Leadership Skills in Lactation: Make Extraordinary Things Happen

• Duration: 60 Mins
• Credits: 1 CERP, 1 L-CERP
• Learning Format: Webinar
• Handout: Yes
• Origin: GOLD Learning

Abstract:

Many of us come to work in breastfeeding envisioning a world where mothers and babies can breastfeed without barriers; however, we quickly learn that breastfeeding challenges go beyond latching and positioning.

To effectively support a breastfeeding/chestfeeding family, we have to support the parents, the extended family, the primary care provider, the workplace culture, the childcare, and the community; in summary, supporting one dyad can be an intervention to the whole social system. Indeed, breastfeeding advocacy is about building systems and consistently leading cultural changes to more deeply reinforce human feeding as the norm.

Kouzes and Posner (2012) state: “if you want to have a significant impact on people, on organizations, and oncommunities, you’d be wise to invest in learning the behaviors that enable you to become the very best leader you can.” With that in mind, lactation consultants and lactation advocates would benefit by learning leadership behaviors and skills that will support their efforts towards cultural change, inspire shared visions, challenge processes, becoming strategic advisors, and leading from the inside out.

Lactation leaders would benefit by being able to align values and beliefs with actions and strategies to promote breastfeeding as part of whole community development and as a public health strategy. In that way, lactation has a presence in early childhood initiatives, maternal and infant health, mental health programs, and any health, social, educational intervention. Want to normalize lactation? Join this interactive session and become the leader who can make extraordinary lactation things happen in your community.

Learning Objectives: