Fostering leadership development and growth of nurse leaders: Experiences from Midwest Nursing Research Society Leadership Academy

Leadership development and growth of nurse leaders is critically important for the thriving of the nursing profession. Formal leadership training programs are helpful in building leadership knowledge and skills. The Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS) launched the Leadership Academy (LA), a new initiative to foster leadership development and intentionally create a steady pool of members prepared to step into MNRS leadership positions. The purpose of this article was to describe the experiences of a mentor and mentee dyad through the MNRS LA and discuss their perspectives on fostering leadership development and growth. The success of a leadership development program has a far-reaching impact on novice and potential future leaders. A tailored leadership mentoring relationship helps increase one’s self-confidence in being a leader and provides individualized leadership development opportunities. Engagement of both the mentee and mentor in the leadership mentoring relationship is a key to ensure an optimized leadership mentoring experience. •There are many challenges and barriers for novice nurse leaders.•Tailored leadership mentoring fosters development and growth of nurse leaders.•Phases of mentorship can be used to build leadership development programs.