Season 6 Episode 6: Leading Your Way: Growing into Leadership Without Losing Yourself

In this episode of OT Coaching Confidential, I'm joined by John, an occupational therapist who made the move from vocational rehabilitation in New Zealand to complex psychosocial NDIS practice in Australia, and who is now stepping into leadership as an OT team leader. 

After seven years as an occupational therapist and one year in a leadership role, John reflects on the transition from being a confident clinician to supporting others to grow. Together, we explore the challenge of teaching skills that have become second nature, balancing clinical work with leadership responsibilities, and discovering that authentic leadership isn't about becoming someone else, it's about becoming more intentional in how you lead.

We explore:

• Transitioning from clinician to team leader while continuing to grow clinically
• Why being an excellent OT doesn't automatically prepare you for leadership
• Helping therapists develop clinical reasoning by making your own thinking visible
• Time management, billable hours, and supporting sustainable ways of working
• Creating systems that improve report writing, supervision, and professional development
• Leading former peers while finding your own authentic leadership style
• Supporting staff wellbeing alongside quality clinical outcomes
• Continuing your own professional development while mentoring others

Key takeaways:

• Leadership is a separate professional skill that deserves intentional development
• The knowledge that feels instinctive to experienced clinicians often needs to be unpacked before it can be taught
• Authentic leadership creates stronger supervision relationships than trying to imitate someone else's style
• Time management and billable practice are professional skills that can be learned and supported
• Good supervision helps therapists understand why they make clinical decisions, not just what to do
• Sustainable leadership balances staff wellbeing, clinical quality, and organisational needs
• Professional growth doesn't stop when you become a leader, it simply shifts focus

Mentioned in this episode:

• Michelle Bihary's Reflective Supervision and Leadership Training
• Sarah's Billable Time Workshop (Verve OT Learning)
• The Reflective Competence Model (available in The OT Coach Resource Library)
• The OT Coach Professional Development Planning Resources

Brought to you by Alyce Svensk at The OT Coach Australia.

Supporting occupational therapists and allied health professionals to build confidence, clarity, and connection through mentoring, supervision, workshops, and The OT Coach Academy.

If this conversation resonated with you and you'd like support through supervision, leadership mentoring, reflective practice, or professional development, visit www.theotcoach.au to explore how The OT Coach Australia can support you.

The OT Coach Australia. Where therapists come to grow.