences throughout them.  These programs frequently offer group and individual executive coaching using a model of intentional leadership growth and development.  Through an immersive experience that incorporates mentoring, collegial support, networking, team work, and educational offerings, graduates experience planned and intentional growth and development as nurse leaders.  In this age of faculty and administrative leader shortages, the movement from practice to academia is more common than in the past, and requires similar yet different sets of skills. Leadership development programs allow academic and administrative nurse leaders to enhance their own personal leadership skills and assist in the succession planning of future leaders in their organizations and in the nation.

The purpose of this presentation is to identify the common similarities and themes of leadership development programs and highlight their benefits and outcomes.  Past graduates of leadership development programs will also discuss their personal and professional transformations as a result of their participation in two National League for Nursing (NLN) leadership development programs:  The Leadership Development Program for Simulation Educators designed for experienced  simulation educators who wish to enhance leadership skills and further develop their organization’s simulation programs, and the LEAD program focused on nurses in practice and education who have either experienced a rapid transition to a leadership position or who aspire to advance their careers.

References

National Academies of Medicine (2010).  The Institute of Medicine Report:  The future of nursing: 

                Leading change, advancing health.   Retrieved April 4, 2016, from:

                http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2010/The-Future-of-Nursing-Leading-Change-Advancing-Health.aspx   

National Academies of Medicine (2015).  The Institute of Medicine Report:  Assessing progress of

                the IOM report the future of nursing.  Retrieved April 3, 2016, from:

                http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Reports/2015/Assessing-Progress-on-the-IOM-Report- The-Future-of-Nursing.aspx

Porter-O’Grady, T., & Malloch, K.  (2013). Leadership in nursing practice:  Changing the landscape of

                health care.  Burlington, Massachusetts:  Jones & Bartlett.