Rowitz On Leadership

In the past few months, I have discussed two important personal leadership tools—journals and learning contracts. In this posting, I want to add a third important tool that leaders in business, politics, and health care have found extremely useful. It is the leader’s checklist. A checklist includes a set of steps in carrying out a defined task or activity. The checklist can be used for many activities from a family planning activity to prepare for a vacation in Europe, remodeling a kitchen, carrying out a case management strategy, responding to a crisis event, or the procedures to follow during brain surgery, I have selected two books so far for book selections that deal with checklists—Gawande and Useem.

In public health, the checklist can become an important tool for public health managers and leaders. It is specifically useful when multidisciplinary teams deal with a problem or activity. The checklist allows teams to outline the process of activities and programs with the roles of each professional on the team delineated. By putting the checklist items in order, an entire program or activity can be defined. This is important when activity one by a nurse has to come before an activity by another health professional. Gawande gave many checklist examples from what goes on in a surgical suite at a hospital to pilots preparing for a flight. Useem applied the checklist to a series of activities that leaders need to perform to be seen as effective leaders. For a leader to carry out activities in a learning contract, a checklist may help in that process. Checklists are not all the same. Different checklists will need to be developed for different programs or activities. A checklist will also save time in that, the leader will not move down the list until other list items are completed. One interesting exception was discussed by Useem(October 2012 Book Selection) in which leadership checklists may be more abstract and involve a number of leadership events that might occur simultaneously or in all events.

I strongly recommend the use of checklists. They do seem to make the work of public health move for effectively and efficiently.