Title: The future is coming… And... the leaders are leaving
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Section/SPIG: Health Administration
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Emerging Leaders Network of Minnesota: A new leadership development model - www.mpha/eln
Tricia Todd, MPH, was staff to the Emerging Leaders Network from 2002-2004. Tricia has worked with the Minnesota Department of Health since 1993. Between 1993-2004, Tricia worked on contract with the Minnesota Department of Health, and consulted with a number of other organizations. Tricia is presently in a joint position with the Minnesota Department of Health, the University of Minnesota Health Careers Center, and the University of Minnesota School of Public Health continuing her work in the area of workforce development. Tricia has served as president of the Minnesota Public Health Association, and is presently the Affiliate Representative to the APHA Governing Council, and a Board member in the Health Administration Section.
Background
Demographic data show potential retirement rates in public health near 35 percent, with more than half of those people in leadership positions. This news sent warning bells to current leaders in Minnesota and was a driving force in the development of Minnesota’s Emerging Leaders Network. In 2002 the Minnesota Department of Health, in collaboration with Minnesota’s Public Health Association and Local Public Health Association with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson National Excellence Collaborative on Leadership Development, joined forces to put together a leadership development program with a twist. Instead of providing leadership training to individuals already in leadership positions, this program was designed to identify and develop future leaders.
A steering committee of members from each partner organization began developing the Emerging Leaders Network (ELN) in July 2002. By November 2002, a program, and the application process, were in place. From an administrative point of view, creating and establishing the Emerging Leaders Network was a complex endeavor. The initial task involved creating a steering committee. After defining roles, the steering committee began developing a vision to describe and define what the leadership program would look like. The steering committee of very committed current leaders in public health spent hours developing a vision for the Emerging Leaders Network program. Even the name was carefully crafted to reflect the essence of the program --identifying and creating a network of emerging leaders.
Minnesota Public Health Leaders
Many current public health leaders in Minnesota were invited to have input in the development of the program, and were given the title of “advisors.” These folks were often tapped to provide key information for the program’s development. The program gradually took shape, and the content reflected the work from the National Turning Point Leadership Collaborative. Six practices of collaborative leadership provided the foundation for the curriculum and two additional topics 1) building ethical and resourceful professional networks, and 2) creating a personal leadership development plan rounded out the full curriculum.
Defining an Emerging Leader
The greatest challenge was defining an emerging leader. The steering committee eventually agreed that a flexible definition would allow us to look at what a person had already done in their career, but more importantly, what they hoped to do in the future. Through a survey of more than 40 current leaders in public health, we defined a set of qualities that describe an emerging leader. Those include people who:
- Are highly motivated and enthusiastic;
- Have a desire to learn and be mentored;
- Are inclined to assume responsibility;
- Can manage ambiguity;
- See challenge as opportunity ;
- Enjoy working with others in a collaborative environment;
- Have the ability to share leadership, power and recognition;
- Have integrity and are dependable;
- Seek ways to grow, develop and work toward self-improvement;
- Possess a positive outlook;
- Value diversity and actively seek diverse perspectives;
- And, for the purpose of choosing them as members of the ELN, have a supportive environment to practice and apply the skills and knowledge gained.
Once a definition was in place, the application process was designed. Following the advice of other leadership institutes, we chose individuals that would both gain from the program and contribute to the learning of the other members in the group.
Designing the Program
The program was designed using adult learning theory, and was primarily experiential in natures. Cohort members would learn more about collaborative leadership and the specific skills that allow someone to be an effective collaborative leader. They would also spend significant time learning about their own strengths and challenges in being a collaborative leader. In addition, cohort members would be challenged to recognize the value of professional networking, and would be given tools to assess their own professional networks and then work on building a network — both among themselves and with other leaders in Minnesota.
Progress to Date
The Emerging Leaders Network program is now in the third year. The program has been considered a tremendous success by those who have participated, and by those who have been engaged as faculty and guests. A long-term outcome is yet to be measured, but the program has been successful in raising the awareness of the need for leadership development and shining a spotlight on individuals who are interested in being considered future public health leaders.
The Emerging Leaders Network was started with funds from the Robert Wood Johnson Turning Point Program. To meet the funding requirements, an Emerging Leaders Program Development Handbook was created to allow other states and organizations some guidance in beginning their own leadership development programs that focus on emerging leaders. To access that Handbook, visit <http://www.collaborativeleadership.org/> and click on 'training tools.'
If you have thoughts or opinions or a response to these statements, please address them to the editor: Laura Larsson <larsson@u.washington.edu>.