A group of eight nursing lecturers gathered in Franshoek, near Cape Town, where we worked on developing a broad framework for the programme and establishing objectives. It was quite a challenge for so large a group to work together in writing one proposal. Apart from that, it was cold, with snow on the mountains around us—not a common phenomenon in Africa. But, what made the writing retreat a great success was the enthusiasm and commitment members showed in writing a proposal that could benefit the community of nurses in the Western Cape.
The Franshoek collaborators |
Writing the proposal was, in itself, an opportunity to develop self-leadership. It served as a tool for helping individual participants think about their own self-leadership, in practice. Group discussions led to the realization that self-leadership expands one’s capacity to be effective, both in leadership roles and processes.
It was wonderful to observe how, in the process of developing a leadership research programme, participants assumed leadership roles and worked together in a productive and meaningful way.
Now, the next step—getting funding for the project!
For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.