In public health, the challenge is rarely a lack of effort, it's that effort is often scattered. Leaders and teams are working hard, but without a shared direction, progress stalls. Change becomes impossible not because the goal is wrong, but because the people, priorities, and systems around it aren't aligned. What if finding that alignment didn't require more resources, just a fresh way of looking at where leverage already exists?

This session explores how intentional leaders identify the leverage points within their organizations: the places where a relatively small shift in direction, communication, or focus yields a disproportionate return. Drawing on insights from the intersection of behavioral research and practical leadership, we’ll explore why “buy-in” is often the wrong approach and instead, what leaders should be focusing on. We'll look at how to consider the "goal of the goal" when setting direction, and how the feeling of progress can become your most powerful tool for sustaining momentum across teams and stakeholders.

Public health leaders are regularly asked to move forward without perfect information, aligning people and decisions in ways that still create meaningful progress. This conversation will offer simple, immediately applicable approaches to help leaders get unstuck, translate insight into action, and build the kind of shared direction that holds — even when conditions stay uncertain.