Policy and Practice February 2019

president‘s memo By Tracy Wareing Evans

Leadership for a Generative Future

A cross the country, executives are being appointed to lead state public agencies as many newly elected governors have been sworn into office. These CEOs and deputies come from all types of backgrounds—some steeped in knowledge of the traditional human services system, others from related systems such as health, education, and justice; some with years of experience in public service and others drawing on extensive corporate or nonprofit backgrounds. It’s against this backdrop that we enter 2019; at APHSA, we see significant opportunity to draw on the diverse and fresh perspectives of these incoming leaders to accelerate our Theory of Action and advance our members’ vision for thriving communi- ties built on human potential.

Undergirding our Theory of Action is the belief that to achieve an oppor- tunity ecosystem it must be fueled by the people who live there, along with multiple networks contributing value through distinct vantage points and collective impact efforts aimed at addressing systemic barriers. To get there, we need bold, highly agile lead- ership, willing to reshape traditional business and practice models by shifting our services “upstream,” creating generative partnerships designed to strengthen each other and ensuring a social determinants’ orientation to meeting the needs of families and com- munities, not simply delivering on a set of programs or services. The theme of this issue—adaptive leadership 1 —is intended to shine

a spotlight on what it takes to lead through such a “generative” lens. 2 At a time of great uncertainty and constant change and a nation too often defined by a polarized narrative instead of what binds us together, there has perhaps never been a more important time for this kind of leadership in our field— leaning into what’s possible and by co-creating solutions despite any unex- pected roadblocks appear before us. The prolonged government shutdown is a prime example, calling on all of our adaptive skills. Adaptive leaders set the course for what’s possible, even in the face of strong headwinds like the federal gov- ernment shutdown or the economic

See President’s Memo on page 29

Image via Shutterstock

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February 2019 Policy&Practice