Book Description
This research elicited responses to questions concerning essential skills for public health leaders in Michigan who have participated in one of the Michigan Community Health Leadership Institute (MCHLI) sessions in the years 1996--1999. Leaders assessed their own skills in six categories including communication, thinking, administration, influencing others, interpersonal relationships, and change management (n = 46: 77% response rate). This research examined the question, "How do public health leaders rate their skills on a Team Leader Survey developed with managers in business and other non-public health organizations?" Participants were given the Team Leader Survey, which is designed to help them recognize some of their strengths and identify some areas in which they may want to improve. Data was analyzed using SPSS for Windows 9.0. Group comparisons were made using the Means Comparison Analysis and specified the statistics mean and standard deviation. Participants' answers were compared according to five variables: sex, employer organization type, years of experience, highest educational degree, and year of graduation from the Leadership Institute. Overall, participants reported strengths in all six skill areas (communication, thinking, administration, influence, interpersonal and change management). Respondents who graduated from MCHLI in previous years consistently scored higher on change management and total scores. Women scored higher in four of six categories (communication, thinking, administration and change management), and higher on overall total scores. This preliminary study has established a baseline for future comparisons, and has raised many additional questions. Further study in this area could include the completion of the same survey by all members of Michigan Local Public Health, not only those who enrolled in MCHLI, as well as a re-testing of the initial participants in the future to determine if they perceived improvement in their own skills. This comparative data will provide rich and useful results for Michigan's future public health leaders and potentially stimulate inquiry into public health leadership in other jurisdictions.