Policy & Practice | Spring 2024

partnering for impact

By Trinka Landry-Bourne, Lofaine Bradford, Julia Mueller, and Robena Spangler

Values in Motion: Elevating Leadership with a Focus on Well-Being

S ince December 2022, the Association (APHSA) and Social Current have worked together in part nership to create a new leadership framework for community-based and public-sector human services leaders that will change the way they work together. The goal of this framework, which is being developed with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is to contribute to a sea change in how human services leaders, both community-based and in the public sector, work together and across systems to address structural racism; shift power and authentically center community voices; and advance equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging across the sector. A critical part of this work to date has focused on developing and honing ways to help leaders identify and implement a new operating paradigm that puts people at the center of the work, and unlocking the power of com munity-led solutions. We know that a change in how sector leaders work is foundational to advancing equitable, community-led outcomes. Through focus groups, story gath ering, a literature review, and the leadership experiences of both Social Current and APHSA, we have collected and synthesized a rich set of insights and impactful practices. From this collective input, we have been able to map the next generation of leader ship competencies for human services leaders. How leaders demonstrate their personal and professional values and principles within the organization has American Public Human Services

emerged as a common theme, along with employee psychological safety and well-being. Shifting from Traditional Leadership Models Most traditional leadership models—which often focus heavily on tactical components such as strategic

thinking, problem-solving, and good communication—don’t move the needle, particularly for human services leaders who face a myriad of issues, including limited resources, workforce challenges, and budgetary constraints. These traditional com petencies reflect important skills but miss the mark of defining what can

Illustration by Chris Campbell

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Policy & Practice Spring 2024