Planetary health leadership: essential personal characteristics for addressing the planetary crisis

The climate crisis presents a defining challenge for our generation, demanding leaders who can navigate the complexities of planetary health on an ailing planet while inspiring meaningful action across diverse sectors from public health to industry to government. Effective planetary health leadership requires a unique blend of attributes to identify and address the structural causes driving planetary crises, foster interdisciplinary collaboration and overcome the resistance that often accompanies transformative change. The authors represent the perspectives of three leaders in planetary health: CS, the medical director of a global planetary health education organisation, LP, the executive director of a national organisation which represents planetary health interests of >56 medical societies, and LC who chairs two committees under LP and works with CS. The ideas presented in this article result from several collaborative and iterative discussions among the authors who have worked together on prior projects. No patients were involved. Through this process, we identified seven key skills important in planetary health leadership. Resilience, emotional intelligence, creativity, interdisciplinary fluency, effective communication skills, lifelong learning, an unwavering commitment to equity and boldness are critical traits for leaders seeking to make a difference in this space. These seven attributes are for some innate but can and should also be cultivated among those aspiring to planetary health leadership. While no single individual can completely master all these qualities, and each of us is on a journey of growth and self-actualisation, this non-exhaustive list highlights key attributes that can foster the development of effective planetary health leaders. Next steps involve creating training programmes to foster the development of these important qualities.