LEADERSHIP REFLECTION/SELF-EVALUATION 1

Leadership reflection /Self-evaluation

Austin Walker

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences

OTH 570: Professional Seminar II

Dr. Jennifer Pitonyak DrOT

June 4, 2024
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The IPE: Root cause analysis and error disclosure workshop was a collaborative event to

communicate an error that occurred from the provider to the patient and their family. We

identified potential root causes of this error and gathered all appropriate information for analysis.

This specific scenario consisted of a 21yr old female who had been to the emergency room due

to vaginal bleeding. She went to her OBGYN for a blood transfusion, an injection and chlamydia

test. Insufficient communication between the provider and the patient about the positive

chlamydia test resulted in further infection. The interprofessional team I worked with has

difficulty choosing a leader to guide this discussion with the participant and their family. I

volunteered to be leader and discussed the error using the evidence we found as a team. I also

needed to be adaptable due to conflicting information given and what the participant was telling

me. I found this workshop disconcerting because of who I thought should be leading this specific

scenario. My opinion was that the doctor or physician should be disclosing this error with the

participant, not necessarily the occupational therapist. I also believe that when an error is made,

whoever made that error should be the one communicating with the participant/family. Errors

facilitate improvements in our professional and personal lives (Dunbar-Smalley & Winston,

2022). Some positives from this interprofessional team experience was our strategic planning

and use of evidence to outline what we wanted to relay or ask the participant about the error. We

were accountable for our errors, used honesty and transparent communication with the

participant, and focused on our ethics as practitioners for this scenario. Two principles I will

change if this event reoccurred are directed collaboration and advocacy about who should be

involved with intra-communication and discussing the concept of errors in organizations and

how they illuminate the problems needed to be improved on with the organization and team.
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The path-goal theory emphasizes the accomplishment of the followers’ goals through

motivational efforts from the leader (Dunbar-Smalley & Winston, 2022). These supervisory

leadership behaviors from this theory include directive, supportive, participative, and

achievement oriented. I like the organization of this theory which resonates with the occupational

therapy model of person environment and occupation (PEO). But I do find it difficult to choose

just one path to follow to be an effective leader. My opinion on the personal characteristic

development of a leader is to take all the good qualities from different positive leaders and

combine those with the good qualities/ideology from different theories. Situational leadership

theory identifies the task to relationship behaviors as directing, coaching, supporting, and

delegating. The strategic leadership coaching behavior is high task to high relationship.

Combining the personal factors of adaptability, positivism, discovery, planning, cultural

responsiveness, inclusion, and reflective practice are all key to be an effective leader. There are

overarching qualities that make an effective leader that people want to follow. A leader has lived

experiences, asks questions, actively listens and uses the qualities discussed to lead a team,

participants and attempts to be a change agent.

The key theoretical perspectives that resonated with me in relation to the IPE experience

was cultural responsiveness, situational leadership by being reactive, and servant leadership by

valuing people and building a safe community. During the scenario I learned to value the person

their perspective on this lived experience. Making sure I have empathy and effectively

communicate intra-professionally with the participant and their emotions with this lived

experience. I learned to react to the information given to me from the participant that was not the

same information discovered on our end. By serving others first, believing in them, trusting them

and listening to them it creates a safe space that unlocks potential for collaboration and potential.
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These concepts and characteristics are important to the role of occupational therapy, because they

align with the one of the cornerstones for best practice which is therapeutic use of self.

After the event I had the opportunity to reflect on the definition of roles. Roles are the

expected behaviors shaped by culture which are an aspect of an individual or group occupational

identity (AOTA, 2020). I perceived my role as a supportive one in this scenario and did not take

into consideration how the other members of the group may have perceived their roles. By using

effective communication during the planning portion of the experience we may have been able to

better define our specific roles and expectations as the interprofessional team. Something else I

learned from this experience is the continued learning and fluidity of the leadership role. In

occupational therapy practice, we have a client-centered focus for creating goals and

interventions. By blending the same principles of practice into our personal lives, community

and interprofessional team we can use these contexts to guide what leader we need to be for each

setting. Identifying the needs for each individual or group and then adapting as a leader to those

needs can create a successful environment for the population you serve. This will take time, but

with practice can make for an effective leader to potentially promote change.
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References

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational therapy practice framework:

Domain and process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2),

Article 7412410010. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001

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

approach. (3rd ed.). F.A Davis.