The Learning and Organizational Development Team at Martin Memorial Health Systems is focused on developing talent in a variety of new and exciting ways. While recognizing the need to be prepared for the changes in health care and the demands on the workforce in the future, we have focused our efforts on developing talent management.Our leadership team has begun the important task of succession planning to ensure the next generation of leaders is ready. At Martin Memorial that includes programs such as Emerging Leaders, Novice Nurses, and Supervisor Training that fast-track high-potential and less-experienced associates into growth roles. This is particularly important as the industry continues to change and roles and responsibilities within health care organizations change with them.
One of the new programs at Martin Memorial is a six-month Emerging Leaders project. It is geared for high potential associates to learn and grow together with a series of workshops, study materials, group discussions, feedback from other participants, their leaders and a mentor. The purpose of the program is to prepare a leadership pool of talent ready for up-coming leadership positions.
Our twelve Emerging Leaders for this year is a multidisciplinary group, ranging from associates in the pharmacy to diagnostic imaging; public relations to corporate compliance.
Our pilot program in 2010 was designed for new and novice nurse leaders seeking or currently new in a leadership role. We interviewed and selected eleven registered nurses to participate in the program. The participants from the program had feedback that the program was excellent, and that the content was useful for their career path. With the success of that initial pilot, Martin Memorial decided to continue the program and adapt it as necessary.
Mentoring partnerships also enhance leadership and career development. Our Learning and Organizational Development Team looks for opportunities to build mentoring partnerships into the programs that we design. We have found that both the person who is mentored, and the experienced professional who shares their knowledge and wisdom, benefit from the partnership. The feedback is consistent that learning takes place on both sides of the partnership. With many workforces currently comprised of four distinct generations working together, mentoring is a wonderful tool to help build an inclusive, diverse workplace.
Building a health culture rich with tradition and a diverse portfolio of practice requires strong talent management programs which encourage continuous learning and relearning of best practices. We look forward to building a workforce ready and well-equipped for the challenges ahead. We encourage each of our associates to consider their career plans, have continuous discussions with leaders and take the necessary steps for growth. That includes fully participating in every learning opportunity that comes their way. At the same time, we encourage our experienced leaders to teach and mentor others following in their footsteps.
