Five Sector Strengths to Celebrate

Independent Report Shows Where Leaders are Excelling 
A recent study by consulting firm, Optimus, shows that there’s plenty to celebrate when it comes to leaders and leadership in community and primary health care.

Through stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and data/document reviews, Optimus identified five key strengths in our sector that show we’re well-positioned to embrace the future. Leveraging and building on these five strengths will help us rise to the challenge of transformation and embrace new, collaborative ways of working across the health system. 

1. Accomplished and Committed Senior Leaders
Across community and primary health care, many experienced senior leaders have a long tenure and are extremely knowledgeable, which benefits not only their own organizations but the ecosystem as a whole. 
What’s more, experienced senior leaders generally plan to stay in community and primary health care for the rest of their careers, which means our sectors, and the system overall, will continue to benefit from their insights and expertise into the future. 

2. Passion for the Work
Senior and emerging leaders in community and primary health care are passionate about their work, and it shows. 
Optimus found that leaders are motivated by having an impact within communities, and driven by the diversity, complexity and challenges of the work. They also value the opportunities to develop strong relationships and to live their commitment to mission and values-oriented work. 

3. Readiness to Collaborate and Partner
Leaders across the community and primary health care ecosystem recognize and are receptive to the importance of collaboration and partnerships for enhancing care and services for patients and clients. 
LeaderShift has built on this strength, helping 500+ current and emerging leaders become more confident, more collaborative, and more system-oriented. We’ve also connected leaders across our ecosystems to each other in new ways. 

4. Eagerness to Learn and Develop 
Continuous learning and development are seen as valuable among leaders across community and primary health care, which is something we’ve certainly seen in the enthusiastic response to LeaderShift and the learning opportunities it provides. 

Across our sectors, leaders clearly see formal education as important. They also prioritize creating strong cultures of mentorship and coaching within their organizations to support and develop emerging leaders. 

5. Motivated to Build Sector Reputation 
Leaders in community and primary health care are invested in our ecosystems. They’re  motivated to work toward building a stronger and more integrated community and primary health care sector. And they actively seek out opportunities to enhance the sector’s impact and profile.  
Building on these five strengths, our sectors are well-positioned to thrive, together, in the current climate of transformation. 

We’re also well-positioned to grow into areas of opportunity that Optimus identified for our sectors, such as formalizing mentorship and learning, opening up more leadership opportunities, including informal ones, and evolving job structures to reflect the different needs and priorities of emerging leaders.  

Help Shape the Shift 
​Shifts in leadership in community and primary health care are being shaped at the system, organizational, and individual levels. Use the resources on this site to help you build and enhance the strengths you already have and add new ones. 
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Not sure where to begin? Check out the practical, everyday leadership tips in our Applied Leadership e-learning series.