At the Kansas Health Institute, our Transforming Public Health blog series is designed to cultivate a space for innovative ideas and voices that can create the conditions conducive to change in public health. We believe this approach supports change because it helps “unfreeze” peoples’ perceptions about what public health is and what is possible. Kurt Lewin, the founding expert on systems change says this “unfreezing’ is a requirement for change.1 Other experts in change have referred to this state as “readiness for change2” or “a sense of urgency.3”
To foster innovation, many of the ideas in this blog series stem from disciplines outside of public health, such as business or public administration. However, recently I found inspiration from an unexpected place – the football field. I’ve enrolled my nine-year-old twins in their school district’s youth football program this season. Watching my sons during their first week of football practice, I saw a model of success in this program that holds valuable lessons for public health leaders seeking to build a better public health system. This school district has built a reputation as a Kansas high school football powerhouse, boasting multiple state championships and a consistent track record of players advancing to collegiate careers. This program’s success is a testament to its strong foundation, disciplined coaching and a culture that emphasizes excellence at every level – principles that resonate well beyond the gridiron. These principles offer valuable insights for public health leaders striving to build a more robust and effective public health system. I want to share four key lessons that stood out to me.
A Winning Aspiration
In their book, Playing to Win – How Strategy Really Works, authors A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin say that a winning aspiration is the cornerstone of any successful strategy.4 The winning aspiration goes beyond a mission or vision statement by defining what success looks like and setting a clear, ambitious target that inspires and drives the organization. In my son’s football program, the high school coaches were clear when talking with parents about their winning aspiration – they want to compete for state championships every year. This is a much more ambitious goal than having a winning season, or even winning a state championship this year. To compete for championships every year requires them to look far into the future and make it a strategic priority to work closely with players who haven’t even reached double digits in age yet, like my sons.
In public health, we often frame our mission around disease prevention, health promotion and protecting communities. We also tend to set realistic, but modest, goals for improvement; for example, we might strive for a three percent improvement in smoking or diabetes rates over five years. While these types of mission statements and goals may be useful for framing services or program planning, they seem to lack the excitement needed to galvanize enough people needed to create significant change. When addressing big public health challenges, like reversing Kansas’ declining health status compared to the U.S., more exciting goals that can galvanize the people needed to create change are necessary.
So how might we create a true winning aspiration for public health in Kansas? The Kansas Health Foundation’s strategic priority to empower Kansas to lead the nation in health is the closest thing I’ve seen to a winning aspiration for public health in my 20-plus years in the field. This is something that personally excites me and that I can get behind. How could we use this aspiration as a call to action for public health transformation in Kansas?
Mastering the Fundamentals
My sons’ football coaches emphasize the importance of mastering the fundamentals, such as the proper technique for tackling, how to block without holding, how to hold the ball to avoid fumbling and how to throw a perfect spiral. Every athlete practices each position on both sides of the ball. Across all the positions on the field, the coaches have set high standards for their athletes and are diligently measuring their progress in these essential skills. This approach allows the coaches to identify each player’s optimal role and track their development over time.
The fundamentals of public health are embodied in the 10 Essential Public Health Services. Just as youth football players must master blocking and tackling, it is crucial for public health professionals and organizations to excel in assessment, policy development, assurance and equity. PHAB Accreditation is the gold standard for evaluating these fundamentals. However, there are alternative paths toward aligning the work of health departments with the 10 Essential Public Health Services. Just as my sons aren’t able to do the same things as the high school football players, some health departments may begin their journey toward the 10 Essential Public Health Services through PHAB’s Pathways Program or the Operational Definition of a Functional Local Health Department. These tools can help health departments integrate the fundamentals – the “blocking and tackling” of public health – into their work. Finding ways to move existing programs just a little more upstream is something any health department can accomplish.
You must be logged in to post a comment.