By Katie Cronin
Recently, I had the unique opportunity to spend a week with sports students who were exploring the concept of leadership within their field. This experience prompted me to reflect deeply on my own leadership style and its impact on my professional practice both as an educator and clinician.
The Intersection of Leadership and Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy inherently requires a blend of technical expertise and interpersonal skills. Whether working in clinical settings, research, or education, physiotherapists are often in roles that require leadership. Leadership, in this context, is not just about directing others—it’s about motivating, educating, and inspiring patients and colleagues to achieve shared goals.
Observing sports students delve into leadership allowed me to recognize the parallels between their journey and mine. Just as a coach leads a team to victory, physiotherapists lead patients toward recovery, and this journey is marked by challenges that require a proactive and adaptable approach.
Key Leadership Insights from the Week
As an educator, it’s easy to focus on the role of imparting knowledge, but some of the most profound learning opportunities come from engaging with students. Their fresh perspectives, curiosity, and unique approaches to problem-solving can challenge my own assumptions and encourage me to think differently. Observing how students adapt to challenges or collaborate with peers can inspire me to refine my own skills, whether in leadership, communication, or technical practice. By fostering a two-way exchange of ideas, I not only enrich their learning experience but also enhance my own growth as a professional and mentor.
Applying Leadership Lessons to Physiotherapy
Spending time with sports students illuminated the importance of nurturing leadership skills in my professional practice whilst having fun in the process. Here are a few ways I plan to integrate these insights:
- Fostering Empowerment: Just as in sport leaders empower their team, I aim to further empower my students through their own professional journey. This includes setting realistic goals together and enjoying the process by celebrating milestones along the way.
- Enhancing Team Dynamics: Observing students work in teams highlighted the power of collaboration. I intend to strengthen my role as a team player and advocate for even more interprofessional learning opportunities across disciplines
- Commitment to Lifelong Learning: Leadership is not static. Engaging with others, such as the sports students, reinforces the need for continual growth and learning.
- Observing through alternative lenses: All too often we can become ‘fixed’ in how we observe our own practice, viewing it only through our own lens. Spending time with the students helped me to look at my own professional journey from a totally different perspective, allowing me to appreciate how I had evolved as a practitioner.
Final Thoughts
Leadership in both education and clinical practice extends far beyond managing teams or directing others; it’s about inspiring trust, facilitating growth, and adapting to challenges. My week with the students served as a poignant reminder that leadership is a skill we must consciously develop and refine throughout our careers. By embracing a reflective mindset and integrating lessons from others, we can become more effective leaders—not just for our colleagues, but for the patients and students who trust us with their care and development.
K.Cronin@bham.ac.uk