Related Guides on this Topic
You may also want to see these guides on related topics:
Community Development and Economic Development.
Introduction
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein
The need for strong leadership in rural America has never been greater. As our outlying communities struggle for survival - to provide quality healthcare, excellent school systems, workforce development and economic opportunities - quality leadership from those communities is the key. A rural community is only as strong as the individuals within.
Leadership can mean different things to different people, but fundamentally it is about making things happen that would not happen otherwise. Ordinary people in real-life situations willing to step forward, with the ability to learn and adapt, a commitment to excellence and quality, and able to acknowledge the strength of the local workforce, are so critically needed.
Ensuring quality services, good schools, healthy economies and a strong workforce in our communities in the future takes quality leadership today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
Center for Community Leadership
Web site
Assists states, counties, cities, territories, Native American Tribes, and public and private organizations to successfully serve the needs of children and adults, especially those with disabilities, in their homes, schools and communities.
Community Tool Box
Web site
Practical and detailed information to support community health and development. Includes tools to help build skills on topics like cultural competence, community assessment, leadership, advocacy and more.
CTAA Professional Development & Training
Web site
Offers training courses and certification programs for transit leaders and innovators to better serve their communities and passengers.
Health Care Innovations Exchange
Web site
Designed to support health care professionals in sharing and adopting innovations that improve the delivery of care to patients.
Health Forum
Web site
Provides communications, information, education and research products and services that advance leadership for health.
Healthy People 2010 Toolkit
Web site
Provides guidance, technical tools, and resources to help states, territories, and tribes develop and promote successful state-specific Healthy People 2010 plans.
Home Town Competitiveness: Success Stories
Web site
Contains success stories regarding rural community development.
IHI conferences and Seminars
Web site
Offers conferences and seminars that provide opportunities to learn the latest improvement ideas, connect with like-minded colleagues, and generate momentum for change in an organization.
IHI.org
Web site
A resource from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. Website provides tools, literature, and practices that can be implemented and measured to help facilitate improvement of health care quality.
IncludingAllKids.org
Web site
A Web Site for Youth Leadership Organizations. Assists youth organizations in actively engaging young people of all abilities. Features examples from Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the National 4-H Council, National Wildlife Federation and Wilderness Inquiry.
International Association of Programs for Agricultural Leadership
Web site
A consortium of leadership programs in the USA and several other countries. Provides a directory with contact information of member programs by state.
Leadership Development Planning Library
Web site
A comprehensive library of resources and links on leadership and management skills.
Leadership Development Resources
Web site
Provides an annotated list of publications from the Annie E. Casey Foundation Leadership Development portfolio.
Leadership Online
Web site
Provides a variety of resources on leadership development.
Managing Information with Rural America (MIRA)
Web site
Describes projects funded by the MIRA program to help rural communities choose appropriate uses of technology to address issues such as economic development, education, health, and leadership.
MIT OpenCourseWare
Web site
A web-based free publication of MIT course content that reflects the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT.
National Public Health Leadership Institute
Web site
Designed to work on several levels to create strong individual leaders and new partners who together will confront the new challenges in public health.
RHW Training Workshops
Web site
Offers workshops for professionals from agencies that are involved in providing technical assistance to local communities in economic impact analysis, community health engagement and health budgeting.
Rural Development Strategies
Web site
Links to publications and tools from the USDA Economic Research Service that address rural development strategies. Covers infrastructure improvement, business assistance, education and training, amenity-based development, community development, and funding for local rural development strategy.
Rural Health Resource Directory
Database
Provides a directory of consultants, organizations and speakers throughout the United States who provide services to rural healthcare organizations. Searchable by state, organization type and service.
Rural Hospital Education Gateway
Web site
A one-stop shop for rural hospitals to access distance and web-based educational resources on topics including community engagement, hospital finance, management and leadership, performance improvement, workforce and quality.
Seeking Rural Health Data: A Tool Kit
Web site
Provides State Offices of Rural Health and the public with a toolkit for accessing and utilizing national, databases that are readily available, free, and have useful rural information.
