Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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involvement on boards should be encouraged and sup- However, to date, there are few formal mentoring and
ported through professional development or continu- educational programs for nurses who want to serve on
ing education activities. national or international boards or in leadership posi-
Organizations often groom leaders for positions be- tions (Zarnitz, 2006).
fore elevating them to leadership roles within the or- Nurses must look to the business world and model
ganization. Leadership development occurs through leadership training after examples found there. Through-
both formal and informal education, thus allowing an out their careers, leaders in business benefit from infor-
easier transition into a leadership position and increas- mal leadership education. Programs designed to support
ing a leader’s capacity to have an effect. Executive skills a professional’s development to serve as a board member
are valuable and enrich one’s career. In business, where have shown benefits (Paton, Mordaunt, & Cornforth,
maintaining global leadership is vital to sustainability, 2007; Steinert, Nasmith, McLeod, & Conochie, 2003).
corporate leaders view networking and mentoring as Through formal education focused on advancing board
professional obligations. Development of professional leadership skills, participants are reminded of skills they
leaders in the workplace can result in leadership in other use daily that are essential to formal leadership. Formal
noncorporate forums as well (Ketter, 2007). leadership development instills confidence and builds the
The structure of many organizations results in nu- participant’s energy to serve (Novak, 2007). With formal
merous tiers of leaders. Although each level of leader- mentoring occurring in other professions successfully,
ship has a sphere of influence, leadership at the board application of these same principles by the nursing pro-
level is responsible for creating the vision and mission of fession is essential to ensure the presence of a nursing
an organization. Therefore, to exert as much influence as voice in global leadership.
possible, nurses must serve as board members. Board leadership mentoring for nurses provides an
opportunity for emerging nursing leaders to harness
Nursing Leadership Development the intellectual capital of the best and brightest already
Nursing education focuses primarily on understand- serving on national and international boards. Leadership
ing the science of human beings, caring for patients, and development offers the opportunity for future nurse
working in a collaborative health care environment. leaders to understand the direction of the profession and
General leadership education is introduced, but is not convey this message in a way that increases nursing’s
a primary focus of nursing education. The skills nurses visibility in a positive manner. STTI’s BLD program ad-
gain at the bedside and in midlevel management positions dresses this need.
are transferable to other situations and settings; nursing According to Jumaa (2008), the BLD program devel-
leaders must help novice nurses to recognize these skills ops a board-level nurse leader who will be a mapmaker
and understand their application in more complex orga- and keen participant in the process of knowledge cre-
nizations requiring higher-level skills. ation while enhancing personal meaning and promot-
Nurses possess the capacity to lead and often provide ing useful and relevant nursing and health care practice.
leadership thorough mentoring, although they tend to In essence, the BLD program creates nurse leaders at
carry out these duties unobtrusively on a one-on-one the board level who have the capability to move beyond
basis. The consequence of this quiet leadership is the subject- and discipline-specific expertise and engage
diminished visibility of nurses in these leadership roles. with what Schon (1987) termed the “swampy lowland”
The process of nursing leadership education tends to oc- of practice. Jumaa and Picard (2008) asserted that the
cur informally through professional development activi- BLD program increases knowledge, skills, and attitudes
ties and daily responsibilities (Tourangeau, 2003). in the following areas: the core aspects of trusteeship; an
The nursing profession must be deliberate about organization’s vision, mission, and strategic goals; fidu-
bringing attention to the leadership it provides. Because ciary responsibilities of a board; board and staff part-
of their depth of knowledge and wide array of skills, nerships; strategic thinking and planning; and genera-
nurses are perfectly poised to serve on national and in- tive governance.
ternational boards. Cultivating the innate leadership
abilities of nurses by giving them the opportunity to fill The Sigma Theta Tau International Board
board leadership roles supports and encourages the ap- Leadership Development Program
propriate formal education and development of future STTI created the BLD program in 2004 as part of
nurse leaders. Whether serving within health care orga- the Leadership Institute. This 2-year program prepares
nizations or within the community, nurses who partici- nurse leaders to participate on national and international
pate in formal leadership education reap many benefits. boards. Through a structured educational program, the
SIDEBAR 1
Board Leadership Development Readings
Year 1
Ingram, R. T. (2003). Ten basic responsibilities of nonprofit boards. Book One of the BoardSource Governance Series, Revised Edition.
