Using systems-based coaching methods to address public health workforce issues

The current workforce crisis in the public health is multidimensional. As noted by the Association of Schools of Public Health, the public health workforce is numerically diminishing, forcing fewer workers to do more with fewer human resources. While the pipeline issues for this workforce are great, successful management practices for the current workforce require immediate action to retain a talented and beleaguered group of professionals. In an effort to facilitate the development of strategies for talent management and succession planning across Michigan's public health workforce, the Michigan Public Health Training Center (MPHTC) teamed with professional coaches trained in organization systems coaching. The annual planning retreat of the MPHTC includes representatives from state, local and community based-public health. The most recent retreat focused on how individuals across the spectrum of public health practice could collectively share their experience and information in a facilitated large group process to assist their organizations in developing these personnel strategies. The need for a variety of tools in the area of human resources was identified, including effective interviewing, career path enhancement, and talent management practices.

In response to needs identified during the retreat, the MPHTC offered a workshop for invited local public health leadership from each of the state's health jurisdictions to provide training on coaching skills for talent management. The one-day workshop was well received with participants gaining concrete skills for developing staff, as well as understanding the importance of creating mutual accountability with staff in the development process. This work with public health leadership demonstrates the value of using a collective understanding of the systems challenges to the public health workforce to design specific strategies for addressing these challenges.