Abstract

The Dorothy Wylie Health Leaders Institute is a Canadian success story, providing leadership development to over 2,600 nurses and healthcare professionals since its inception in 2001.The authors describe the original design and intent of the Institute and its evolution over the last 18 years as both the context for leadership and leadership requirements have evolved. The Institute's framework, key features, principles, concepts and streams of learning are outlined along with summaries of research on personal and organizational impact. Lessons learned and recommendations are included in the areas of program design, registrant selection and organizational support. This paper will be of interest to those who wish to better understand how the context of leadership in healthcare is evolving and how leadership attributes and behaviours can be developed to meet current and new challenges.