A Self-Portrait of a Leader Reflection

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I thoroughly enjoyed making glyphs and comparing the glyph I drew at the beginning of occupational therapy school with the one I drew towards the end of our didactic education.  Overall many characteristics of what I think defines a leader have not changed.  I still believe that leadership stems predominantly from nurture over nature.  I believe people can be equipped and trained to be leaders, and they are not necessarily born leaders.  I still believe that all OTs are leaders as well.  Occupational therapists lead their clients, occupational therapy assistants and technicians, and can be managers and hold leadership positions within their practice settings. 

The only aspect of my glyph that has changed over the course of OT school is my most recent glyph has a hat indicating that my approach to leadership has changed since the start of OT school.  While the foundational aspects of what I believe defines a leader have not changed, I have learned and grown in many ways over the past year-and-a-half.  I have learned about different treatments and interventions for clients presenting with various diagnoses, about ways we can advocate for our clients and speak on their behalf, about the role OTs can play in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams, and about the management positions and leadership positions they can have within organizations.  Occupational therapists are leader change agents, and I feel more prepared to be a servant leader to my future clients and in my future work setting because of what I have learned in my didactic education. 

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