Leading Health | Building a Healthier Kansas

It Requires Loss

It’s no secret that to solve the Health Gap in Kansas, we need those in authority to stop thinking of this as a health challenge and start thinking of it as a leadership challenge that requires a lot of change. We know that what people often fear most about change is losing something that matters to them. Understanding that distinction is the key that unlocks real progress.  In this chapter of Leading Health, Ed O'Malley and Susan Kang dig into one of the most important and most overlooked concepts in leadership: the relationship between change and loss. Joined again by Johnathan Sublet, founder of SENT, Inc. in Topeka, they explore what it truly takes to help communities let go of what is to make room for what could be. Kansas has climbed to #27 in the health rankings — three consecutive years of improvement for the first time in 35 years. Getting to #1 will require leaders who can name the losses, speak to them honestly and create space for others to do the same. Highlights * People don't fear change — they fear loss. Reframing resistance as data, not opposition, shifts the locus of responsibility back to the leader. * When someone pushes back on your idea, that's information. It means they perceive a loss you haven't yet addressed. * Speaking to loss is powerful. So is letting loss speak — inviting others to voice what's hard creates trust and energizes people toward change. * Johnathan Sublet shares five universal fears (death, being an outsider, the future, chaos and insignificance) and the five corresponding needs leaders must address to reduce anxiety and improve performance. * The story of Topeka's first net-zero home and a significant tree to a grieving family. Illustrating what it looks like to speak to loss in a deeply human way. * Technical experts (engineers, health professionals, administrators) face a particular challenge: their expertise can lead them to double down on logic when empathy is what's needed. * The Moses framework: leadership requires both systems-thinking and shepherding, and most leaders are naturally strong in only one. * Closing the urban-rural divide in Kansas health requires people to lose their attachment to the idea that their challenge is uniquely theirs. * Prioritizing health means deprioritizing something else, and that's a real loss for the people who care about those other things. * Think 401k, not day trading: small, consistent, compounding investments in a shared strategy, not swinging for the miracle, is how Kansas gets to #1. Chapters 0:47 — Introduction: Chapter 9 — It's a Leadership Challenge Because It Requires Loss 4:00 — People Don't Fear Change — They Fear Loss 5:03 — Resistance as Data: What Pushback Is Really Telling You 7:25 — Speaking to Loss vs. Letting Loss Speak 10:01 — Guest Introduction: Johnathan Sublet, SENT 12:38 — The Five Universal Fears and Five Universal Needs 15:19 — Real-World Loss: Topeka's First Net Zero Home and the Tree 18:17 — The Moses Framework: Systems Thinking Meets Shepherding 27:27 — Letting Go of Your Preferred Strategy: The K-State Transdisciplinary Housing Team 32:57 — Six Sigma and Prioritizing for Impact: The Sent Network Approach 36:07 — Takeaways: Acknowledging Loss to Make Progress 37:24 — 401k vs. Day Trading: A Mindset for Long-Term Health Leadership Resources Mentioned * America's Health Rankings [https://www.americashealthrankings.org/] * SENT [https://senttopeka.com/] — A Topeka-based nonprofit that focuses on Community Health and Wellness, Education and Workforce Development and Housing and Revitalization.  Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way.  Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at kansashealth.org/leadinghealth [http://kansashealth.org/leadinghealth] And be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.

Our Existing Assumptions Fail Us

What if the biggest barrier to better health in your community isn't a lack of resources, but a set of assumptions you didn't even know you were making? In this conversation, co-hosts Ed O'Malley and Susan Kang are joined by returning guest Kenny Wilk of the University of Kansas Health System. Together, they unpack how hidden assumptions — about who should be involved, what needs to be done, and how fast progress can happen — quietly shape how people in authority think and act. Wilk shares candid stories from his time in the Kansas Legislature and offers a fresh lens on exercising leadership. This conversation will challenge you to surface the assumptions driving your own work before they become "premeditated resentments." Highlights * The three most common assumptions the 30,000 make when tackling complex health challenges, and why each one can derail progress. * The critical difference between adaptive and technical challenges.  * Kenny Wilk's hard-won insight from the Kansas Legislature: don't ask people to change their minds; give them new information so they can make a new decision. * How sharing information to ‘slow things down’ can help a group go farther, together.  * The "sidewalk story" is a simple metaphor that reframes how we see ‘work’ being done.  * The danger of bringing people together only to present a baked solution, and what to do instead. Chapters 0:47 —Leading Health Review, Preview and Big Picture.  3:02 — Chapter Eight insight: "Closing the Health Gap Is a Leadership Challenge Because Our Existing Assumptions Fail Us" 4:55 — The three common assumptions the 30,000 make 6:28 — The quick fix trap 8:37 — Technical vs. adaptive: a broken bone example 11:14 — Kenny Wilk joins the conversation 12:18 — The water debate: a lesson from Kenny's first year in the legislature 14:52 — Defining "assumption" — and why we're all starting from different places 15:56 — You have to slow down to go far 16:22 — Getting up on the balcony to examine assumptions 17:52 — New decisions, not mind changes 19:13 — How authority can create space for assumption-surfacing 21:05 — Why leaders jump straight to solutions 22:59 — From kitchen table to campaign trail to governing — three different phases 24:27 — Technical vs. adaptive challenges in practice 27:13 — What authorities must do differently on adaptive challenges 30:46 — The sidewalk story: seeing the invisible work of adaptive leadership 33:50 — Takeaways and preview of the next episode Resources Mentioned * Kansas Health Rankings [https://www.kdheks.gov/] * University of Kansas Health System [https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/] * Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) [https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/] Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way.  Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at kansashealth.org/leadinghealth [http://kansashealth.org/leadinghealth] And be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.

