Action leadership: The development of an approach to leadership enhancement for grassroots community leaders in children's mental health

Abstract

The last decade has seen the development of a number of interagency systems for children with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Many public sector agencies, however, continue to have inadequate or fragmented services. It is believed that effective systems of care for children and families will not be adequate until more parents and community residents are involved in all phases of systems development. Consequently, the need for the development of leadership models that enhance the involvement of grassroots community leaders is crucial. This article summarizes a research team's preliminary experience in developing an "action leadership" model that empowers grassroots community leaders toward action. The team discovered that leadership enhancement and development of grassroots community leaders is not a static skill attribute of an individual but rather is acquired through a dynamic process in which both the facilitator of a community leadership initiative and its natural leaders are active participants in a shared learning and change experience.