Shared Leadership in Action: Lessons from the Frontlines of Resilience

When wildfires ripped through Northern California in 2020, the blaze didn’t just test emergency systems- it tested relationships, trust, and humanity itself. In the midst of chaos, something remarkable emerged: a seamless collaboration among public health teams, mental health providers, and community advocates that turned reactive aid into proactive care. This story isn’t just about surviving disaster- it’s about transforming how we prepare for, respond to, and heal from crisis by centering trust, humility, and shared leadership. In a world where “resilience” has become a buzzword, what does it truly look like when communities live it out?

In the summer of 2020, following a series of devastating wildfires in Northern California, I witnessed firsthand how an integrated response across sectors preserved lives and restored dignity to displaced residents. As evacuation orders were issued, our local health department activated its emergency response protocol in tandem with the county’s behavioral health unit, emergency services, and grassroots organizers. Temporary shelters were established not only with food and basic medical care, but also with embedded mental health counselors and culturally competent community liaisons. These teams worked side by side, ensuring that evacuees received support tailored to their lived experiences.

One moment that stays with me is the case of a Salvadoran family of five who had narrowly escaped the fires. Disoriented and traumatized, they arrived at the shelter late at night. Thanks to a trusted community health worker fluent in Spanish and trained in trauma-informed care, the family received immediate emotional support. The worker coordinated with a bilingual behavioral health specialist, who began a crisis intervention session within hours. This responsiveness was only possible because of pre-established mutual aid agreements and cross-sector training sessions held months before the disaster. That preparation transformed what could have been a chaotic response into a model of compassionate coordination.

Building Trust Through Consistent Engagement

Trust does not develop during a crisis; it is built through consistent, visible engagement long before emergencies arise. In my experience, embedding public health staff into community events, cultural festivals, and faith-based initiatives helps normalize their presence and opens channels of communication. These informal interactions create opportunities for residents to share concerns, provide feedback, and establish relationships that prove invaluable when crisis strikes. Community advisory boards, especially those composed of residents from marginalized neighborhoods, can serve as bridges between institutions and the people they are meant to serve.

For example, our department’s collaboration with a local immigrant advocacy group led to the creation of a multilingual health equity task force. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this task force played a pivotal role in distributing accurate information, countering misinformation, and facilitating vaccine access. Trust was not assumed; it was earned through transparency, humility, and shared problem-solving. As the CDC has noted, community engagement strategies that prioritize trust and equity result in better outcomes during public health emergencies (CDC 2021)¹.

Fostering Shared Leadership in Complex Systems

Shared leadership requires more than inviting stakeholders to a table—it demands that we collectively define the table’s purpose, who sits at it, and how decisions are made. In public health and mental wellness work, this means recognizing that community leaders, faith-based organizations, and youth advocates hold expertise equal to that of clinicians and government officials. In one initiative addressing youth suicide prevention, we co-developed a peer mentorship program with local high school students. Rather than imposing a top-down curriculum, we provided facilitation and resources, allowing students to shape the content based on what resonated with their peers.

Power sharing also involves adjusting institutional practices to be more inclusive. For example, our behavioral health board revised its bylaws to include seats for individuals with lived experience of homelessness and substance use. Their presence has shifted both the tone and the direction of policymaking. This approach aligns with the findings of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which emphasizes that partnerships rooted in mutual respect and shared responsibility yield more sustainable mental wellness outcomes (SAMHSA 2019)².

Learning from Community Wisdom and Lived Experience

Resilience is not a static trait of individuals or systems; it is a dynamic process shaped by context, relationships, and meaning-making. Some of the most effective solutions I’ve seen have emerged not from academic research or professional expertise, but from the lived experiences of community members. During a series of community listening sessions focused on post-COVID recovery, residents of a historically redlined neighborhood proposed the creation of a community wellness hub that integrated public health services, peer support, and economic resources. Their vision challenged us to rethink our siloed approach to service delivery.

Implementing their idea required uncomfortable conversations about funding priorities, jurisdictional boundaries, and the role of government in reparative justice. But by centering community voices, we were able to design a pilot program that responded to local needs with dignity and relevance. This experience mirrors growing evidence that participatory governance models enhance both trust and effectiveness in health interventions (Wallerstein et al. 2017)³. As practitioners, we must be willing to listen, adapt, and sometimes relinquish control to those most affected by our decisions.

Practicing Humility and Collective Problem-Solving

One of the hardest but most rewarding lessons I’ve learned is that resilience requires humility. During a recent mental health outreach campaign targeting unhoused populations, our initial materials were met with skepticism and distrust. Instead of doubling down, we paused to consult with street outreach workers and people with lived experience. Their feedback led to a complete redesign of our messaging and delivery methods. What began as a top-down initiative became a collaborative process that ultimately reached more people than we had anticipated.

Collective problem-solving also means acknowledging when we don’t have all the answers. In our work addressing the mental health consequences of climate change-related displacement, we have relied heavily on interdisciplinary teams that include climate scientists, urban planners, behavioral health clinicians, and community elder councils. Each brings a unique perspective, and together we can identify both risks and locally relevant adaptive strategies. This approach reflects findings from the National Academy of Medicine, which highlights the value of multisector collaborations in addressing complex social determinants of mental wellness (NAM 2022)⁴.

Deepening Our Understanding of Resilience

Resilience, as I’ve come to understand it, is less about bouncing back and more about bending without breaking—about adaptation, connection, and meaning-making. In both my professional and personal life, I’ve seen how adversity can surface strengths we might not have otherwise recognized. But this only happens when we are willing to show up, listen deeply, and share power. Municipal governments have a unique opportunity to model this kind of leadership by embedding equity, participation, and care into every facet of their operations.

Ultimately, the strength of a community lies in the relationships that bind it together. Public health professionals, mental wellness advocates, emergency responders, and grassroots leaders must move beyond coordination into true collaboration—where goals are shared, risk is distributed, and success is collectively defined. When we do this, we are not just responding to crisis; we are building the foundation for communities that can thrive in the face of whatever comes next.

Bibliography

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2021. Building Trust in and Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Communications and Services. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/downloads/toolkits/community-organization-toolkit.pdf

2. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. 2019. Guidance for Building Peer-Informed Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Guidance-for-Building-Peer-Informed-Recovery-Oriented-Systems-of-Care/PEP19-RECROSC

3. Wallerstein, Nina, Bonnie Duran, John G. Oetzel, and Meredith Minkler. 2017. Community-Based Participatory Research for Health: Advancing Social and Health Equity. 3rd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

4. National Academy of Medicine. 2022. Achieving Whole Health: A New Approach for Veterans and the Nation. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://nam.edu/achieving-whole-health