Northwest Center for Public Health Practice Preparing for the Future: Public Health Leadership & Management Preparedness Series The Future of Leadership Development in the Northwest Jeremy Sappington, MSPH Senior Lecturer, Health Services School of Public Health & Community Medicine University of Washington

Participation in the Northwest Public Health Leadership Institute (NWPHLI) Are you a graduate scholar of the Institute? a. Yes b. No

Participant History Did someone on your staff participate in the Institute? a. Yes b. No

The Future of NW Leadership Development The Institute of Medicine stated that characteristics required to improve public health leadership include:  Technical competence in the substance of public health issues  Managerial abilities  Communication skills  Knowledge of and skills in the public decision process, including its political dimensions  Ability to marshal constituencies for effective action The Need

Evaluation Previous studies of public health leadership institutes demonstrated marked improvement in leadership and organizational skills in participants. Steady progress has been made toward developing a cadre of new leaders since the first regional or state public health leadership institute was launched in A network of 15 regional public health institutes, including the NWPHLI, now exists to address competency-based leadership training, share best practices, and collaborate on curriculum development.

The NWPHLI has offered practice-based collaborative leadership training for government, tribal, and private sector professionals in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana for the last four academic years. 120 public health professionals and tribal members have completed the NWPHLI, and in doing so, stretched their skills and contributed significant and practical projects to their agencies. History

Effectiveness We’ve used program participant ratings to evaluate the NWPHLI, and we’ve also interviewed key regional public health leaders. In NWPHLI cohorts two and three:  An average of 76% of 38 participants rated the Institute as “Very good” or “Excellent” at providing learning opportunities that address the specific areas of leadership the participant wanted to strengthen or gain.  Nearly half of these participants have seen their leadership responsibilities in their jobs increase since their participation in the Institute.

New Directions We queried state health directors with a history of collaboration with and confidence in the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice (NWCPHP). They reported they would prefer the NWPHLI focus more on the contribution of the leader/scholar to his or her organization rather than on individual and team learning as in previous institutes.

Six-Step Process The NWCPHP is re-organizing the NWPHLI through a six-step process: 1.Create a regional (six-state and tribal) Northwest Public Health Leadership Collaborative to guide NWCPHP staff. 2.Select learning projects and teams. 3.Set priorities for competency-based learning activities.

Six-Step Process (cont.) 4.Create competency-based curriculum. 5.Support learning project activities. 6.Complete project evaluation and future year action plan with guidance from the Collaborative.

Results of the Six-Step Process This process creates a new focus on:  creating teams from state and local public health agencies,  involving stakeholders in a regional Leadership Collaborative, and  re-focusing the NWPHLI from emphasizing individual leadership skills to improving organizations through developing leadership skills.

Following Up We will conduct follow-up telephone interviews with supervisors six months after the Institute to assess its longer-term impact on leadership practices in the agency or organization.

Collaboration Since its inception, the NWPHLI has collaborated with the National Public Health Leadership Development Network. This is a network of leadership development programs in public health, supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The proposed NWPHLI project will support increased sharing between regional training institutes.

Partnerships The NWPHLI will also coordinate with the National Public Health Leadership Institute and the Public Health Leadership Society to encourage alumni of the NWPHLI to join and participate in sponsored, continuous learning programs and activities to enhance their personal leadership skills and their professional networks.

New Project Objectives 1.Create a regional Northwest Public Health Leadership Collaborative for the 2007–2008 NWPHLI by early fall It will be composed of state and local health departments, a tribal organization from five states, organizational members from health care associations, private sector businesses, and academic communities.

New Project Objectives (cont.) 2.Select learning projects and teams from Collaborative members by November 15, 2007, to comprise a Public Health Institute cohort of 25 to 35 scholars. 3.Set priorities for competency-based learning activities as part of the on-site week. Base on feedback from the Collaborative by September 30, Implement a competency-based curriculum by November 15, 2008.

Leadership Competency Framework Oral communication Written communication Problem solving Customer service Project management Basic competencies Partnering Interpersonal skills Self direction Continual learning Performance management Flexibility Decisiveness Technical credibility Integrity/honesty

Leadership Competency Framework (cont.) Department of Health & Human Services Leadership Competency Framework First-level competencies Leveraging diversity Resilience Conflict mgmt Team building Influencing /negotiating HR management Service motivation Accountability Basic competencies Mid-level competencies Creative thinking/innovation Financial mgmt Technology mgmt Entrepreneurship Organizational systems awareness Higher-level competencies Strategic thinking Vision External awareness Political savvy Supervisors Managers Executives First-level competencies Mid-level competencies First-level competencies

New Project Objectives (cont.) 5.Support learning project activities with Web conference calls for each team during a seven- month period from March 1, 2008 through September 30, Complete project evaluation and future action plan by September 30, The Collaborative will reconvene in September 2008 and review the seven-month evaluation reports. Staff will modify the next program based on lessons learned.

Timeline for Proposed NWPHLI Project

Proposed NWPHLI Project Finances Estimated tuition costs per scholar will be $1,800 to cover costs associated with the following activities:  Discovery learning assessment tool  Faculty  Institute staff  Institute supplies Partnering organizations will pay tuition and travel for their team. The CDC grant, if funded, will cover facilities for the on-site and Collaborative meetings and Web conferencing costs.

Summary Question One t Does this new approach respond to the leadership development needs in your agency as you understand them? a. Yes, definitely b. Somewhat, but could be improved c. Not very completely—needs a lot of work d. Not at all

Summary Question Two What is a reasonable tuition for each team for one year? a. $500/person b. $1,000/person c. $1,500/person d. $2,000/person

Summary Question Three What is the probability that your agency or organization would want to join the Collaborative and sponsor a team? a. Very high probability b. Some probability c. Low probability e. Very low probability