Rapidly changing and uncertain times call for developing new skills and competence. Faculty of health professions education schools rarely receive leadership training and development during graduate or medical school study. Efforts to offer leadership development have been outpaced by rapidly changing technologies, pedagogies, finances, and policies. Lack of knowledge and resources limit effective planning and decision-making and ultimately contribute to faculty dissatisfaction.

This focus session will introduce contemporary leadership frameworks and resources for use by current and aspiring health professions education leaders. The interactive session will begin with an overview of multiple contemporary leadership frameworks and discussion of strengths, limitations, and possible uses for each. Next, participants will work in small groups to develop their own leadership competence by applying these to case-based scenarios that reflect current, real world challenges facing academic leaders. Following small group work, the entire group will compare approaches and discuss new ideas and solutions that emerged in small groups. In the final part of the session, participants will debunk persistent leadership myths and create a personal leadership development plan to promote professional growth and flourishing. Special emphasis will be placed on the relationships between professional growth and development, self-assessment, and flourishing as a leader – even when you are leading from the middle as a leader without a formal leadership title.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe several popular leadership frameworks
• Discuss the evidence to counter common leadership myths
• Apply a leadership framework to a contemporary leadership scenario in health professions education
• Create a personal leadership development plan to promote professional growth and flourishing