Leading Organizational Change: Improved Leadership Behaviors Among Public Health Leaders After Receiving Multirater Feedback and Coaching.

BACKGROUND: Leading Change is one of five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) used in developing leaders in the federal government. Leadership development programs that incorporate multirater feedback and executive coaching are valuable in developing competencies to lead change. METHODS: We examined the extent by which coaching influenced Leading Change competencies and identified effective tools and resources used to enhance the leadership capacity of first- and midlevel leaders at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis Prevention. Data included qualitative data collected via semi-structured interviews that focused on leadership changes made by leaders in the Coaching and Leadership Initiative (CaLI), a leadership development program for Team Leads and Branch Chiefs. FINDINGS: Ninety-six participants completed leadership coaching; 94 (98%) of whom completed one or more interviews. Of those 94 respondents, 74 (79%) reported improvements in their ability to lead change in 3 of 4 leading change competencies: creativity and innovation, flexibility, and resilience. All respondents indicated tools and resources that were effective in leading change: 49 (52%) participated in instructor-led activities during their CaLI experience; 33 (35%) experiential activities; 94 (100%) developmental relationships, assessment, and feedback; and 25 (27%) self-development. CONCLUSIONS/APPLICATION TO PRACTICE: First- and midlevel leaders in a public health agency benefitted from using leadership coaching in developing competencies to lead organizational change. Leadership development programs might benefit from examining Leading Change competencies and including instructor-led and experiential activities as an additional component of a comprehensive leadership development program.

Changing Leadership Behaviors in a Public Health Agency Through Coaching and Multirater Feedback.

CONTEXT: Public health managers' leadership skills can be improved through multirater feedback and coaching. OBJECTIVE: To explore to what extent participation in a coaching intervention influences leadership behaviors of first- and second-level leaders in a federal public health agency. DESIGN: Team leads and branch chiefs in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) were invited to participate in the Coaching and Leadership Initiative (CaLI), which incorporates the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Leadership 360 assessment, 6 coaching sessions, and 2 in-depth interviews. SETTING: NCHHSTP is one of 16 CDC national centers, institute, and offices. PARTICIPANTS: Staff serving as team leads or branch chiefs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Two in-depth interviews explored CaLI's influence on leadership behaviors regarding the government-wide Leading People executive core qualification. RESULTS: A total of 103 (93%) CaLI participants completed the OPM 360 feedback, 82 (80%) completed leadership coaching; 71 of 82 (87%) completed phase 1 interview, and 46 of 71 (65%) completed phase 2 interview. Eighty unique participants completed 1 or more interviews; all indicated that CaLI helped provide new perspectives, practices, and approaches that led to better communication and relationships, different approaches to conflict resolution, and awareness of individual leadership practices. Of the 71 participants who completed phase 1 evaluation, 66 (93%) said they made changes in developing others, 56 (79%) completed conflict management and team building, and 16 (23%) completed leveraging diversity. Of the 46 participants who completed both phase 1 and phase 2 interviews and among those who made changes post-CaLI, 23 of 26 (88%) sustained those leadership changes in developing others, 21 of 27 (78%) in team building; 24 of 34 (71%) in conflict management; and 5 of 10 (50%) in leveraging diversity. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the benefits and effectiveness of using multirater feedback and leadership coaching for first- and midlevel public health leaders.

The Association Between Happiness and Self-Rated Physical Health of African American Men: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Happiness and self-rated physical health are included in national surveys to assess health perceptions and subjective well-being among individuals. Studies have reported that happiness impacts physical health; however, little is known about the association between happiness and self-rated physical health among African American men (AAM). The objective of this study is to examine this relationship. Participants were 1,263 AAM aged 18+ years from the National Survey of American Life who rated their happiness and physical health. Interviews were conducted between 2001 and 2003. Self-rated physical health was defined as how individuals rated their own physical health and happiness as how individuals perceived their subjective well-being. Three multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the relationships between happiness and self-rated physical health. It was observed that AAM who were happy were more likely to be married, to be employed, and earn more than $30,000 annually compared to AAM who were not happy. AAM who were happy were less likely to rate their physical health as fair/poor relative to AAM who were not happy. When controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors, AAM who reported being happy had lower odds of rating their physical health as fair/poor compared to AAM who reported not being happy. Findings suggest that AAM who are happy report better physical health than those who report not being happy. Public health promotion strategies focusing on AAM should consider happiness as a promising influence that may positively impact physical health.

Geography, Race/Ethnicity, and Physical Activity Among Men in the United States.

Engaging in regular physical activity reduces one's risk of chronic disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and some forms of cancer. These preventive benefits associated with physical activity are of particular importance for men, who have shorter life expectancy and experience higher rates of chronic diseases as compared to women. Studies at the community and national levels have found that social and environmental factors are important determinants of men's physical activity, but little is known about how regional influences affect physical activity behaviors among men. The objective of this study is to examine the association between geographic region and physical activity among men in the United States, and to determine if there are racial/ethnic differences in physical activity within these geographic regions. Cross-sectional data from men who participated the 2000 to 2010 National Health Interview Survey ( N = 327,556) was used. The primary outcome in this study was whether or not men had engaged in sufficient physical activity to receive health benefits, defined as meeting the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Race/ethnicity and geographic region were the primary independent variables. Within every region, Hispanic and Asian men had lower odds of engaging in sufficient physical activity compared to white men. Within the Northeast, South, and West, black men had lower odds of engaging in sufficient physical activity compared to white men. The key findings indicate that the odds of engaging in sufficient physical activity among men differ significantly between geographic regions and within regions by race/ethnicity.

The Role of Marital Status in Physical Activity Among African American and White Men.

Racial differences in physical activity among men are well documented; however, little is known about the impact of marital status on this relationship. Data from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2006 was used to determine whether the association of race and physical activity among men varied by marital status. Marital status was divided into two categories: married and unmarried. Physical activity was determined by the number of minutes per week a respondent engaged in household/yard work, moderate and vigorous activity, or transportation (bicycling and walking) over the past 30 days. The sample included 7,131 African American (29%) and White(71%) men aged 18 years and older. All models were estimated using logistic regression. Because the interaction term of race and marital status was statistically significant (p < .001), the relationship between race, physical activity, and marital status was examined using a variable that reflects the different levels of the interaction term. After adjusting for age, income, education, weight status, smoking status, and self-rated health, African American married men had lower odds (odds ratio = 0.53, 95% confidence interval = [0.46-0.61], p < .001) of meeting federal physical activity guidelines compared with White married men. Possible dissimilarities in financial and social responsibilities may contribute to the racial differences observed in physical activity among African American and White married men.