Selected List of Readings on Leadership
Web site
An annotated list of books on the topic of leadership derived from the Mountain Plains Library Association's Leadership Institute.
Technical Assistance and Services Center Web Site
Web site
TASC provides technical assistance to 47 states that administer the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program. The TASC web site includes a variety of tools, publications and resources on the Flex Program, as well as contact information for further assistance.
TrainingFinder Real-time Affiliate Integrated Network (TRAIN)
Database
Information on learning opportunities, particularly online learning, for health care professionals who work for the public's health. Searchable by subject, keyword, target audience, core competencies, etc.
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Building Leaderful Organizations; Succession Planning for Nonprofits
Sponsoring organization: Annie E. Casey Foundation
Presents emergency succession planning tools, guidance for executive directors on how and when to depart an organization, and suggestions for board members on how to be proactive in assuring that an organization is sustainable over time.
Date: 2008
Community Leadership Training
Author(s): Erica Hauck
Sponsoring organization: Michigan Center for Rural Health
A new program in Michigan is providing rural residents with the tools to make decisions based on consensus and the unique needs of their communities.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor Volume 10 Issue 3 Pages: 1
Date: 01 / 2004
Developing Effective Citizen Engagement: A How-To Guide for Community Leaders
Author(s): Allan Bassler, Kathy Brasier, Neal Fogle, Ron Taverno
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
A guide to assist organizations and local officials as they engage citizens and stakeholders in local decision-making and other community projects.
Date: 04 / 2008
Eight Challenges Facing Community Leaders
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
Discusses the eight common challenges and specific lessons learned in stepping up as a leader in order to successfully meet community needs.
Journal citation: Rural Voices Volume 9 Issue 3 Pages: 24 - 25
Date: 2004
Empowering Local Communities Through Leadership Development and Capacity Building
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Features examples of successful initiatives that teach leadership skills to individual community residents and successful efforts to build the capacity of community-based organizations.
Date: 10 / 2007
Future of Rural Health Leadership
Author(s): Terry J. Hill, Tami Lichtenberg, Valerie DeFor
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Resource Center
Summarizes the discussion at the Rural Health Leadership Summit Meeting held in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the fall of 2005.
Date: 12 / 2006
HomeTown Competitiveness: Providing Tools and Trainings to Help Small Towns Thrive in the 21st Century: A Monograph
Sponsoring organization: Heartland Center for Leadership Development
Discusses the Home Town Competitiveness approach as a comprehensive strategy for long-term rural community sustainability.
Leadership Development for Rural Health
Author(s): Tim Size
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Institute of Medicine
Focuses on leadership development to emphasize that throughout rural organizations and communities, there are individuals who may not be formally designated as leaders, but who can and do exercise leadership.
Journal citation: North Carolina Medical Journal Volume 67 Issue 1
Date: 2006
Leadership for Change: Working for Community Change in Rural America
Sponsoring organization: Rural Community College Initiative
Discusses the Rural Community College Initiative as a model for linking education with economic development. Also discusses leadership qualities needed to inspire change.
Date: 2002
Leadership for Policy Change: Strengthening Communities of Color Through Leadership Development
Author(s): Dwayne S. Marsh, Milly Hawk Daniel, Kris Putnam
Sponsoring organization: PolicyLink
Describes the barriers to participation of leaders of color in local and national public policy development and the strategies that can be used to remove the barriers to benefit low-income communities of color and the nation.
Date: 2003
Medicare Guide to Rural Health Services Information for Providers, Suppliers, and Physicians
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Offers Medicare providers, suppliers, and physicians rural health information and resources including Ambulance Services, CAH's, FQHC's, HPSA, Home Health, Hospice, Medicare, Prescription Drug Plan, Quality Improvement, RHC's, Sole Community Hospital, Swing Bed, and Telehealth.
Date: 04 / 2008
National Rural Assembly Final Report
Sponsoring organization: W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Final report of the First National Rural Assembly. Covered Demographic Transitions; A Changing Rural Economy; Investment and Resource Distribution; Community Institutions and Civic Leadership; and Environmental Challenges.
Date: 06 / 2007
New Rural Economy: A New Role for Public Policy
Sponsoring organization: Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Discusses the recent trends in the rural economy, the challenges faced, and federal policy in rural development.
Journal citation: Main Street Economist Volume 1 Issue IV
Date: 2006
Performance Management: Improving and Sustaining Performance in Rural Hospitals
Author(s): Terry J. Hill
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Policy and Development
Outlines strategies and frameworks for overcoming obstacles in order to maintain financial stability for small rural hospitals and to establish sustainable health systems for the future.
Journal citation: Rural Minnesota Journal Volume 2 Issue 2
Date: 2007
Place in the Country
Sponsoring organization: Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Discusses the role of community development in rural America. Includes information on leadership, economic development, philanthropy and more. Part of the Stand Up for Rural America Campaign.
Prairie States Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership: A National Model for Rural Economic Recovery
Sponsoring organization: Western Governors' Association
Describes a proposed one-stop shop for regional economic development planning, implementation and funding. The Prairie States Regional Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership will act as an umbrella organization to foster regional
cooperation in the West.
Date: 01 / 2003
Rural Physicians and Community Leadership: Skills for Building Health Infrastructure in Rural Communities
Author(s): Steven D. Crane
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Institute of Medicine
Addresses reasons why rural physicians need
to become involved in solving rural health problems, and how they can effectively provide needed clinical leadership regardless of previous leadership roles.
Journal citation: North Carolina Medical Journal Volume 67 Issue 1
Date: 2006
Where are the Leaders?
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
Identifies lessons about leadership derived from the Rural Development Leadership Network, a national, multicultural organization that supports community-based development in poor rural areas through hands-on projects, education, leadership development, and networking.
Journal citation: Rural Voices Volume 9 Issue 3 Pages: 27
Date: 2004
Why Some Rural Communities Prosper While Others Do Not
Author(s): A. M. Isserman, E. Feser, D. Warren
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
Focuses on rural prosperity that occurs in some communities to provide answers and insights on the rural condition and rural policy.
Date: 05 / 2007
Journals
Health Care News and Information
A newsletter of the Healthcare Leadership Council.
Hot Topics in Rural Health Care
Discusses relevant rural health topics important to health care providers, rural community leaders, and others.
National Center for Healthcare Leadership Newsletter
Newsletter of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership promoting effective healthcare management leadership.
Rural Development Perspectives
Published three times a year by the Food and Rural Economics Division, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Rural Realities
A peer-reviewed, web-based series that publishes four times a year. Each issue is devoted to a single topic. Seeks to showcase innovative applied research being conducted by RSS members and other rural social scientists that give attention to critical and timely rural issues.
Visions from the Heartland
Published three times per year. Articles focus on leadership training, citizen participation, community planning, facilitation, evaluation, and curriculum development, often relating to the rural community.
Organizations
American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
International organization
Provides educational programs, guidance and credentialing to enhance the marketability, relationships, knowledge and leadership for healthcare executives.
American College of Physician Executives (ACPE)
National organization
Supports physicians through course offerings on leadership skills, career counseling and the credentialing necessary to effectively lead at all levels in organizations and in all sectors of the health care industry.
American Health Quality Association
National organization
A charitable, educational, not-for-profit national membership association dedicated to health care quality through community-based, independent quality evaluation and improvement programs.
Aspen Institute
National organization
Fosters enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote nonpartisan inquiry and an appreciation for timeless values.
Center for Healthcare Governance (CHG)
National organization
Improving health care governance and leadership effectiveness through educational conferences, publications, and a broad range of innovative services and resources.
Center for Rural Affairs (CRA)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities throughout the nation. Foundation is based in Nebraska.
Community Development Society (CDS)
National organization
Provides leadership to professionals and citizens across the spectrum of community development.
Community Leadership Association (CLA)
National organization
Enhances the capacity of community leadership programs to strengthen and serve their communities by offering resources, information, and a national discussion of leadership issues.
CSREES Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDC)
Federal government
A component of USDA that promotes economic and community development by working to strengthen the capacity of local citizens to guide the future of their rural communities.
