The organization of my employment does encourage leadership among staff at all levels. There are many elements which encourages professional development, growth, and new opportunities for going up the career path within the organization. The priorities are very much aligned with the leadership development, it is openly stated and emphasized through policy. Information is shared with team members and communication is encouraged to identify those who wish to try new roles. An environment that facilitates these aspects greatly values its staff, consistently providing support and encouragement, both in small achievements and the opportunity to be rewarded for progress. Such environments do not take shame in the learning process and continuous learning to be better, both as individuals and as a group. Constructive feedback is encouraged when accepting mistakes as much as praise for success. If there is evidence of a natural leader, such organizations recognized this and seek to develop them with skills and competencies to achieve maximum potential in the workforce (Grossman & Valiga, 2017).
In regard to mentoring, I do have a mentor which has helped me ever since I joined the organization. The individual mentoring me is a senior nurse that has been in the profession for decades, and although she holds few formal positions, she is well-respected by all staff, and she provides very insightful advice on how to do well and navigate the challenges of the profession. This individual is facilitating my leadership by giving me opportunities to take on small management tasks and also pushes me to pursue any opportunities that may arise. I am not mentoring anyone personally, as I believe that I am not yet experienced enough. However, potentially someone that could use mentoring is a really new nurse that just started working with us, and she seems very confused and lost. She does not seem incompetent, but her nervousness is greatly limiting her potential.
The organization does not openly encourage to take risks, but rather it promotes openness and working in teams to find solutions. Sometimes these working teams do step outside the boundaries of regular protocols to get things done, and that is not criticized. I think the organization needs to develop more nursing leadership positions. Currently the culture is very reliant on unofficial leadership of more experienced workers, and only a couple of official positions exist. I believe more structure would be beneficial but also not to the point of being limited.
Reference
Grossman, S.C., & Valiga, T.M. (2017). The new leadership challenge: Creating the future of nursing (5th edition). F.A. Davis