As May rolls our way, a new cohort of fresh-faced and starry eyed clinicians enter the workforce. Whether you are a clinician preparing for your very first day of licensed practice, or a clinician getting ready for your 1000th Monday, it is never a bad time to think about what you can do to take a leap into leadership.
But ARC Seminars, I don’t want to be a Manager!
Worry not, fellow clinician. Leadership and management are not synonymous! Not everyone is interested in management, and that is more than fair. Managers have to really focus on the day-to-day, goal achievement, key productivity indicators and order. Leaders, however, inspire others, motivate others, serve as a safe place for ideas and healthy conflict and really get to live in the “big picture.” Good leaders are able to use their social capital to influence change, achieve goals, shift cultures and encourage movement. 
Social capital is something leaders often gain naturally, but can be purposeful! People tend to view those with high levels of professional competence, strong emotional intelligence, and great communication skills as leaders. Sound like you?
Okay, I sound like a leader for sure. But what is Healthy Conflict?
We can all agree, conflict can be really uncomfortable. But, healthy conflict is a key part of any good team. As new grads enter the workforce, there is bound to be conflict as the team dynamic naturally needs to reconfigure. As a leader, you can make this healthy conflict by encouraging seasoned clinicians to embrace good change, and new clinicians to embrace wisened methods. Change the culture of “criticism equals judgment” to “criticism improves my skills” and watch how quickly your team develops a strong, healthy bond!
& What do new grads have to do with leadership?
ARC Seminars may be a little biased in that we love students, and love to watch them blossom into new clinicians. We are an education company, after all! But beyond that, we want to encourage you to embrace the possibility of becoming a mentor to new peers. For our OT friends, AOTA’s Mindful Path to Leadership Foundational Badging program really stresses the importance of mentor/menteeship and professional growth (plus, you can get CE through NBCOT!) A mentee can be a great opportunity to self-reflect on your own practices, potentially improve skill sets you haven’t utilized in a while and gain new perspective! APTA has best guides for mentorship. Also of interest, APTA has great resources for leadership development including the LAMP curriculum. For our SLP buds, ASHA has a leadership development program & leadership academy!
I’m ready to take the leadership leap. What’s next?
We love that for you. We suggest taking a good look at what your professional goals are, and how those might look now that you’re being leadership-forward. 
We love this professional development plan outlined on Indeed (and have done it ourselves too!). Talk with someone you view as a leader professionally–how can you emulate the traits you admire? Identify at least one challenge you can take on within the next half year, and make it big! Join a new club or community–our CBIS Journal club is a great place to start! And most importantly, just leap!
Spenser Bassett graduated from the University of Findlay with her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy in 2022. She currently works in subacute & LTC, and is ARC Seminars’ Associate & Social Media Developer. Spenser is passionate about promoting diversity in rehab spaces & empowering rehab professionals to succeed beyond classroom walls.
Spenser Bassett graduated from the University of Findlay with her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy in 2022. She currently works in subacute & LTC, and is ARC Seminars’ Associate & Social Media Developer. Spenser is passionate about promoting diversity in rehab spaces & empowering rehab professionals to succeed beyond classroom walls.
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