Social Responsibility...

Does a company, or it's leaders have a moral/ethical responsiblity to educate, develop or offer personal growth for their employees?

This was the topic of discussion last week in my organizational leadership class. The further discussion centered on where are the leaders of the future going to come from, and are we facing a critical shortage of great leadership in America? One answer that resonated with me from a class peer was the perspective of social responsibiity of corporations and business to create and grow their own next generation of leaders.

As we shared our own personal journey's into leadership roles; it was evident that some companies are getting this idea better then others. I have thought about this topic all week as I face a "change" in my own leadership role and take on a new challenge. I have thought about how we/I as a leader, view development of future leaders.

I also have researched and looked for information regarding developing good leadership programs for future administrators and nursing managers. What I find is very good resources; with limited applications throughout our industry. A sad testament to what we view as important.

Yet, we espouse conversations about quality, we talk about driving down costs, increasing productivity while maintaining high staff satisfaction rates. None of this can be accomplished without some very basic leadership skill and development.

It is as if we "assume" that persons in leadership roles have a skill basket filled with the necessary ingredients to create the recipe for success. The reality, is that most leaders in health care are in these positions perhaps based on some in born ability or talent and personal drive. They may/may not have actually recieved good hands on training and knowledge of the nuances of leadership it takes to reach the level of excellence we are seeking.

I again am fortunate to work for someone who recognizes this as an area of growth to be developed on an individual basis. Yet as I start to think of our industry on a global realm; I realize how truly lucrative it could be for me/my building and my company if we develop a phenomonal talent pool of future leaders. It is something our competition has not even begun to address or focus time and resources on.

Growing our own leaders comes at a cost. In fact, the cost may be losing some of those that you develop. I sit in my office at work today; cleaning out my desk. On my desk is the list of the upcoming nursing graduates that we will sponsor an event for. I have two of my own employees on this list. Both are part of our tuition reimbursment program. Both will make phenomenal nurses and have bothpersonal drive for quality and a passion for customer service. As a leader to have had a hand in developing these two young women and watching their personal growth is a reward unmatched. Yet, the dilemma is where are we going to place them? I have no nursing positions in my building. Discussion with sister facilities will have to take place to find a place for them to continue their journey. Perhaps they will even leave our company.

So is it worth growing future leaders if you have no place for them once ready? My answer to this question is a resounding yes. I feel as a care provider it is my social obligation to create excellence for all care givers. If this means over development of potential leaders then so be it. Imagine the possibilities if all companies felt this responsibility. We would not be facing a leadership drought, and health care would be so much better for it...