Leadership

At the beginning of OT school, we drew ourselves the way we view leadership according to these rules: 

Glyph Key for Drawing A Self-Portrait of a Leader

 

Face Shape: If you believe that leadership is an inborn trait, draw a triangle-shaped head.  If you think that leadership stems from nurture over nature, draw a square-shaped head.

Eyes: If you think the vast majority of OTs are leaders, make big circles for the eyes.  If you think there is a fairly equal mixture of leaders and non-leaders in the field of OT, draw small circles for the eyes.  Fill in the pupils.  Add glasses if you feel that you have had more experience in leadership roles than most other people your age at this point in life.

Eyelashes: Draw one eyelash on each of the eyes for each of the five themes you can name based on your personal Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment from earlier in the curriculum.

Eyebrows: If you like to take the role of the leader in an out-in-front way, make curved eyebrows.  If your leadership style is more behind the scenes, make pointy eyebrows.

Nose: Draw a triangle nose if you think that seeing yourself as a leader is necessary to being a leader.  Draw a rounded nose if you believe that a person can be a leader without seeing himself or herself as a leader.

Skin:  Add a freckle anywhere on the skin of the face if you believe that self-awareness is vital to effective leadership.  Leave the skin clear if you don’t think it’s an essential trait.

Mouth: Draw a smiling mouth if you can think of at least one leader who has had a positive impact on you.  Draw a frown if you can’t think of a good example of a leader.

Ears: Draw round ears if you think technology is an important part of effective leadership in many situations. Draw pointy ears if don’t think so.

Hair: Draw the hair based on a continuum, based on your personal viewpoint in two areas:

What’s more important in leadership:             Curly hair  <------------------------->  Straight hair 

          creativity or organization?                  Creativity  <-------------------------->  Organization

                        AND

Can an introvert be an effective leader?         Short hair <-------------------------> Long hair

                                                                           No way  <------ I’m unsure -----> Definitely yes

Accessories: Add at least one accessory (example: a piece of jewelry) if you see yourself as a leader.  Add a hat if the way you think about or approach leadership has changed as a result of what you have learned since beginning in OT school.

Finishing Touch: Label your paper with your name, writing in cursive if you have a written plan or goal about to serving in leadership roles in the future; write in print if you do not yet have a written plan.

 

Roughly 2 years later, we were asked to draw ourselves again according to the same rules:

After looking back at my first drawing, my perspective on leadership has not changed much. For the face shape, I was torn between the two shapes. I feel like leadership is a mixture of an inborn trait and nurture. I feel like some individuals are born with a more leadership personality compared to other individuals. However, I think that leadership skills can be nurtured and developed overtime. 

I only know a handful of occupational therapists, but all the ones I know show exceptional leadership qualities. Personally, I have not held that many leadership roles, but I think I tend to be more of a "behind the scenes" kind of person, especially when there are other people who want to be a more "out-in-front" leader. This has definitely changed since starting occupational therapy (OT) school. Before OT school,  most of my peers were not trying to get into graduate school, so they did not have the "drive" to work hard in most situations. Therefore, I tended to take the leadership role in many group projects in undergrad. However, since starting OT school, I am surrounded by like-minded peers, so I have learned to step back a little from being "front and center." This has really helped me grow as a future healthcare practitioner by teaching me to adapt to group dynamics. 

As for the nose, skin, mouth, ears, hair, and accessories, I view leadership the same as my previous drawing. Leadership entails various qualities, and I think it can change person to person and group to group. Some people/groups do better with a more dominant leader, and some people/groups do better with a more flexible leader. As a leader, it is very important to be aware of the group dynamics and adapt accordingly to be successful.