Public health leadership “Transformation of dreams to reality”

Abstract

This oration examines the multifaceted nature and skills of leadership in the field of public health from the eyes of public health practitioner. Through diverse examples from personal and professional experiences, the oration debunks common misconceptions surrounding leadership and underscores its capacity to motivate and steer individuals or groups towards a shared vision. It challenges the notion that leaders must possess all-encompassing knowledge, instead emphasizing the significance of traits such as courage, confidence, strategic thinking, and collaboration. Moreover, the oration also delves into the question of whether leadership is an innate quality or one that can be acquired through experience and training, recognizing that while some individuals exhibit inherent leadership qualities, others develop them over time. Throughout the article, the author shares his personal and professional journey in public health leadership, recounting formative experiences ranging from serving as a class representative to working in rural areas and marginalized communities. These encounters at various levels, encompassing departmental, institutional, national, and international, enabled the author to apply leadership attributes such as empathy, effective communication, teamwork, and change management to affect positive transformations in healthcare utilisation. The article summarises the fact that leadership is a continuous (not abstract) variable which is present in everyone, albeit, in different proportions and that, it can be acquired by persistence and perseverance.

Keywords

• capacity building
• health management
• public health leadership