I have had the good fortune to be involved in the AUA’s Leadership Program as a mentor for the last 3 cycles and have come to see this as one of the most rewarding and enjoyable activities in my professional life. While mentoring future generations of urologists and scientists has been part of my entire career, this program provides a focus and sense of purpose and accomplishment that is unique. By bringing together emerging leaders in urology from different specialties and locations, and providing them with a common mission and goal, robust relationships and creativity are incubated. Mentoring is all about relationships, and this is a key part of this program and is essential to its success. While we may lose sight of this hugely important part of our professional lives in the hectic day-to-day work of caring for patients and working in busy practices, the AUA Leadership Program brings this front and center and nourishes it, even if for only a relatively brief period. I have maintained the relationships with the participants over the last 5 years and will continue to do so.

The expectation for the participants in the Leadership Program is simply to engage. We want our participants to throw themselves into this unique activity to find new ideas, collaborations, relationships, and friends. At the same time, the activities will support the development of the entire urology community through activities of the AUA and its missions. For their part, the participants have always been thoroughly engaged and enthusiastic, and it is truly a delight to be able to participate in the discussions and creative thinking sessions with these great people. While I don’t know if there was a competitive element in the process in prior sessions, it is clear that this has emerged as part of the motivation for going beyond the routine in all of the groups recently, and it will be satisfying to see these projects play out. In the end, all will win for participating and engaging.

The AUA Leadership Program is one of the most valuable and dynamic efforts of the organization, and I trust it will be sustained and grown in the future. The size has almost doubled recently and can provide even more opportunity for participation. By cultivating interested and engaged urologists from all areas of our community, the AUA is actively practicing succession planning. It is critical to provide support and guidance for the upcoming leaders of our field without shackling them to the status quo. The importance of innovative thinking and asking questions has been a hallmark of the growth and development of urology as a specialty in the last 125 years, and I feel comfortable that we are keeping it in good hands.