Washington, DC: BoardSource.
Lang, A. S. (2007). Financial responsibilities of nonprofit boards. Book Two of the BoardSource Governance Series, Revised Edition.
Washington, DC: BoardSource.
Dambach, C. F. (2003). Structures and practices of nonprofit boards. Book Three of the BoardSource Governance Series. Washington,
DC: BoardSource.
Greenfield, J. M. (2003). Fundraising responsibilities of nonprofit boards. Book Four of the BoardSource Governance Series. Washing-
ton, DC: BoardSource.
Hopkins, B. R. (2007). Legal responsibilities of nonprofit boards. Book Five of the BoardSource Governance Series, Revised Edition.
Washington, DC: BoardSource.
Grace, K. S. (2003). The nonprofit board’s role in setting and advancing the mission. Book Six of the BoardSource Governance Series.
Washington, DC: BoardSource.
Yankey, J. A., & McClellan, A. (2003). The nonprofit board’s role in planning and evaluation. Book Seven of the BoardSource Gover-
nance Series. Washington, DC: BoardSource.
Chait, R. P. (2003). How to help your board govern more and manage less. Book Eight of the BoardSource Governance Series, Re-
vised Edition. Washington, DC: BoardSource.
Gale, R. L. (2003). Leadership roles in nonprofit governance. Book Nine of the BoardSource Governance Series. Washington, DC:
BoardSource.
Year 2
Chait, R. P., Ryan, W. P., & Taylor, B. E. (2005). Governance as leadership: Reframing the work of nonprofit boards. Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons.
participants develop the requisite knowledge and skills coordinators posed questions and the Fellows shared re-
to be effective board members. sponses based on readings and board experiences. The
The authors were Fellows in the BLD program, which nine BoardSource books provided an excellent overview
began with the application process on the STTI website and reinforced the key concepts covered in the continu-
(www.nursingsociety.org). The requirements included ing education program. A second-year reading list was
submission of the application form, a personal state- also provided (Sidebar 1).
ment of interest, a résumé, a letter of endorsement from The final component of the program was the identifi-
a chapter or employer, and a professional or personal let- cation of a board member who served as a mentor to the
ter of endorsement. A fee is required for participation in Fellow. The mentor facilitated entrée to a board and al-
the program. lowed shadowing to observe the role of board members.
After acceptance into the program, the Fellows at- Fellows discussed their observations with their mentors
tended a 3-day continuing education course focused on and made comparisons between the board functions ob-
the core aspects of nonprofit board leadership presented served and information gained from the readings. At the
by nursing leaders from STTI. Key concepts covered in conclusion of Phase II of the BLD, Fellows were expect-
the course included leadership styles, board versus or- ed to “be familiar with reliable sources of information
ganization staff roles and responsibilities, development and continuing education on governance to support life-
and fundraising, legal issues, stewardship and generative long learning related to board leadership development”
governance, and strategic thinking. The Fellows assessed (STTI, n.d.). Key content and learning acquired during
their personal leadership and governance competencies. this phase included professional respect among board
This information was used to devise a personal action members and the ability to disagree but work together;
plan that pinpointed specific BLD content and mentor- observation and clarification of board members’ roles;
ing development needs (STTI, n.d.). The Fellows be- the board’s focus on the mission and vision of the organi-
came acquainted and built relationships, not only among zation in guiding board decisions; and the importance of
themselves but also with other STTI members, leaders, diverse backgrounds and perspectives of board members.
and staff members. On completion of the BLD program, Fellows earned up
Another component of the program involved re- to 100 contact hours for continuing education. To date,
quired readings and online discussions, in which BLD 39 Fellows have completed the program.
