In any domain, leadership is not only a factor of individual behaviors but also the skills, capabilities, and knowledge that they possess. However, in the past, scholars have majorly focused on theories that describe the different behaviors that make a person an effective leader. Mumford et al. (2000) write that leadership should not be evaluated only on one’s behavior but should also be analyzed based on a capability model informed by skills and knowledge needs and how they can be developed. The public health sector is characterized by diverse human resource needs that require that necessitate one to have specific skills to perform effectively as a leader. These skills and traits include the ability to creatively solve problems, social judgment skills, and knowledge.
The three capabilities that one must have to be an effective leader in the public health sector are interdependent, which requires that one focus on developing all of them. The public health sector is characterized by a myriad of problems that require continuous problem-solving. As a leader, one will face unique and not well-defined problems ( Mumford et al., 2000; Mumford et al., 2005 ). Such problems cannot be solved using existing knowledge; instead, they will require one to reevaluate their experiences from prior problem-solving scenarios to generate a new solution. The ability to reshape and reform one's experience and knowledge to develop viable solutions to new problems will determine their performance as a leader. A leader must have problem construction abilities evidenced by the ability to select and screen existing knowledge, which will form a basis for defining the novel problem at hand.
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As a departure from behavioral leadership theories, the capability model provides that problems should be applied in a social context. For example, in a public health setup, there are distinct social dynamics that uniquely define it. Consequently, a leader’s ability to solve problems should be guided by the public health domain's prevailing and unique social circumstances ( Ayoko & Härtel, 2006 ). For instance, a leader must consider their solution's objectivity by relating its recommendations with feedback from their colleagues. Other abilities needed are the skill to evaluate the solution's appropriateness and one's cognizance of the various stakeholders and their needs.
Knowledge is the bedrock on which leadership in public health is based. After one is able to generate solutions to novel and ill-defined challenges, they can contextualize them to the existing social dynamics. Hence, they must have the necessary knowledge of their practice (Mumford et al., 2000). Therefore, knowledge is the foremost prerequisite for one to be a leader in the public health sector to perform exemplary. One crucial trait for an individual leader to have knowledge is charisma because it exposes one to different experience forming scenarios. Experiences are the basis on which one gains knowledge which can be remodeled to develop solutions to novel problems.
Conclusion and Reflection
Leadership should not only be viewed through the lens of behavioral theories but also the capability model. The three fundamental skills and traits that one should be effective as a leader in the public health sector are creatively solving problems, social judgment skills, and knowledge. The three skills are crucial in my public health leadership philosophy because they provide a stable basis for excelling. I believe that public health leaders must behave substantial knowledge of their profession. This knowledge builds on the information one has accumulated, and their experiences synonymous with their practice domains. Second, one must understand the social dynamics prevailing in their area of practice. Finally, the capacity to solve problems creatively is also a principal requirement.
References
Ayoko, O. B., & Härtel, C. E. (2006). Cultural diversity and leadership. Cross-Cultural Management: An International Journal .
Mumford, M. D., Strange, J. M., Scott, G., & Gaddis, B. P. (2005). Creative problem-solving skills in leadership: Direction, actions, and reactions. Creativity across domains: Faces of the muse , 205-224.
Mumford, M. D., Zaccaro, S. J., Harding, F. D., Jacobs, T. O., & Fleishman, E. A. (2000). Leadership skills for a changing world: Solving complex social problems. The Leadership Quarterly , 11 (1), 11-35.
