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Investing in Leaders to Strengthen and Evolve Crisis Response Systems

Aaron Foster
VP – Peer & Crisis Program Development & Training – Recovery Innovations

Contributor: Dr. Helen Littrell, former Chief Clinical Officer – Behavioral Health Link

Brent had spent the last year building a team he trusted and admired. He was always the first to mentor new employees, stay late to guide a struggling staff member, or troubleshoot a difficult case. Yet amid supporting everyone else’s growth, he rarely paused to reflect on his own. Trainings went unattended, new leadership strategies were left unexplored, and opportunities to stretch his own skills were quietly set aside. Over time, the crisis system around him began to shift, and Brent realized that while he had been lifting others, his own development had fallen behind, leaving both him and the system less prepared for the challenges ahead. 
Often leaders feel that they must prioritize others’ learning, rather than their own, prioritizing short term needs over long-term vision. It is crucial that the system helps prioritize leadership’s ongoing growth and development to better the support provided to all direct reports and the system at large.  
In this deep-dive, you’ll discover: 
  • The leadership gaps in crisis care continuum organizations that are impacting retention and staff engagement;
  • Skills needed for today’s crisis leadersto best support their workforce; How to support goal setting for staff at all levels to build buy-in for organizational and personal growth;
  • How to build funding to support leadership investment;
  • Results of investing in coaching and mentorship programs; and
  • Results of investing in leadership training programs.

The Crisis Care Leadership Challenge

Leadership gaps within crisis care continuum organizations often have a ripple effect on staff retention and engagement. When leaders lack consistent training, fail to model self-care, or do not prioritize professional development (both for themselves and their teams) staff can feel unsupported, or uncertain about expectations. In fast-paced, high-stakes environments like crisis lines, mobile crisis units, or crisis receiving facilities, unclear communication and inconsistent decision-making amplify stress and burnout. Without strong, adaptive leadership to guide and empower teams, even highly skilled staff may disengage or leave, undermining the stability and effectiveness of the entire crisis system.  
More than one third of employees leave 988 centers within months of taking their first call.
While funding for crisis lines has increased, the focus has been on increasing front-line capacity to respond to crises in a timely manner and not in leadership development. For crisis lines Vibrant, the national administrator for 988, has provided several training resources and onboarding guidance for frontline crisis staff, but there continues to be a lack of support for people in leadership in the crisis care continuum. At CrisisCon 2025, the national annual conference for the crisis care continuum, the demand for guidance on supervision, leadership, and retention was clear. Of the more than 1,000 attendees, over 200 people RSVPed for each breakout session covering these topics, demonstrating that more than a fifth of participants prioritized learning strategies to strengthen leadership and support staff. 

The Crisis Care Leadership Solution

High-functioning crisis care systems do more than respond — they are built on leadership that anticipates challenges, empowers staff, and guides teams through complexity with clarity, compassion, and competence. A leadership solution for crisis care must prioritize people, culture, and capability as core pillars of system strength. It must go beyond compliance or task-execution to focus on developing leaders at every level who can build resilient teams, foster innovation, and sustain continuous improvement in high-pressure environments.
The Crisis Care Leadership Solution centers on four strategic areas: goal-driven leadership, coaching and mentorship, leadership training, and funded infrastructure for ongoing development. Each area contributes to an ecosystem where individuals feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow — and where teams work together with purpose and alignment to mission.
How to support goal setting for staff at all levels to build buy-in for organizational and personal growth.
One of the most underutilized leadership tools in the crisis care continuum is structured, values-aligned goal setting. When done well, goal setting is not a compliance exercise, it is a shared process that helps staff see how their work, growth, and aspirations connect to the mission of the organization and the people it serves.
Buy-in happens when goals feel meaningful, achievable, and supported. Staff at all levels are more likely to engage when goals are co-created rather than assigned, revisited regularly rather than filed away, and framed as opportunities for development rather than measures of deficiency. In high-stress environments like crisis lines and mobile crisis teams, this clarity and shared ownership can be a powerful buffer against burnout and disengagement.
  • Start with alignment, not output
    Effective goal setting begins with alignment to organizational values and system priorities. Leaders should articulate how individual and team goals support broader outcomes such as quality of care, retention, equity, and sustainability.
  • Normalize goal setting as an ongoing conversation
    Rather than annual check-ins, embed goals into monthly or quarterly supervisory conversations so priorities can adapt to real-time needs and work remains relevant.
  • Support leaders in coaching, not tracking
    Supervisors should function as coaches, helping staff break goals into achievable steps and remove barriers.
  • Recognize that growth looks different at different levels
    Frontline staff may focus on skill mastery; supervisors on team cohesion; senior leaders on strategic innovation. Goal setting should be flexible enough to honor these differences.
How to build funding to support leadership investment.
Leadership development cannot be an afterthought. It must be budgeted, resourced, and protected like any other strategic capability. Organizations can unlock funding for leadership investment through multiple pathways:
  • Embed development into core operating budgets
    Rather than short-term grants or discretionary funds, leadership training and coaching programs should have line-item status in annual budgets to ensure continuity and stability.
  • Leverage external grants with aligned priorities
    Many workforce, equity, and system-improvement grants now explicitly fund leadership capacity building (e.g., HRSA, SAMHSA, workforce development grants). Framing leadership development as foundational to workforce retention and service quality strengthens proposals.
  • Partner with academic and training institutions
    Collaborations with universities, public health schools, or professional development consortia can create lower-cost or subsidized access to quality leadership coursework, certifications, and coaching support.
  • Demonstrate ROI to internal stakeholders
    Quantifying the impact of leadership investment — e.g., turnover reductions, fewer adverse events, improved performance metrics — builds the business case for multi-year funding commitments (see Proof Points below for examples). Outlining expected returns helps secure buy-in from finance and executive leadership.

