86 - Unleashing Leadership Potential in Unprecedented Times: Lessons Learned from a Virtual Cohort-Based Leadership Development Program, 2021–2024

Abstract Information: As first responders to public health threats, public health departments need adaptive, collaborative, courageous, and resilient executives to guide, support, and protect staff. In 2014, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) created an Adaptive Leadership program to equip public health practitioners with “adaptive leadership” skills, which encourage experimentation, learning, and incorporation of diverse perspectives in problem solving. A 2020 evaluation of the first five years of NACCHO’s program demonstrated its utility and applicability, as well as identified opportunities to better meet leadership development needs in the public health field. In addition to the recommendations resulting from the evaluation, new adaptive challenges emerged during local public health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted additional gaps in leadership training for local health department executives. In response, NACCHO launched the Adaptive Leadership Academy (ALA) in December 2021. The program is a seven-unit curriculum designed for local health department executives to apply the adaptive leadership concepts to their work. Each unit engages participants in seven synchronous and asynchronous activities to create a dynamic, transformative experience for adult learners. These activities allowed learning to be staged on a spectrum, from low-risk applications of new ideas in practice settings (e.g., case studies) to more high-risk actions to make progress on a real-world adaptive challenge (e.g., peer advising). NACCHO undertook an evaluation of the ALA program to assess program participants’ satisfaction with the training, knowledge and skill gain, and behavior change. Data was collected from 59 program participants (over three cohorts)—beginning in December 2021 and occurring through July 2024—via mixed methods, following the Kirkpatrick Model. In addition, we conducted a one-year follow-up survey with participants from the first cohort (12 out of 20 responded) to better understand knowledge retention, actual behavior change, and organizational impacts. Evaluation findings indicated that ALA helped participants improve their leadership knowledge, skills, and capabilities. In particular, the study highlighted the effectiveness of cohort-based leadership development programs using adaptive leadership as the foundation for the curriculum. Participants found the cohort-based model and synchronous components particularly useful in creating a supportive environment in which to be vulnerable and grow. Overall, the evaluation provided evidence that the ALA program was effective in enhancing adaptive leadership knowledge, skills, and capabilities.