Explores leadership theory as it pertains to success in public health leadership. Structured around WICS theory of leadership success.

1. Running head: WICS SKILLS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP 1
Skills for Successful Public Health Leadership Conceptualized Within the WICS Model
Michelle Dunn
University of Maryland University College

2. WICS SKILLS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP SKILL 2
Skills for Successful Public Health Leadership Conceptualized Within the WICS Model
While there are many conceptual models of leadership, American psychologist Robert
Sternberg defines a systems model in which successful leadership skills organize within three
categories: creativity, intelligence, and wisdom (Sternberg, 2007). Sternberg’s triptych model,
with the added concept of “synthesis”, provides an excellent framework for exploring skills
required for successful leadership in public health. Other models of leadership enhance and
expand on the skill sets described in his model, briefly known as the WICS model of leadership.
Intelligence
Most analyses of the WICS Leadership Model begin with a discussion of the creativity
component (Sternberg, 2007; Lamberth & Rowitz, 2009). This review will begin with a
discussion of the intelligence skill sets, asserting that these are the foundation for applying
creativity and wisdom to the purposeful work of a successful public health leader. Discourse on
intelligence suggests multiplicity in types of intelligence. Sternberg’s WICS model delineates
two types of intelligence but also alludes to forms of intelligence that mimic the additional types.
Analytic Intelligence
Depictions of the WICS model of leadership begin by discussing creativity with the
assertion that idea generation is the preliminary skill set upon which leaders apply analytic
intelligence to assess the validity of these ideas (Lamberth & Rowitz, 2009). However, given
Sternberg’s definition of analytic intelligence (also referred to as academic intelligence) as “the
skills and dispositions needed to not only recall and recognize but also to analyze, evaluate, and
judge information” (Sternberg, 2007, p. 37), these skills arguably precede those of creativity.
Alternatively, definitions of analytic intelligence such as “the integration, organization, and

3. WICS SKILLS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP SKILL 3
ordering of thoughts” (Shabnam & Tung, 2013, p. 318) speak to how creativity skills develop
simultaneously with intelligence skills with the former informing the latter.
Practical Intelligence
Apart from the information gathering and assessment skills of analytical knowledge, the
successful leader must present the evidence of their analysis in a convincing way. Sternberg
defines this set of skills as practical knowledge, alternatively described as “tacit knowledge” or
“procedural knowledge” (2007, p. 38). These are the leadership skills that facilitate plan
development and implementation.
This skill set includes the ability to discern and use appropriate resources (Sternberg,
2007) and to communicate effectively for successful team-building within the organization
(Lamberth & Rowitz, 2009). Additionally, collaborative skills allow the successful public health
leader to promote their agenda across organizations. The Public Health Leadership Competency
Framework defines these leadership skills as “Trans-Organizational Competencies” (Wright,
Reid, & Carmichael, 2000, p. 1205). Specific to public health, these skills allow leaders to
promote their agendas within those of a larger government system, often at odds with public
health’s social justice agenda, using persuasion and compromise (Lamberth & Rowitz, 2009).
This mechanism is characteristic of transactional leadership skills within the context of theory
developed by James Burns. He differentiated transactional and transformation leadership skills as
those that involve give and take, or compromise, versus those that promote higher level common
agendas (Burns, 1978). Accomplishing the latter is a difficult task for the public health leader in
the political arena.

4. WICS SKILLS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP SKILL 4
Other Intelligence
While Sternberg primarily differentiates between analytic and practical intelligence,
many leadership theories rely on the notion that intelligence has numerous forms (Shabnam &
Tung, 2013). Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to understand how emotions (one’s
own as well as others’) effect thought interpretation and agendas (Shabnam & Tung, 2013).
Research on the correlation between intelligence and successful leadership is inconclusive
perhaps because the metrics and inclusiveness for types of intelligence are inconsistent
(Sternberg, 2007; Shabnam & Tung, 2013). Sternberg’s model merely tips a hat to the discussion
of intelligence multiplicity while characterizing emotional intelligence as a subset of practical
intelligence (2007). Other leadership theorists go so far as to parse out additional forms of
intelligence such as spiritual and cultural intelligence (Shabnam & Tung, 2013), the former being
essential to the motivation and moral agenda of a successful public health leader and the latter to
their ability to manage the diversity of the public health workforce, both in skills (Lamberth &
Rowitz, 2009) and ethnic and geographic origins (Alon & Higgins, 2005).
Creativity
Within Sternberg’s model, creativity includes the skills with which the successful leader
generates novel, high quality, and situation-appropriate agendas (2007). The creative leader
applies their intelligence skills to develop and prioritize agendas while marketing their solutions
to their own and collaborating groups. Sternberg describes specific skills needed for this creative
process: the ability to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information and seeing novel
relationships between sets of information (2007). The Institute of Medicine (IOM) defines
assessment as a core function for all public health workers (IOM, 1988), yet the successful
public health leader will approach assessment with creativity. Public health academics Lamberth

