Overview of the LEAD Program

The LEAD Program was designed to deliver a structured 12-month blended learning experience for junior faculty. The design of our LEAD program was initially informed by a leadership program developed at the University of Texas Southwestern Center for Translational Medicine. Our subsequent adapted program was specifically customized to our cohort of learners, using a consultative approach to learning [Reference Hopkins and Meyer4], whereby stakeholders were engaged in developing a bespoke curriculum. We incorporated educational content to address perceived leadership characteristics and success factors that are critical to the development of junior faculty investigators. Such content included strategic thinking, managing conflict and challenging conversations, change management, emotional intelligence, team building, business planning, and personal leadership development [Reference Frich, Brewster, Cherlin and Bradley2]. The overarching goal of the LEAD program was to (1) enhance personal and professional leadership capacity, skills, and behavior; (2) enable participants to systematize their intuitive leadership skills in a structured and supportive environment and to capitalize on their strengths and recognize their developmental opportunities, (3) apply leadership skills to solve real-world practice-based challenges, and (4) provide a platform for fostering interprofessional and cross-disciplinary relationships among junior faculty from a range of scientific and clinical backgrounds to create a community of practice. Underlying the program is a learning framework to foster behaviors, attitudes, mindsets, and strategies that translate learning into effective role performance and organizational outcomes. This LEAD program was comprised of an asynchronously and synchronously delivered curriculum, personal and group coaching, and a capstone project to apply theory to practice.

LEAD Program Education Faculty and Professional Development Educator Team

The LEAD program sought to leverage diverse leadership training and professional development expertise through collaborative engagement with content experts in both the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) and the Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS), including the Office of Academic Development and Enrichment (OADE) and Talent Development and Learning (TDL). To further capitalize on the wealth of institutional knowledge to advance leadership competency, program faculty were recruited from the Institute of Medical Education, the Office of Human Resources, The Center for Multi-Cultural and Community Affairs, and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and drew upon the informed perspectives of senior leadership including the Chief Transformation Officer for the MSHS, the Deans for the medical school and scientific affairs, respectively, as well as Presidents of the Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Queens, Mount Sinai West, and Mount Sinai Downtown. In addition, we partnered with external consultants that brought expertise not readily available within the organization, including business leaders, and leadership faculty.

LEAD Program Participant Recruitment

We designed an RFA and solicited applications from junior faculty – instructor through first-year associate professor. Applicants were asked to provide an overview of their experience in formal or informal leadership positions, their most significant achievements in clinical care, CTS research, teaching, and community engagements, as well as their reasons for wanting to participate in the LEAD program. Applicants were also asked to provide demographic information, a CV or biosketch, and a letter of support from their Department Chair, Institute or Center Director. Two program leaders reviewed applications, and applicants were scored using a rubric that ranked previous leadership experience, career stage, evidence of Department Chair, Institute or Center Director support, motivation to participate, and overall quality of the application. In addition, the program sought to gather representation from a diversity of scientific/medical disciplines, degrees, departments, and MSHS sites.

Curriculum

The LEAD Program is built on a constructivist model [Reference Vygotsky5], whereby participants are lead through a process of self-reflection and discovery, skill acquisition, behavioral development, and coaching to embrace foundational principles fundamental to academic leadership. This approach incorporates best practices for leadership development, including the use of experiential activities to advance capabilities and opportunities for self-reflection and personal growth [Reference Tsoh, Kuo and Barr6,Reference Steinert, Naismith and Mann7].

The program is comprised of 12 interactive competency-based workshops, each focused on a specific leadership skill or attribute. To foster self-development, each participant completed the Hogan Leadership Forecast Series [Reference Hogan, Curphy and Hogan8], the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0) [Reference Bar-On and Geher9], and the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument [Reference Kilmann and Thomas10]. These tools are utilized to promote self-awareness of participants’ leadership tendencies and styles. Workshop topics flow through blocks of learning that focus first on individual leadership, then on interpersonal leadership (leadership constructs governing interactions with others), and, lastly, on organizational leadership, which includes strategic thinking and business planning. A visual representation of the curriculum-mapped topics is delineated in Fig. 1. Using a blended learning approach, online videos and resources were provided in a virtual learning platform to establish the context and provide relevant tools for the subsequent workshops. Monthly, synchronous workshops were used for application of learning through case studies, inquiry-based learning, peer discussion, and role play. Each workshop was four hours long, with a break for lunch to facilitate networking and informal discussion. Participants were encouraged to maintain a journal thereby enabling them to focus on self-reflection and goal setting to advance experiential application of new knowledge and skills. Participant satisfaction was gathered via a satisfaction survey administered at the end of each workshop. Feedback was reviewed on an ongoing basis and used to facilitate program development and improvement.

Fig. 1.

LEAD conceptual curricular framework.

Leaders’ Labs, Coaching, and Support

The LEAD workshops were supplemented by one-on-one assessment debriefs, one-to-one coaching (as requested), and an optional “Leaders’ Lab,” a monthly faculty-facilitated peer coaching session. The Hogan and EQ-i 2.0 assessment debriefs served to increase participants’ self-awareness and enabled them to establish self-development goals for the program. Upon request, the debriefs continued with one-on-one coaching to address individual development needs. The Leaders’ Lab was an optional peer-to-peer coaching that was designed to support the transfer of learning to the workplace. Through this, the participants were able to meet monthly in small groups of 6–10 participants. The 60- to 90-minute meetings were facilitated by a TDL Coach and were designed to foster a safe, trusting, and confidential dialogue. This coaching opportunity offered participants a sounding board for leadership challenges, encouraged them to reflect and learn from peers, created a space for sharing lessons learned and best practices, and provided them with support in navigating the health system. It also helped them to build/expand their internal network and develop a sense of community. Almost all participants attended the Leaders’ Lab sessions, and approximately five participants per cohort took advantage of the one-to-one coaching.

The LEAD Program Capstone Project

Participants were encouraged to identify a problem or issue within their own sphere of practice that could be addressed through the use of leadership concepts and newly acquired leadership skills. The final output of the program was a Leadership Capstone project, which was designed to integrate leadership principles from the curriculum in order to solve a practical issue, thereby demonstrating competence and reinforcing application of learning to practice [Reference Hopkins and Meyer4]. The aim was for participants to conceptualize the capstone project during the LEAD Program. Participants submitted a project abstract mid-year and received feedback from program leadership on the suitability of their proposed capstone project as it related to incorporation and application of leadership concepts.

At the end of the program, the final capstone report was evaluated using a standardized, bespoke assessment rubric that considered the project focus, evidence of leadership impact, action planning and implementation, and outcome measures and metrics of success employed. Participants were then provided with an opportunity to make additional revisions to their written report based upon formative feedback. Lastly, participants partook in an end-of-the-year event which included a formal presentation of their project to their peers and faculty. Participants received feedback from leadership and peers during their presentation and had the opportunity to edit their projects prior to final submission. The capstone presentations were followed by a celebratory event acknowledging the accomplishments of participants and serving as a formal end to this phase of the program. An overview of the full curriculum timeline is presented in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2.

LEAD curriculum timeline.