Results of investing in leadership, coaching, and mentorship programs

Research in the broader leadership development literature shows that investment in leadership training can generate strong returns. Multiple studies have found that leadership training delivers measurable financial return on investment, with organizations reporting up to 7 dollars returned for every 1 dollar invested through increased retention, productivity, and performance improvements. 
Executive and employee coaching, a core component of many leadership programs, has also shown significant ROI. According to the International Coach Federation (ICF), companies that invest in coaching report average returns of about 7 times the initial investment, driven by gains in performance, retention, and engagement.

Goal Driven Leadership to Support Employee Growth

To implement goal-driven leadership:
• Integrate goal setting into regular supervision cycles (e.g., monthly check-ins).
• Use collaborative goal frameworks that tie individual goals to organizational priorities.
• Provide tools and templates (e.g., SMART goals, development plans) that standardize the process without being prescriptive.
• Train supervisors in coaching skills to support staff progress, overcome barriers, and celebrate wins.
Coaching and Mentoring Programs
• Launch structured coaching programs tied to role tiers (frontline, mid-management, senior).
• Pair newer leaders with experienced mentors, with clear expectations and accountability.
• Establish metrics (e.g., engagement scores, retention metrics, performance targets) to assess impact.
• Provide training for mentors and coaches to ensure quality and consistency.
Leadership Training Programs
• Offer tiered learning opportunities (e.g., emerging leader workshops, advanced strategic leadership cohorts).
• Partner with universities or professional providers for accredited programs.
• Allocate protected time for leaders to participate in training without operational penalty.
• Use blended modalities (virtual, in-person, peer learning) to increase accessibility and retention.
Funding for Leadership Development
• Include leadership development in operating budgets to sustain multi-year programs.
• Pursue workforce, system innovation, and quality improvement grants that fund capacity building.
• Collect and share outcome data to strengthen future funding proposals and renewals.

Future of Crisis Care Leadership

The future of crisis care leadership transcends traditional hierarchies and outdated notions of leadership as position-based authority. Rather, it envisions leadership as a pervasive, lived practice — one that empowers every staff member to influence outcomes, solve problems creatively, and contribute to sustainable system improvement.
In this future:
Leadership development is normalized as an ongoing journey, not a one-time event.
• Organizations invest in people at every level recognizing that supportive, capable leaders are critical to retention, quality, and resilience.
• Data and measurement guide decision-making, demonstrating demonstrable returns for investment in coaching, mentorship, and training.
• A culture of shared purpose takes precedence over silos, enabling adaptive responses in crisis care delivery.
By reimagining leadership as continuous growth rather than fixed status, crisis systems can build stronger teams, more equitable cultures, and better outcomes for the communities they serve.

Resources

• SAMHSA National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care
• Vibrant Emotional Health – 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Resources
• International Coaching Federation (ICF) – Coaching ROI Research

About the Author

Aaron Foster is the Vice President of Peer and Crisis Program Development and Training at RI International. He is a Licensed Associate Counselor and Certified Recovery Support Specialist, and a national advocate for the integration of peer support within behavioral health systems. Aaron collaborates with institutions of higher education on workforce development research and is a co-author of the competencies chapter in Best Practices in Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 2nd Edition. He consults nationally on peer support and recovery education across integrated health systems in the United States and Australia.

Ready to Invest in Leadership that Sustains Crisis Care?

Every crisis system faces unique workforce challenges and opportunities. Five Lanes partners with crisis lines, mobile crisis teams, and behavioral health organizations to strengthen leadership capacity, support staff growth, and build resilient systems that last.
Contact us today to explore how intentional leadership investment can improve retention, engagement, and outcomes across your crisis care continuum.

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