My Continuing Journey through Project LEAD (Leadership Enhancement and Development)

Abstract: The author discusses how her experiences at Project LEAD have improved her ability to accept new job responsibilities and be an effective administrator. The LEAD model allowed her to mature in confidence and successfully complete projects in LEAD and in her competitive work environment. During LEAD, the fellows were given mentors, and the author's assigned mentor was instrumental to her success. She has realized that those scholars who shared their expertise with LEAD fellows also acted as mentors and brought invaluable tenets of leadership. These scholars have lived by these tenets and are role models to be emulated. The LEAD model provided her with new skill sets and new ideals that will be beneficial to her for decades to come. Key Words: Leadership, African American Nurses, Project LEAD, Black Administrators, Black Nursing leaders, Transformational Leadership The Leadership Enhancement and Development Project provided a variety of perspectives on problems in the global society and health care faced by minority nurses in the twenty-first century. As a minority nurse leader in today's society, I was afforded the opportunity to recognize my leadership style and to gain knowledge through the presentations of experts in nursing and other fields. The Project LEAD requirement that all attendees set goals during the fellowship provided me the opportunity to measure my performance as a nurse leader at the completion of Project LEAD. The experience also afforded me the opportunity to participate in a mentee-mentor experience that provided me with positive role modeling experiences. My experiences in Project LEAD will continue to influence the leadership model I use for improving health delivery within my institution of higher learning. During the first year of Project LEAD, I enhanced my skills in setting goals, which lead to the development of more effective planning, implementation, and evaluation skills. My assigned mentor assisted me in developing plans and strategies that would help me to meet my goals. The Project LEAD workshops featured national and international nurse leaders who demonstrated phenomenal expertise in the areas of project planning, policy and finance and global leadership. One of the presenters, Dr. Helen Grace of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, informed the nurse leaders of the challenges facing minority nursing schools. These challenges include broadening student awareness through establishing mutually beneficial relationships, building international partnerships, and diversifying nursing in the United States (H. Grace, personal communication, June 19, 2004). Another presenter, Dr. Judith Oulton of the International Council of Nurses, provided additional methods in dealing with barriers to nursing effectiveness. She stated five areas of concern: (1) Evidence of Nursing Effectiveness; (2) Human Resource Issues; (3) HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria; (4) Building Nursing Leadership; and (5) Finding/Using Our Policy Voice (J. Oulton, personal communication, June 19, 2004). As a participant in the Leadership Enhancement and Development Project, I will continue to use the leadership methods I learned during Project LEAD. The tools I learned during Project LEAD are helpful as I continue my journey as a minority nurse leader at a historically Black college and university (HBCU). The value of goal setting, mentoring, project development, and presentations will be demonstrated as my journey continues in a leadership capacity as Assistant Director of the Health Center. As a participant in Project LEAD, I was expected to set short- and long-term goals that would ultimately lead to positive outcomes. According to McCabe and McCabe (2000, p. 2), setting goals encourages one to develop long-term and shortterm goals. The goal setting experiences at Project LEAD have assisted me in developing short- and long-term goals for my university's strategic plan and forthcoming reaffirmation of accreditation. …