Practicing Leadership in Troubling Times

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Edward L. Baker

This entry is part 7 of 16 in the series July 2025

As discussed in a Management Moment column in the July issue of JPHMP, the public health system is being threatened in ways that were not imagined even a few months ago. As a result, public health leaders now face unprecedented challenges requiring a combination of inspiration, influence and commitment. To support public health leaders as they navigate these perilous times, this column offers a few guiding leadership principles of potential value to sustain and support them in the coming months:

Renewing One’s Commitment to the Public Health Mission
Focusing on the Present, Distinguishing Control from Influence
Practicing the Art of the Long View
Caring for Body, Mind, and Spirit.

These 4 guiding principles were derived from recent conversations with public health leaders who are faced with uncertainty on a daily basis and who must adapt continually to changes in a wide range of policies and practices. Although there are certainly no simple answers to these challenging situations, refocusing on a few leadership fundamentals and core values may assist leaders in providing the wisdom and positive energy they need to serve the health of their communities.

In renewing one’s commitment to public health’s mission, a few questions may be useful:

What most fuels your passion for public service?
What are your most important sources of inspiration?
What are you proudest of in your public health career?

Many leaders now faced with a range of uncertainties are focusing time and energy on things which they can control at the present time. In doing so, their attention is concentrated on what they can do today and in the near term while attempting to limit attention toward the many possible negative developments which may (or may not) materialize at some point in the future. The process of careful priority setting (discussed in another recent Management Moment column) plays a central role in shaping tactics for effective time management and daily task completion.

Read the Article in JPHMP

As a result of adopting this mindset, leaders are practicing “The Art of the Long View” – a time-tested leadership approach. Although one can’t possibly predict what the long-term consequences of current threats will be, leaders may be able to assure those whom they lead of the enduring nature of public health, alongside the constant array of public health threats and emergencies requiring public health intervention.

Finally, leadership will continue to require attention to caring for body mind and spirit. Regular daily routines are important, now as never before, in order to provide mental stability and clarity. In doing so and sharing one’s commitment for self-care with others, leaders may be able to support themselves and others more effectively in these most challenging times. Further, attention to one’s “information diet” may assist in reducing the impact of the avalanche of negative news with its attendant toxicity.

Although each situation is unique and each individual leader will face different challenges, adherence to certain leadership principles may serve leaders now and well into the future. In this column, a range of leadership stories and insights are offered as resources for our nation’s public health leaders, who are providing courageous leadership in these troubling times and who serve as sources of inspiration for us all.

About the Author

Edward L. Baker: Dr. Edward L. Baker has championed public health leadership development for over 30 years. As a CDC Center director and USPHS Assistant Surgeon General, he led creation of the national Public Health Leadership Institute (PHLI). He later served as Director of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at UNC. Dr. Baker currently serves as an adjunct Professor at UNC and Harvard.