PHLT611: Special Issues in Public Health – I
Unit 02: - Public Health Leadership
Defining Leadership
“In the field of public health [leadership] relates to the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and
enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of their community and/or the organization
in which they work. It involves inspiring people to craft and achieve a vision and goals. Leaders provide
mentoring, coaching, and recognition. They encourage empowerment, allowing other leaders to emerge.”
Leadership vs Management
• Is leadership the same as or different from management?
• Does leadership happen only by those in senior level positions?
• Can leadership be learned?
Characteristics of Leaders
• Ability to build and communicate a vision
• Ability to collaborate and lead interprofessional teams
• Strategic flexibility and ability to manoeuvre political and legal contexts of public health and health care
systems
• Ability to self-renew, learn and face challenges with spirituality and humour
Leadership in Public Health
A. Developing great leadership skills is something Capella strives to provide all its graduates. In public
health programs, we concentrate on developing the following leadership skills:
• Personal growth and leadership excellence. Leaders must understand the characteristics of an
effective leader.
• Leading organizational change. With public health issues becoming more nuanced and complex,
leaders need to be adept at knowing how to drive change.
• Communication skills. Building competency in this area can be the difference between being an
effective or ineffective public health leader.
• Good assessment skills. Analysing situations from many angles will make for cogent solutions to
pressing public health problems.
• Public policy development. Program-building skills are critical to building effective public health
solutions.
• Diversity and inclusion. Great leaders understand how diversity in populations can influence public
health solutions.
• Systems thinking skills. Big-picture thinking is necessary to attack the complex issues arising in
public health today.
Unit 02: - Public Health Leadership
Defining Leadership
“In the field of public health [leadership] relates to the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and
enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of their community and/or the organization
in which they work. It involves inspiring people to craft and achieve a vision and goals. Leaders provide
mentoring, coaching, and recognition. They encourage empowerment, allowing other leaders to emerge.”
Leadership vs Management
• Is leadership the same as or different from management?
• Does leadership happen only by those in senior level positions?
• Can leadership be learned?
Characteristics of Leaders
• Ability to build and communicate a vision
• Ability to collaborate and lead interprofessional teams
• Strategic flexibility and ability to manoeuvre political and legal contexts of public health and health care
systems
• Ability to self-renew, learn and face challenges with spirituality and humour
Leadership in Public Health
A. Developing great leadership skills is something Capella strives to provide all its graduates. In public
health programs, we concentrate on developing the following leadership skills:
• Personal growth and leadership excellence. Leaders must understand the characteristics of an
effective leader.
• Leading organizational change. With public health issues becoming more nuanced and complex,
leaders need to be adept at knowing how to drive change.
• Communication skills. Building competency in this area can be the difference between being an
effective or ineffective public health leader.
• Good assessment skills. Analysing situations from many angles will make for cogent solutions to
pressing public health problems.
• Public policy development. Program-building skills are critical to building effective public health
solutions.
• Diversity and inclusion. Great leaders understand how diversity in populations can influence public
health solutions.
• Systems thinking skills. Big-picture thinking is necessary to attack the complex issues arising in
public health today.
