What is your concept and viewpoints of leadership? Mike Bishop, director of student leadership for Office of Engagement Initiatives at Cornell, poses this question to students in the Cornell University’s Master of Public Health program. Public health practitioners often engage with community leaders and members to develop programs aimed at a targeted population. Mr. Bishop articulates the importance of practicing collective leadership to advance the outcomes of community-based projects.

Collective leadership suggests all group members are committed to creating, implementing and promoting a shared vision. This framework differs from the traditional concept of leadership that identifies a dominant and influential single leader who sets a vision, and others follow it. Mr. Bishop emphasizes, when everyone contributes to the group’s decisions, individuals put aside their self-profit to support the group’s objectives. Consequently, everyone gains a sense of personal efficacy and the team attains innovative goals. Through open dialogue, Mr. Bishop brings a sense of collective leadership to the class discussion.

This exposé was written by Hirokazu Togo, a student in Cornell’s MPH Program with a concentration in Food Systems for Health. Following the MPH degree, he will return to his previous office with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, to promote prevention-oriented and risk-based food safety policy during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and thereafter.