Developing Leadership Competencies To Improve the Health Status in Illinois Louis Rowitz, PhD Director Mid-America Regional Public Health Leadership Institute

LEADERSHIP IS…….  CREATIVITY IN ACTION  ABILITY TO SEE THE PRESENT IN TERMS OF THE FUTURE  VISION WITH COURAGE AND FORTITUDE TO PUT THE VISION INTO REALITY  FLEXIBILITY WITH A COMMITMENT TO CHANGE THINGS FOR THE BETTER  REQUIRES ABILITY TO WORK WITH OTHERS  ABILITY TO BACK OFF WHEN SOMEONE ELSE IS THE BETTER LEAD  TO LEAD IS ALSO THE WILLINGNESS TO FOLLOW  ABILITY TO WORK WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF AN ORGANIZATION WITHOUT LETTING THE ORGANIZATION DEFEAT THE LEADER  COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE VALUES FOR WHICH IT STANDS  LEADERS ARE EVERYWHERE IN PUBLIC HEALTH

LEADERSHIP TEAM BUILDING VALUES CLARIFICATION MISSION VISON GOALS & OBJECTIVES ACTION IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION POLICY DEVELPMENT ASSESSMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT ASSURANCE POLICY DEVELOPMENT A SYSTEM APPROACH TO PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP AND APPLICATIONS OF THE CORE FUNCTIONS

Public Health Leadership Principles Strengthen infrastructure by utilizing the core functions and essential services of public health Improve the health of each person in the community Build coalitions for public health Work with leaders from diverse backgrounds

Leadership Principles Continued Collaborate with boards for rational planning Learn leadership through mentoring Leaders are born and made Committed to lifelong learning Health protection for all

The Public Health Workforce (PHS) All those providing essential public health services, regardless of the nature of the employing agency. Promotion of individual and organizational excellence is the only standard acceptable to the public and decision makers who play a vital role in realizing the vision of Healthy People in Healthy Communities.

The Professional Obligations (Curry et al.) All professionals are obligated to both acquire and maintain the expertise needed to undertake their professional tasks and all are obligated to undertake those tasks that are within their competence.

Competence is a professional and moral obligation oriented to the highest standards of performance and not to a low minimal one.

The determination of high performance standards as well as the minimal ones must be determined by the public health professions, the policy makers, community needs, and societal values.

The Public Health Worker’s Social Responsibility Throughout the public health system, the social and moral responsibility of all individuals involved in the promotion of the health of the public is to put learning and experience into future practice. This is what competency concerns are all about.

Educators and Trainers Give the Public Health Worker the tools but the worker must take the responsibility of using these tools

Competency = Knowledge + Understanding + Practice

Public Health leaders need do be held to the highest standards of competency

National Public Health Leadership Network Created in 1994 Funded by CDC and housed at St. Louis University School of Public Health Supports the growth of state and regional public health leadership development opportunities in all 50 states Provide formal mechanisms for academic and practice to work together to promote leadership at all levels of the public health system

The Leadership Competency Project Began in 1994 Ongoing Identification of competency requirements for public health leadership due to multidisciplinary nature of public health Competencies are tied to performance standards Built upon the core public health functions/essential public health services

Four Major Leadership Competency areas were defined by NLN Transformational competencies Political competencies Transorganizational competencies Team Building Competencies

Core Transformational Competencies Visionary Sense of Mission Effective change agent

Core Political Competencies Understanding of political process Negotiation Ethics and Power Marketing and education

Core Transorganizational Competencies Understand organizational dynamics Interorganizational collaborating mechanisms Social forecasting and marketing

Core Team Building Competencies Develop team oriented structures and systems Facilitate development with teams and work groups Serve in facilitator and mediator role

The Agenda for Illinois Public Health Certification Health Alert Network Public Health Leadership Essential Public Health Services Workforce Development Public Health Infrastructure Public Health Preparedness National Performance Standards Public Health Informatics MAPP Evidence-Based Public Health