SIDEBAR 2
guidelines for a self-created board leadership program
A self-created program can be developed, but it is important to ensure that critical success factors, features of the process that are of
particular importance for program participants (Johnson, Scholes, & Whittington, 2005), are included. Failure to design programs that
address critical success factors make the program ineffective. Two critical success factors are identified as necessary for an effec-
tive board leadership development program: knowledge input and the role of mentors in the program. Knowledge input results in a
certain common language necessary to execute the board leadership role effectively. The role of mentors, although rooted in practice,
nevertheless requires that each mentor assigned to the program have relevant board leadership development knowledge (Nonaka,
1991). The success of any board leadership development program demands a symbiotic relationship between theory and practice and
a seamless integration of tacit and explicit knowledge, making the role of the mentor of crucial importance. The success of a program
of this nature relies on anticipating and overcoming certain barriers. A program meeting the lifelong learning needs of the professional
nurse can be developed through an individual, learner-created, self-paced, self-directed program on board membership, using numer-
ous websites that provide introductory information about nonprofit or corporate board membership, organization, and governance, and
the roles of members.
Formal classes—such as conferences, webinars, or academic offerings—that are noncredit or continuing education or that result in
undergraduate or graduate credits are available. Informal learning is available through reputable websites or by reviewing any of the
many books available on board membership and board roles (Sidebar 1). All of these educational support materials help to identify
best practices for the role of a board member.
The most important aspect of a self-directed program is the board experience itself. Organizations that fit one’s interests and expertise
in health care can be identified through web searching (Dawson & Freed, 2008). Selection of an organization that stimulates one’s
passion enriches the board experience. It is important to identify several organizations that are of interest and meet one’s personal
needs, while considering location, distance, and time commitment. Evans (2009) suggested considering opportunities to participate
on boards of local nonprofit hospitals as a starting point. In addition, there are several websites available that assist in matching an
individual’s expertise with boards that have a need. When reviewing possible board experiences, it is important to be aware that, in
addition to expertise, nonprofit boards may be interested in diversifying their membership, based on ethnic/racial considerations, age,
experience, or skill sets (Daley, 2002).
Before contacting the executive director or the president of the board to make an introduction and discuss plans for the mentorship
experience, it is important to learn about the organization. Having an understanding of the organization and board operations demon-
strates a commitment to the experience by being prepared. The mentorship plan should include a curriculum vitae (résumé), previous
leadership experiences or skills, goals for the mentorship experience, the mentor’s responsibilities, and the time frame. The final step
in this learning process is active attendance at board meetings throughout the planned mentorship experience. The knowledge gained
from the mentorship experience provides the foundation for participation as a leader on the local, national, or international board level.
Benefits and Barriers to Participating ment and planning, through their mentors. The types
in a Board Leadership Development of opportunities afforded to the Fellows included par-
Program ticipation in pivotal organizational governance changes
Board membership by nurses is needed; thus, a for a national organization, publication, involvement in
strong case exists for the development of nurses to as- the strategic planning process, and board-level political
sume board-level leadership. Nurses possess many of activism.
the skills required for board positions; however, further Benefits to the individual Fellows occurred on both
development of these skills requires two complementary a personal and a professional level. Board membership
approaches. Knowledge specific to board leadership is provides nurses with an exciting opportunity to estab-
needed, and can then be applied in an experiential man- lish or work with an organization whose focus connects
ner. For adult learners, learning occurs best when it takes with their own passions. As professionals, nurses are
place in a meaningful setting and when current or new committed to lifelong learning, and they look to broad-
knowledge is applied immediately. The best way to learn en their knowledge base in many areas. Knowledge
board leadership is to be immersed in the experience. specific to board function and skills gained can benefit
Knowledge acquisition alone is inadequate for skill de- nurses not only in board leadership positions, but also
velopment. with employers, professional organizations, and volun-
The Fellows found that immersion in board activities teer groups. Board membership broadens a nurse’s scope
through working with their mentors was a key factor of influence as a change agent. It is at the board level
in meeting their professional objectives. Mentors held that nursing expertise shapes the programs and services
national or international board positions, such as presi- made available to the community that the organization
dent, president elect, vice president, chief executive of- serves. The board experience provides networking op-
ficer, and chief operating officer. Fellows had access to portunities with individuals or groups with whom the
the organizational work of boards, including manage- nurse may not typically interact. A board leadership role