A new leadership approach for planetary health
Authors: John Cape, Jessica Mack, Jacob Gomez
Journal: The Lancet Planetary Health (2017)

The vision presented by planetary health is one of holistic harmony of interdependent social, health, and environmental systems, which remain in peril. Whitmee and colleagues1Whitmee S Haines A Beyrer C et al.Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch: report of The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on planetary health.Lancet. 2015; 386: 1973-2028Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1122) Google Scholar identified that the challenges to realising this vision are pervasive and complex, and cannot be addressed independently of each other. Traditional approaches to leadership are increasingly poorly matched to the scope of problems that we face in a globalised world.2Gostin LO Friedman E Ebola: a crisis in global health leadership.Lancet. 2014; 384: 1323-1325Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (73) Google Scholar A new approach to leadership as a next generation comes of age is required to realise planetary health. Since 2009, Global Health Corps has trained more than 700 young global health leaders in east and southern Africa and the USA. Our 13-month fellowship programme places nearly 150 young leaders within health organisations to address crucial capacity gaps. We complement their workplace experience with a robust development curriculum on leadership. Our leaders have made substantial progress in their organisations and have the potential for more: 95% of our alumni remain in the global health or social justice field, with many moving into senior-level positions within 230 organisations in 35 countries. Several are currently directing their leadership efforts in service of the populations who are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Over the past eight years, we have refined our approach to leadership development in response to the needs of our partner organisations and the growing complexity of global health challenges. This approach is built around four core methods, as follows, and is well placed to develop leaders for planetary health. First, a systems thinking approach addresses planetary health challenges by equipping leaders with the skills to understand and navigate complex challenges. This approach introduces new frameworks and points of reference from which leaders can better understand how social and political power affects the issues and perspectives that are prioritised.3de Savigny D Adam T for the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems ResearchWorld Health OrganizationSystems thinking for health systems strengthening. World Health Organization, Geneva2009Google Scholar A systems thinking method enables leaders to examine how institutions make decisions and to understand what pathways of influence exist and thereby challenge the beliefs, ideas, and assumptions that maintain the status quo. Second, a design thinking approach addresses planetary health challenges by supplying the tools for innovation and the creative mindset needed to reframe problems and provide new solutions.4Brown T Wyatt J Design thinking for social innovation.Development Outreach. 2010; 12: 29-43Crossref Google Scholar In a complex world with finite resources and substantial need, planetary health leaders require the skills to create targeted solutions that are responsive to feedback and can be scaled up quickly. Third, the Global Health Corps uses the term “authentic leadership” to define the skills and attitudes that enable individuals to foster the personal resilience required to engage in work that effects long-term change to systems. Personal resilience is required to navigate a challenging social and political landscape that can be apathetic, or even hostile, to the sense of urgency that drives advocates of planetary health. Authentic leadership development focuses on the cultivation of a clear vision, a sense of purpose, and clarity on how the unique skills of each individual can be leveraged to contribute effectively to this work. Finally, there is growing recognition that leadership approaches that focus on the primacy of the individual are insufficient for the complex and monumental challenges posed by declining environmental and health trends.5World Health Organization. Open mindsets: participatory leadership for health. November 2016.Google Scholar In contrast, a collective leadership approach uses the power of networks. Progress toward planetary health requires an organised community of leaders who span sectoral, cultural, national, racial, and other boundaries, who engage in a regular exchange of ideas and resources, and who share a common vision, values, and priorities. To date, environmental and health challenges have been primarily approached through investment in policy and medical and technological interventions. Yet the pervasiveness and complexity of planetary health challenges requires a bolder intervention: exceptional leadership. Reversing the urgent decline in environmental trends and their related effects on human health will require an organised movement of leaders with the skills and attitudes that enable them to pursue effective solutions. Moreover, the young people of this generation and those generations to come have, perhaps, the most at stake in failing systems. It is crucial that we invest in young individuals and networks now to ensure the world's future health. JC, JM, and JG report grants from the Rockefeller Foundation.