Blog from Cameron Hogg, Associate Dean, Graduate Clinical Programs, GW School of Nursing
My time participating in GWALA has been an enlightening experience and has paralleled my evolution as a leader over the past year. When I applied for the program, I was a regular faculty member, but the same week that our cohort began, I interviewed for an administrative leadership position. By the second time we met, I was stepping into that new role. I’ve greatly benefited from the training provided as I’ve gotten to put the skills into action as a leader within our school.
This has been different from other leadership training I’ve completed. Last year, I was in a year-long faculty leadership mentoring program through one of our national faculty organizations. That program encouraged participants to think of themselves as the product and provided tools for broader-based career and leadership planning. While some of its content was theoretical in nature, GWALA provided more tangible and actionable content to utilize right away. The two experiences dovetailed nicely and provided me with a wide array of insights into leadership in general, and into my leadership in particular.
I pride myself on being a relationship builder, and I have relied on that often throughout my career. However, I have not been quite so conscious of the theories behind that skill as I am now after participating in GWALA. Over the course of the year, each session demonstrated how to build and nurture relationships and why that skill is essential to leadership. From setting our leadership intentions in September, to evaluating our own decision-making and navigating difficult conversations, strategizing for staff engagement and faculty development, and reflecting on the importance of emotional intelligence, all of the sessions have contributed to my abilities to promote favorable relationships that will facilitate growth and the common good within my school.