We Don’t Agree on What Caused the Problem, or the Solutions

What if the biggest barrier to improving the health of an entire state isn't a lack of medicine, money, or expertise, but a failure of leadership? In Chapter 7 of Leading Health, we tackle one of the most provocative ideas in the book: Kansas can't climb the health rankings without first confronting the reality that we don't agree on what caused the problem or what the solution is. That makes it a leadership challenge before it's a health challenge. This episode features a special guest — Ben Hutton, President and CEO of Hutton Company — who brings a private-sector perspective to a conversation typically dominated by the public sector. We explore what it means to lead with both humility and bold experimentation, and why getting people focused on the right problems might be more important than having all the right answers. Highlights * Kansas has improved its health rankings for three consecutive years, a meaningful milestone that deserves more attention. * Leadership is an activity, not a position and authority and leadership are two distinct things. * The role of those in authority isn't to proclaim solutions; it's to center the problem and create alignment. * Every person in the "30,000" has a part of the mess — defining your part is often the most actionable first step. * Goals and strategies are not the same; confusing them is one of the most common traps when tackling adaptive challenges (Medicaid expansion is a strategy; ensuring Kansans have adequate health insurance is a goal). * The Hutton Company implemented the Dream Manager program — helping employees name and pursue personal dreams, from climbing Machu Picchu to buying a first home. * Discuss why businesses need to think about both  Capital H health (everything we need to thrive) vs. little h health (healthcare). * The "$50,000 experiment" framework: big enough to matter if it works, small enough to survive if it doesn't. * Third-grade literacy as a leading indicator: solving upstream problems prevents a cascade of downstream challenges. * Two people — and two ideas — can both be right at the same time. The tragedy of our era is that we've shifted from advocating for our ideas to advocating against our opponents' ideas. * Purpose-driven businesses that invest in capital H health tend to be more profitable in traditional measures too; the data bears this out. Chapters 0:48 — Introduction & Chapter 7 Overview 4:49 — Leadership vs. Authority: Lessons from COVID 11:51 — Introducing Ben Hutton 13:27 — Capital H vs. Little H Health in the Workplace 15:24 — The Dream Manager Program 19:18 — Finite vs. Infinite Games & the Case for Experimentation 25:23 — Disrupting Entrenched Narratives 35:46 — Goals vs. Strategies: How to Create Alignment 37:09 — Closing Takeaways Resources Mentioned * The Dream Manager [https://www.dreammanger.com/] by Matthew Kelly * The Infinite Game [https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/] by Simon Sinek * Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs] * Hutton [https://huttonbuilds.com/] Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way.  Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at kansashealth.org/leadinghealth [http://kansashealth.org/leadinghealth] And be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.

(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 Leading Health, 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 [https://senttopeka.com/] — A Topeka-based nonprofit that focuses on Community Health and Wellness, Education and Workforce Development and Housing and Revitalization.  * Kansas Leadership Center [https://kansasleadershipcenter.org/] - Learn how to exercise leadership and mobilize others for greater change.  * ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) [https://www.unitedforalice.org/] — 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.  Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at kansashealth.org/leadinghealth [http://kansashealth.org/leadinghealth] And be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.

Part 2: Health is a Leadership Challenge Because...

In this bridge episode between Parts 1 and 2 of the Leading Health book, we pause to recap where we've been and preview what's coming. We revisit the core arguments from our first five episodes — from capital H Health versus lower h health, to the 30,000 Kansans who hold civic authority and why they matter — before revealing the central thesis of Part 2: Kansas's health gap is not a health challenge. It's a leadership challenge. And until we frame it that way, we'll keep arriving at the same dead ends. Highlights * Kansas fell from #8 to #31 in America's Health Rankings — and treating this as a health problem is exactly why progress has stalled * The 30,000 Kansans in roles of civic authority — elected officials, pastors, school principals, nonprofit executives, and community-minded CEOs — are the key to change * America's Health Rankings serves as the "North Star" for measuring progress toward Kansas becoming the #1 healthiest state in the nation * Part 1 describes the symptoms, Part 2 delivers the diagnosis, and Part 3 will outline the prescription * Passionate people working for change are often their own biggest enemy — the real challenge is frequently different than it first appears * Improving population health is an adaptive challenge, not a technical one — meaning there are no easy answers, and it involves risk, loss, and ongoing exploration * Leadership is rare, and it's an activity, not a position — we prefer to talk about people exercising leadership rather than simply holding the title * Even if every healthcare expert, public health professional, nutritionist, and researcher does their part, the health gap will remain — because it is first and foremost a leadership challenge Chapters 1:28 – Recap of the First Five Episodes 2:13 – Capital H vs. Lower h Health 2:29 – Meet the 30,000 Civic Leaders 2:57 – America's Health Rankings as Our North Star 3:13 – The Symptoms → Diagnosis → Prescription Framework 3:55 – Passionate People and Hidden Challenges 5:44 – It's Not a Health Problem — It's a Leadership Problem 6:38 – Adaptive Challenge and the Rarity of Real Leadership 8:59 – Why This Lens Changes Everything 9:31 – Experts Matter, But Leadership Must Lead 10:48 – Wrap-Up and Next Episode Preview Leading Health is an invitation to move the needle on Health in Kansas, and we invite you to join us in leading the way.  Don’t have a copy of Leading Health? Claim your copy and learn more about the movement at kansashealth.org/leadinghealth [http://kansashealth.org/leadinghealth] And be sure to subscribe, and drop a comment to let us know what you think.