Remarks by
A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed.
Director
Center for Mental Health Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
State/Tribal Adolescents at Risk:
Suicide Prevention Grantees Meeting
December 14, 2006
Washington, D.C.
Attached is the text prepared for delivery; however, some material may have been added or omitted at the time of delivery.
At the closing of a session like this, it is customary to recognize the VIPs who attended this event. And so I will. Each of you—the Adolescents at Risk grantees…who have come here to this technical assistance meeting to focus on the prevention of suicide. Each of you is a Very Important Person. You are important because you understand that suicide is a public heath crisis that we must do something about…that it’s not a “tragic accident”…that it can’t be a “silent epidemic” any longer.
Earlier in the week, you heard Senator Gordon Smith’s tragic, yet all too familiar story about his son, Garrett. Even though many of you hear similar stories every day…or have survived these experiences in your own lives…there is still a great need to educate the public about suicide and its prevention. The facts of suicide…and suicide prevention…must be shared!
If you ask someone on the street about cancer… you will likely achieve an immediate agreement that it is a disease that must be cured. However, if you ask that same person about suicide—the reaction will be very different. The reality is that suicide is a public health crisis that is still greatly misunderstood and not accepted by the general public as something that we can prevent... and we must change that perception.
Collaboration and leadership are key in accomplishing this goal. Last year, 18 Federal partners completed a Federal Action Agenda to identify the first practical steps that will initiate this monumental change. The Action Agenda responds to the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health report, Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America. This report...the single most important document for the future of mental health care in America...is a clarion call from the highest levels of the national government to make suicide prevention in America an undisputed reality.
The Action Agenda proposed the full launch of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. This Alliance will oversee The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention of which many of you contributed to create a framework for suicide prevention for the Nation. It is designed to encourage and empower groups and individuals to work together.
The stronger and broader the support and collaboration on suicide prevention, the greater the chance for the success of this urgent public health initiative. Suicide and suicide behaviors can be reduced…as the general public gains more understanding about the extent to which suicide is a problem…about the ways that it can be prevented…and about the roles individuals and groups play in prevention efforts.
Yes, collaboration is the life blood of transformation. But suicide prevention, a key element of transformation, won’t happen without transformational leadership.
I ascribe to Robert Greenleaf’s servant leadership model—a practical philosophy built around the concept that true leaders are those who lead by serving others. A deep desire to serve others…a desire to serve a higher power…lies at the heart of my approach to leadership.
You are also leaders. You can empower others to become leaders. But you must identify and articulate your own leadership philosophy before you can guide and encourage others to exercise their potential for leadership. Ask yourself, “What are the qualities of leadership that resonate with who I am?” Then begin to act on these qualities. Take action to achieve your mission and to take care of those you seek to lead.
Anyone can exercise the principles of leadership. You don’t necessarily have to be in a position of authority to be a leader.
A transformational leader—one who is not satisfied with change around the edges—must be courageous enough to take risks and be resilient and resolute in pursuing their vision.
Having a VISION is an essential quality of a Transformational Leader. A vision provides a purpose to focus on a shared image for the future.
Another essential quality of a Transformational Leader is a COMMITMENT TO SOMETHING BIGGER THAN ONE’S SELF. My own belief is that true leadership emerges from a primary motivation to serve a higher purpose…a purpose of helping others find meaning in their lives…helping them find hope and connection to family and community.
Transformational Leaders are ACTION ORIENTED. Transformational leaders make things happen and motivate others to do so.
A Transformational Leader must be able to ENGAGE OTHER PEOPLE WHO CAN MOVE SYSTEMS. Leaders draw on the skills of many different people.
Transformational Leaders are committed to CONTINUOUS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT. Leaders read relevant literature, attend conferences, and talk to colleagues.
A Transformational Leader must have a strong belief in the POWER OF ONE. Now what do I mean by this?
Let me tell you a story that beautifully illustrates the POWER OF ONE.
John Woolman was an American Quaker who lived in the 1700s, when many Quakers were wealthy slave owners. He dedicated his adult life to eliminating slavery among his people.
Woolman spent more than 20 years visiting Quakers along the East Coast. He pursued his mission through the art of gentle persuasion. He did not criticize people, nor did he make them angry. He merely asked questions like, “What does it mean to be a moral person? What does it mean to own a slave?” Driven by his vision, he persisted, visiting farm after farm.
By 1770, a century before the Civil War, not one Quaker owned a slave. The Quakers were the first religious group to denounce and renounce slavery.
This story was told by Robert Greenleaf in Robert E. Quinn’s book Deep Change. Greenleaf further commented:
“One wonders what would have been the result if there had been fifty John Woolmans or even five, traveling the length and breadth of the Colonies in the 18 th century persuading people, one by one, with gentle non-judgmental argument that a wrong should be righted by individual voluntary action. Perhaps we would not have had the war with its 600,000 casualties…we know now, in the perspective of history that just a slight alleviation of the tension in the 1850s might have avoided the war. A few John Woolmans, just a few, might have made the difference.”
The Power of One is so important. We are counting on each and every one of you to go back and make the difference. You have the opportunity to make a dramatic impact on the systems that we have today. When you return to your communities and share your knowledge, thousands of others can benefit. But to do so, you must be prepared to lead.
I believe in the power of one… I believe in the Senator Gordon Smiths who can take a great personal loss and turn it into an act that benefits an entire nation… and I believe in each one of you.
Let me ask you: how many of you have had people ask you why you chose this particular field? How many times have people said to you— “Oh, isn’t this work too depressing and discouraging?”
I say, there is nothing discouraging about preventing the loss of even one more life to suicide.
Joan Holmes, the Executive Director of The Hunger Project said: We often think of heroes as extraordinary people with powers and abilities far beyond those of ordinary human beings. But when we really look, we discover that heroes are ordinary men and women who dare to see and meet the call of a possibility greater than themselves - people who despite their doubts and fears commit themselves to action; people who go beyond their limits in what they think is possible. Ordinary people - daring to be heroes - are the greatest expression of human potential.
Thank you for daring to take this on…for pushing beyond what may seem possible to meet the call for better suicide prevention strategies. Thank you for planning new pathways to transformation with yourselves as leaders. Thank you for committing yourselves to action to save lives in your communities and across this nation. Thank you for being a hero.
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