Health Forum
Commercial
Provides communications, information, education and research products and services that advance leadership for health.
Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC)
National organization
A coalition of chief executives from all disciplines within the health care system to jointly develop policies, plans and programs to achieve a 21st century health care system.
Heartland Center for Leadership Development
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to develop local leadership that responds to the challenges of the future. Focused on practical resources and public policies for rural community survival. Provides training and services in leadership, community development, strategic planning, evaluation, and energizing entrepreneurship.
Leadership for a Changing World
Commercial
Program seeks to recognize, strengthen and support leaders and to highlight the importance of community leadership in improving people's lives.
Mid South Delta Initiative (MSDI)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Functions as a long-term economic, community and leadership development effort focused on 55 contiguous counties and parishes along the Mississippi River in rural Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Mountain States Group
National organization
Works locally, nationally, and internationally to promote citizen and community leadership in improving health and human services.
National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL)
National organization
Works to assure that high quality, relevant and accountable leadership is available to meet the challenges of delivering quality patient healthcare in the 21st century.
National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA)
National organization
A network of state and regional nonprofit associations to help them manage and lead, collaborate and exchange solutions, and achieve greater impact in their communities.
National League of Cities (NLC)
National organization
The National League of Cities is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments throughout the United States. Its mission is to strengthen and promote cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance.
National MultiCultural Institute (NMCI)
National organization
Works with individuals, organizations, and communities to facilitate change in order to build an inclusive society that is strengthened and empowered by its diversity. Provides seminars and online training regarding effective teamwork, developing a diverse workforce, conflict resolution, cultural competence and leadership skills.
National Public Health Leadership Development Network
National organization
A consortium of organizations and individuals from academic institutions, national and international organizations, and local, state, and federal agencies dedicated to advancing the practice of public health leadership.
National Rural Health Association (NRHA)
National organization
Promotes leadership, ideas, information, communication, education, research, advocacy, and methods to improve rural health. Composed of individual and organizational members who share a common interest in rural health.
Northwest Public Health Leadership Institute (NWPHLI)
State/regional organization
Offers a year-long learning experience designed to increase participants’ community leadership skills through on-site and distance education.
Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership (RIHEL)
State/regional organization
Provides leadership training, builds linkages among leaders, and strengthens the relationships among health professionals, environment professionals, the academic community, the public sector and the private sector.
Rural Development Leadership Network (RDLN)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Supports community-based development in poor rural areas through hands-on projects, education and skills building, leadership development and networking. Does not provide funding, but asks participants' sponsoring organizations to provide funds needed to pay standard tuition costs for the participants to the schools worked with.
Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC)
State/regional organization
Supports and enhances rural health and quality of care through a variety of products and services with an emphasis on developing integrated networks among freestanding entities.
Search Institute
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities.
Southwest Public Health Leadership Institute (SWPHLI)
State/regional organization
Dedicated to improving the health of communities in border and bi-national communities, tribal health programs, and state and county public health systems. Provides leadership workshops and collaborative leadership training for emerging and mid-level public health leaders.
Toastmasters International
National organization
Offers members a proven curriculum to practice communication and leadership skills.
USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
Federal government
Advances knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities through national program leadership and federal assistance.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations.
Terms & Acronyms
360 Tool An evaluation process providing feedback on an individual's performance from a variety of perspectives.
Accreditation Process that gives public recognition to institutions that meet certain standards. It is a promise that an institution will provide the quality of services it claims to offer.
Balanced Scorecard (BSC) An integrated framework for describing and translating strategy through the use of linked performance measures in four balanced perspectives: Customer, Internal Processes, Learning and Growth, and Financial. The Balanced Scorecard acts as a measurement system, strategic management system, and communication tool.
Capacity building Efforts to develop human skills or society infrastructures with a community or organization.
Conflict Resolution The process of working through opposing views to either resolve a dispute or reach a common goal.
Workforce Development Programs and policies that prepare people for work through a variety of educational opportunities, job training, and employment activities.
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