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LEADERSHIP REFLECTION/SELF-EVALUATION

Leadership Reflection/Self-Evaluation

Navjeet Lehal

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences

OTH 570: Professional Seminar

Dr. Jennifer Pitonyak, PhD, OTR/L, SCFES, CIMI

June 4th, 2024

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Leadership Reflection/Self-Evaluation

The IPE session that I am referring to is the Error Disclosure case scenario. In this

scenario there was a client who came to the ER after having complications due to an STI. She

did not know that she had it at the time, and the diagnosis got delayed because of negligence of

healthcare providers. She ended up having critical symptoms due to this misdiagnosis. The

awkward interprofessional communication that occurred during this IPE was figuring out how to

tell the client or a family member of the client how everything happened. We were not sure what

we could say after making such a big mistake, it affects the life of the client and everyone around

them. A big principle of leadership that applies in this situation is effective communication. The

error occurred because the healthcare team did not communicate properly before and once the

mistake had been made. They did not realize they incorrectly inputted the client’s number in

wrong. If the clinic supervisor had tried to reach the client by other means, since she didn’t

answer her cell, the situation could have been avoided altogether. This is also a place for better

directed collaboration. In this case, the clinic supervisor could have contacted another member of

the team and asked what they should do in this case. Instead they documented it and moved on.

If there was another person they could have gone to and taken guidance from, the situation

would be different. Sometimes the healthcare offices will have liaisons for these kinds of

reasons. Observation/analysis could also have been improved because if we noticed how the

client’s father was getting worked up, we could have started deescalating sooner. There was also

a fault in planning on the healthcare staffs side. They could have a plan in place if they are not

able to contact a client, but need to tell them of a diagnosis that they have. Having a plan in place
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to contact them or getting an emergency contact would have proved to be beneficial for the client

and for their health.

I think the theoretical perspective that resonates with me the most for guiding

professional, compassionate, and culturally sensitive inter- and intra-professional interactions is

the path-goal theory of leadership. There are four main types of leadership that go along with the

path-goal theory. The types include directive, supportive, participative, and achievement oriented

(Dunbar-Smalley & Winston, 2022). The directive approach consists of telling the professional

exactly what to do by giving them clear guidelines of what to do. The supportive approach

consists of being friendly and supportive and could mean thinking of each other as equals. The

participative approach consists of the professional being a part of big decisions in the work

environment. The achievement approach consists of setting high goals and providing challenges

for the professional. This theory of leadership is very beneficial for collaborative processes

because it encourages collaborative working relationships. Furthermore, it encourages positive

relationships between the professional and the organization. Having a positive relationship with

the organization increases motivation, effort, and a better work environment. This theory of

leadership also promotes satisfaction, abilities of professionals, provides guidance, and provides

resources. I believe satisfaction is a very important part of making a better working environment

for someone. To love what you do; you need to be satisfied with what you do.

The theoretical perspective that I would use for guiding effective client and population-

centered care in that IPE session is servant leadership. According to Dunbar-Smalley & Winston

(2022) the six key disciplines of servant leadership consist of placing value on people,

developing people by giving instances to grow, building community, displaying authenticity,

providing leadership, and finally by sharing leadership. In this situation, the mistake was all the
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professional’s fault. The client did everything they were meant to do, so I don’t think the other

theories apply. I think that we would need to nurture and empower them by telling them about

our mistake and making sure they get the proper care that they need. This would also be a good

lesson for self-advocacy, the client probably felt that something was wrong but didn’t act because

the professionals never got back to her. I would need to put the needs and interests of this clients

above my own.

I think I could have taken more of a leadership role in the Error Disclosure IPE than what

I ended up doing. I chose to be the person that started the talk with the client, in this case the

client’s father. I basically stated that we made a mistake and that we were sorry. I didn’t go into

detail very much. I got a little flustered and didn’t state everything that I wanted to state. The

client’s father seemed to get riled up and at this point, I didn’t know what to tell him. I stayed

quiet and let the others talk for me. I regret not speaking up as much as I should have. If I were to

take a leadership role in this IPE the next time, I would speak up. Even if I didn’t know exactly

what to say, I could still empathize with him. Having a support person and having someone to

validate his feelings would most likely make him feel better. I would want him to know it wasn’t

his fault or his daughter’s fault, it was all on us. I would put their needs and interests above my

own by applying servant leadership.

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References

Braveman, B. (2022). Leading & managing occupational therapy services an evidence-based

approach third edition. F.A. Davis.

Dunbar-Smalley, S., & Winston, K. (2022). An occupational perspective on leadership

theoretical and practical dimensions third edition. SLACK Incorporated.