Succession Planning in Public Health: Just Ask

One issue we don't really deal with in the book, but that we know is important to public health planning and practice, is the idea of succession planning in public health. As the workforce ages and retires, who is going to replace you at the helm (or even in the galley) of these important organizations? Who in their right mind would want to take a job in a public health department, with its maze of bureaucratic requirements, its never ending list of needs and much shorter list of resources, the worries that follow you home after long days that you think will never end? For that matter, in an era when politicians themselves seem to disown the hand that feeds them, complaining about "big government" as they cash their paychecks and enjoy their benefits, who would want to work in government at all?

A recent Gallup Poll had some encouraging advice: just ask.

Despite generational differences in priorities, information sources, and modes of communication, a majority of Americans now say that a job in public service would be appealing. Yet, 60% of those under age 30 say they have never been asked to consider a job in government. However, if asked by their parents (33%)or the newly elected President in 2008 (29%), a significant share of Millennials say they would give such a request a great deal of consideration.

What does that mean for you in public health? One thing it might mean is that there are people in your organization who want to move up the ladder, but haven’t been invited. Think about asking them to join action teams for future projects or decision-making tasks. Consider giving someone on your staff a task you now do, and see how he or she handles it. When you delegate a responsibility, really delegate it: get it off your shoulder and onto theirs, and see how they do without micromanaging. The staff member might find they really like the added responsibility, might discover a skill they didn’t know they had. Finally, introduce them to public health business planning ideas -- to inspire and motivate them to work to build sustainable programs. You might discover someone you want to groom for bigger and better things within the organization.

Comments on "important challenges"

We asked a week or two ago about the important challenges facing public health.

In response to your question as to what are the most important public health challenges these days, I would offer the following -- the pressure that the increase in population is putting on our public health systems. These include medical care for different population groups, especially the elderly; increasing amounts of resources for meeting the needs of larger populations, and here I would mention public water supplies , as we are still in a drought; and the effect that development to provide for more people is having on environment, and here I would mention the loss of wildlife habitat, recreational open space, and natural vegetation.

Great point-- as you say, the population pressure comes from the numbers, but also the density and the location of population increases. Note that many of the populations that are increasing are populations that have unmet health needs (immigrants, children, elders, the uninsured).

A friend who attended the Wisconsin Public Health Association Conference added the following:

Youth violence -- it cannot merely be a problem for law enforcement: its causes are broad, and it affects all of us in some way. By the way there was also a talk about the importance of partnerships in public health, which seems right down this book's alley.

Violence is slowly being recognized as a public health issue. I see lots of room for alliances between traditional public health organizations and the many organizations that work on violence prevention specifically. Lots of other groups have a big stake in this issue: law enforcement, health care, economic development, education. A huge challenge but also as you point out a huge opportunity. People who work with the victims of violence are really hungry for solutions on the prevention side.

A central challenge for a violence prevention alliance will be to figure out how to start understanding the issue the same way, and how to start taking useful steps, and how to share the work (and the cost) in a way that is equitable and sustainable.

There are school-based programs and outreach programs that have been rigorously evaluated-- read more about them on thecommunityguide.org.

Americans learned to recycle; most of us quit smoking; a few of us went to the moon; we sent a robot to dig up water from the surface of Mars. The fact that the violence issue is complex could be scary-- or it could keep people interested and motivated!

--Steve Orton

Advice from the Community

The two new cohorts of the Management Academy for Public Health are coming to town over the next two weeks. This is the on-site at which teams get their marching orders—they meet with their business plan advisors for the first time and vet their ideas together; they sit for the first lectures, on business planning, social marketing, civic entrepreneurship, managing people, and finance; and they do the first exercises that will make their working groups into true teams over the next nine months of hard work.

Before they come this year, we are soliciting advice and thoughts for them from our Community of Practice: what do you think are the most important challenges facing public health these days? How are different public health departments addressing these challenges? What have you seen in your own community, or through your public health colleagues? More generally, what does it take to make a successful public health manager these days?

We’d appreciate your thoughts on any or all of these questions – or another we haven’t even thought of – to welcome our new students to town.