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(It’s) Not a Health Challenge

We often think of leadership as a title, but really, it’s an action. While some challenges just need a solid plan, solving the Kansas Health Gap requires a specific kind of leadership that goes beyond authority. 

In Episode 6 of the Leading Health podcast, hosts Ed O’Malley and Susan Kang unpack the three reasons why this gap is so hard to close—from the lack of urgency to the inevitable clash of values. Joined by Johnathan Sublet, Executive Director of SENT, they dive further to highlight what it really looks like to lead from a calling, punch deeper at daunting problems and build systems that free you to pursue the work that keeps you up at night.

Highlights

• Leadership is an activity, not a noun. 
• Separating leadership from authority invites far more people into the work.
• The 30,000 Kansans have a specific and essential leadership role to play in improving capital “H” Health, but having authority doesn’t always mean you’re exercising leadership. 
• Johnathan Sublet’s journey from chemical engineer to nonprofit leader illustrates what it looks like to lead from a calling rather than just manage a role. 
• Burnout isn’t caused by a heavy schedule; it’s caused by an unsettled relationship. between daily tasks and the original passion that drove you to the work. 
• The “punch deeper” metaphor: too many nonprofits throw shallow punches at problems; real leadership means aiming past the face and committing to closing gaps entirely.
• Competing values are not problems to solve, they’re tensions to manage; if you’re not getting pushback from all sides, you’re probably not doing anything significant.
• “Leading is disappointing people at a rate they can tolerate,” and remembering what got you into the work is what keeps the calling alive.

Chapters

• 0:48 — Chapter 6 Introduction 
• 1:56 — Why Health Is a Leadership Challenge
• 2:32 — Three Factors of Leadership Explained
• 6:09 — Authority Versus Leadership
• 8:02 — Having Authority Does Not Mean Exercising Leadership
• 9:57 — Meet Johnathan Sublet of SENT
• 10:38 — Leading Versus Managing
• 12:08 — Calling and Community Work
• 15:29 — Burnout and Big Swings
• 17:43 — Systems Free Your Focus
• 18:48 — Leadership Challenge Mindset
• 19:44 — Share the Model Widely
• 20:17 — Greek Not Roman Legacy
• 21:57 — Housing Change Snowball
• 23:34 — ALICE and the Missing Middle
• 26:52 — Competing Values in Practice
• 30:37 — Keep the Calling Alive
• 33:08 — Key Takeaways 

Resources

• SENT: A Topeka-based nonprofit that focuses on Community Health and Wellness, Education and Workforce Development and Housing and Revitalization. 
• Kansas Leadership Center: Learn how to exercise leadership and mobilize others for greater change. 
• ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed): A United Way framework describing the working poor, referenced in the housing discussion.

Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way. Claim your copy of the book and learn more about the movement.