PHF Board member Tom Mosgaller
presented a plenary session on the second day of the final Multi-State Learning Collaborative (MLC) Grantee Meeting on March 17, 2011. In his session, titled
Undaunting Courage – The Legacy of a Change Leader, Tom challenged the MLC states to continue articulating improvements and changes to their community through posing the question, “what’s your role and obligation in keeping your questions alive?” Tom also shared the characteristics, roles and responsibilities of effective Change Leaders:
- Seeing the big picture – work well in the gap between institutional improvement and community development
- Influencing others – be motivational, energizing, inspiring, and lead by example
- Building trust – creating an environment for safe discussion, listening well, and following through
- Being respectful and empathetic
- Knowing when to lead and when to follow
- Building networks
- Having a sense of humor
Sustaining the momentum of the MLC initiative will take dedicated leadership and commitment to continuous improvement. Share your ideas with the public health community on how to be an effective Change Leader by adding a comment below.
The MLC Grantee Meeting agenda and materials are available on the National Network of Public Health Institute’s
MLC website. As the Director of Change Management at
NIAtx at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Tom Mosgaller is working to improve the delivery of community-based health services, including drug/alcohol treatment, mental health, and other services.
