"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.
Related Guides
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 and curriculum to support community health and community development. Provides training and tools to help build skills on topics that include: cultural competence, community assessment, leadership, and advocacy.
Cooperative Extension System Offices
Web site
Lists contact information for all USDA Cooperative Extension System Offices in the U.S., which provide practical and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes.
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.
HomeTown Competitiveness
Web site
Provides a framework for rural communities to help them identify reachable goals and strategies focused on the four strategies of reversing rural decline: leadership, youth, entrepreneurship and charitable assets.
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.
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.
Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow: Developing Leadership Potential
Web site
Curriculum designed for use as a comprehensive, multiple session leadership training program, taught by Penn State Cooperative Extension educators, however individual modules can be used for "stand alone" leadership training within existing groups or organizations.
Main Street Project
Web site
Works to document the strengths and challenges facing people in increasingly diverse rural communities, give voice to their hopes and aspirations, and provide creative and practical tools to turn possibilities into realities.
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.
NIFA Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDC)
Web site
A component of USDA. Links and collaborates research and educational outreach of public universities with communities, entrepreneurs, families, and farmers. Comprised of four centers including North Central, Southern, Northeast, and Western.
Organizational Effectiveness Series Manuals Available for Download
Web site
A series of 14 organizational effectiveness manuals available for download in English and Spanish. Topics include: strategic planning, starting a nonprofit, program evaluation, board development, grantwriting, leadership development, volunteer management, technology development and needs assessment.
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.
RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
Web site
Provides resources and training to help leaders and citizens in rural communities and regions across the U.S. embrace entrepreneurship as a core rural economic development strategy.
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 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.
Scholars, Fellows & Leadership Programs
Web site
Provides a variety of information resources - including programs and scholarships - supporting individuals working to improve health and health care for everyone.
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
Provides technical assistance to states that administer the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program supporting Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). TASC works under a cooperative agreements with HRSA-ORHP to provide relevant, customized technical assistance, tools, resources, and information, many of which can be found on its website.
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.
Tribal Leaders Institute
Web site
Offers online courses on leadership and ethics for tribal members at different levels of management including: entry level employees, supervisors, administrators, program managers, tribal councils, boards, and committees.
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
Collective Leadership Framework: A Workbook for Cultivating and Sustaining Community Change
Sponsoring organization: W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Helps organizations use community-based collective leadership as a tool for making community change.
Date: 2007
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
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
Is Your Hospital’s Board Prepared to Govern? Rural Acute Care Hospital Boards of Directors: Education and Development Needed
Author(s): Janice C. Probst, Royce Adams, Amy B. Martin
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Examines the structural, leadership, and educational needs of rural hospital boards, as viewed by rural hospital board chairs and chief executive officers (CEOs).
Date: 06 / 2010
Medicare Guide to Rural Health Services Information for Providers, Suppliers, and Physicians
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Provides 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: 09 / 2005
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
Rural Hospital Quality Leadership Summit: Building and Sustaining Quality Leadership in Rural Hospitals
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
Includes the outcome of a December 2010 forum of experts from Flex Programs, rural hospital networks, critical access hospitals, hospital and rural health associations, researchers, consultants, and federal representatives who met to discuss rural hospital quality improvement and leadership.
Date: 2011
Two Days In December: A Report from the Rural Hospital Quality Leadership Summit
Author(s): Bob Hartl, Toni Pearson
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Resource Center
Includes a summary of the Rural Hospital Quality Leadership Summit held in December 2010 in Minneapolis, MN.
Date: 2011
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
Leadership Insights
Monthly newsletter focused on rural health and 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
Serves as 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.
CHS Foundation
National organization
Committed to investing in the future of rural America, agriculture and cooperative business through education and leadership development.
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.
Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC)
National organization
Consists of a coalition of chief executives from all disciplines within the health care system to jointly develop policies, plans and programs.
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.
Mountain States Group
National organization
Works locally, nationally, and internationally to promote citizen and community leadership in improving health and human services.
National Association of Counties (NACO)
National organization
Works to ensure that the nation's 3066 counties are heard and understood in the White House and the halls of Congress. Develops publications, seminars and institutes on leadership.
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 Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Helps rural communities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming to improve community infrastructure. Offers numerous services including loans for housing and environment.
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
Works to support and enhance 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 National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Federal government
Supports research, education, and extension programs in land-grant university systems. Collaborates with state, regional, and county extension offices regarding agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities.
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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