Educational innovation: collaborative mentoring for future nursing leaders.

This article discusses a unique educational partnership between nurse leaders and a university baccalaureate nursing program that nurtures future nursing administrators. A structured mentoring process in which students are guided through an internship with nursing administrators and executives promotes development of a career focus, leading novices to a more mature role on their career journeys. Mentoring is the art and science of guiding another through the purposeful actions of leading and directing to a new place of cognition. The concept of mentoring dates to Greek mythology; King Odysseus asked his friend Mentor to guide and assist his son, Telemachus, while the king was away fighting the Trojan War (Carroll, 2004). Nursing history suggests that Florence Nightingale was the first nursing mentor; archival research reveals a mentor-style relationship between Nightingale and Rachel Williams, matron of St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington, England (Lorentzon & Brown, 2003). In Great Britain, half of nurses' preregistration training comprises clinical practice placements in which qualified nurses act as mentors for the students (Beskine, 2009). Mentoring is an eff ective leadership strategy that has been used in the nursing profession for many years (Donner & Wheeler, 2007). Mentors are often experienced nurses who have strong professional networks and who are able to share their knowledge and foster leadership skills in those less experienced (Schira, 2007). Mentoring can occur through direct supervision or through subtle coaching to allow the mentee to achieve a new direction in his or her life. Eff ective mentors are able to lead others by modeling professional behavior and personal balance. MENTOR CHARACTERISTICS Mentorship roles are diverse and can be tailored to the needs of the mentee. Darling (1984) lists a variety of traits that mentees want from a mentor, including inspirer, supporter, envisioner, teacher-coach, feedback giver, eye-opener, door opener, idea bouncer, problem solver, career counselor, and challenger. Tobin (2004) identifi ed seven roles that relate specifically to mentoring, including teacher, sponsor, adviser, agent, role model, coach, and confidante. In addition to these roles and traits, mentors must possess other qualities, including empathy, maturity, self- confidence, resourcefulness, and a willingness to commit time and energy to others (Comte-Sponville, 2003). Mentors also provide constructive criticism to mentees as they guide them in their progress (Vanderstam, 2005). For leadership development, Hoff man, Harris, and Rosenfield (2008) state that mentorship requires engagement in the mentee's own values and the creation of awareness for opportunities that facilitate self-discovery and maturation. Nickitas, Keida, Nokes, and Neville (2004) found that fostering nurse executive partnerships with mentees required collaboration and the encouragement of the mentees to learn skills of communication and problem solving. These authors found that one way to ensure the future of nursing leadership is to provide creative partnerships between nurse executives and students. Investing in the student's growth and discovery of the nurse executive role was a way to maintain the core values of nursing and leadership in the profession. Further, nursing leadership mentoring to assist nurses in new and diff erent roles requires an understanding that mentoring is influenced by the organizational culture of the mentor (Bally, 2007). Bass (1994) described four leadership dimensions in which registered nurses can assist in creating an empowering, innovative, and dynamic culture that develops and sustains mentoring. These four dimensions of transformational leadership are inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, idealized influence, and intellectual stimulation. Inspirational motivation by a nursing leader requires a clearly defined vision that allows the mentoring to provide guidance, encourage a sense of purpose, and help foster the a? …