5. WICS SKILLS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP SKILL 5
and Rowitz, for example, cite a traditional epidemiologist inquiry, “Where is the pump handle on
this one?” (2009, p. 420), referring to nineteenth century epidemiologist John Snow’s famous
problem-solving tactic by which he proved that London’s public wells were cholera’s vector
(Frerichs, n.d.).
Wisdom
Sternberg’s “wisdom” skill set encompasses more intangible, yet equally essential, skills
for a successful public health leader. The most overarching of these is vision. He explains this as
the ability to chose and develop long-term goals over short-sighted ones (2007). Other authors
attribute the same ability to the previously referenced spiritual intelligence (Shabnam & Tung,
2013) that is the foundation of the successful leader’s ethical course toward social justice
(Lamberth & Rowitz, 2009). The servant leader and transformational leader models similarly
affirm that successful leaders must promote a higher agenda than that of the individual or even a
single organization (Lamberth & Rowitz, 2009).
The successful public health leader validates and promotes this vision as a role model.
The concept of “authentic leadership”, cited by nursing academics as essential to the success of
an organization, requires modeling moral conduct, maintaining transparency and self awareness,
and demonstrating flexibility (Laschinger, H. K. S., Wong, C. A., & Grau, A. L., 2013).
Sternberg’s model (2007) as well as ecological leadership models (Lamberth & Rowitz, 2009)
similarly assert that the successful leader is open to change and committed to personal and
organizational growth, an essential skill in the milieu of public health where conditions and
stakeholders are mutable.

6. WICS SKILLS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP SKILL 6
Conclusion
Sternberg’s WICS model serves as a framework for understanding successful public
health leadership that reflects many of the same skills purported in other traditional leadership
theories. Leadership success requires the application of analytical intelligence to assess and
prioritize public health problems. The creative leader envisions unique relationships between
data sets and stakeholders to develop novel problem-solving methods. Through experience and
effective use of resources, this leader uses practical intelligence skills to develop and implement
a plan for organizational goals. Additional forms of intelligence, such as emotional, spiritual and
cultural, include core skills that ensure a steadfast, ethical vision. Sternberg characterizes this
vision as essential to leadership wisdom. Additionally, his model requires the synthesis of all
three skill sets (2007), paralleling other intelligence discourse suggesting that integration of the
multiplicity of intelligence forms is essential for leaders to succeed in environments of
uncertainty and change (Shabnam & Tung, 2013).
Contemporary public health leaders function in a highly technical and high volume
information world requiring high level data-mining and analytic skills. Widespread and
interconnected public health problems necessitate that these leaders envision their community as
traversing the local to the international and require an equally expansive and fluid perception of
public health needs. In the midst of this complexity, successful public health leaders will avoid
misguided, self-directed agendas by adhering to the overarching mission of social justice. By
setting the moral standard and embodying a trans-organizational vision, successful public health
leaders will instill passion in their followers and collaborators.

7. WICS SKILLS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP SKILL 7
References
Alon, I., & Higgins, J. M. (2005). Global leadership success through emotional and cultural
intelligences. Business Horizons, 48(6), 501-512. doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2005.04.003
Burns, J.M. (1978). Leadership (1st ed.). Harper & Row: New York.
Frerichs, R.R. (n.d.). John Snow and the Broad Street pump. UCLA School of Public Health,
Department of Epidemiology. Retrieved from
http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/snowcricketarticle.html
Institute of Medicine. (1988). The future of public health. Washington, DC: National Academy
Press.
Lamberth, C.D. & Rowitz, L. (2009). Leadership in public health practice. In Scutchfield, F.D. &
Keck, C.W. (Ed.), Principles of public health practice (3rd ed., pp. 418-444). Clifton
Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage Learning.
Laschinger, H. K. S., Wong, C. A., & Grau, A. L. (2013). Authentic leadership, empowerment
and burnout: A comparison in new graduates and experienced nurses. Journal of Nursing
Management, 21(3), 541. Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=
edb&AN=86881538&site=eds-live&scope=site
Shabnam, & Tung, N. S. (2013). Intelligence, emotional and spiritual quotient as elements of
effective leadership. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 21(1), 315.
Retrieved from
http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d
b=edb&AN=87501767&site=eds-live&scope=site

8. WICS SKILLS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERSHIP SKILL 8
Sternberg, R. J. (2007). A systems model of leadership: WICS. American Psychologist, 62(1),
34-42. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.62.1.34
Wright, K., Reid, W. M., & Carmichael, D. (2000). Competency development in public health
leadership. American Journal of Public Health, 90(8), 1202-1207. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1446322/pdf/10936996.pdf