And the Leadership Seed was Planted!!!

A journey from physiotherapist to NHS leader, fueled by coaching, networking, and advocacy. From CSP roles to national motions, this inspiring story o

Hello, welcome to my Leadership Journey blog.

I am currently in a Senior Leadership role within the NHS. I am an HCPC registered Physiotherapist with extensive experience in acute, community, social enterprise, and private sector. I have been working as a Senior Physiotherapist for 10+ years in the UK.

Allow me to take you back to the very beginning of the planting of this leadership seed. I acquired the position of Vice-Chair for the Regional Network of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). Raising the profile of physiotherapists within the UK health professions environment was my primary responsibility while working with the CSP regional network. At one of the CSP conferences in 2014, I attended a talk by Karen Middleton, the Chief Executive of CSP, which started my journey and served as an important precursor to my leadership journey. Karen’s talk was incredibly motivating. After reflecting following Karen’s speech, I realized that she had been successful in transforming my perspective. Her drive, support, and desire to advance physiotherapists into senior positions within the NHS nearly spread to everybody in the conference. That was the day I vowed to take on a leadership role and serve as an example for others. I began searching for positions to which I might apply. My profile wasn’t ready for the positions I was looking for because I was an amateur. I had no idea what positions were available or what my area of interest was. What actionable step may I take?

I began networking and looking up the profiles of accomplished NHS senior directors and experienced clinicians that struck my curiosity. To be honest, it was difficult for a physiotherapist with international training to relocate to a new country and begin networking. Up until recently, I believed myself to be an introvert. However, my Myer-Briggs and Insights assessments showed that I am an extrovert. I attribute all of this to my networking and the amazing people I met along the way. You won’t believe it, but I also happened to stumble across with a fellow physiotherapist who was seeking a coachee and wanted to become a professional coach. Indeed, you guessed it right. How could I have overlooked that chance?

I spent about 8–12 sessions with my coach. So, those who are unaware of what a coach does? A coach is someone who strategically questions you to help you find the solutions you need. In fact, there is a difference between a mentor and a coach. A mentor is an individual who provides guidance and support to another by sharing their knowledge, abilities, and/or experiences. A coach is a person who helps an individual realise their full potential by offering advice on their goals.

The coaching sessions assisted me in determining what I desired. What kinds of management and leadership positions I wished to pursue. Furthermore, my coach covered the fundamentals of where I should search for jobs. During my coaching sessions, I also had the chance to present a CSP webinar session. That, in my opinion, was the ideal way to begin sharpening my communication skills, particularly in the increasingly digital age that we live in. My coaching sessions gave me a plan on how to build up the necessary skills while continuing in my job as a physiotherapist.

My experience with CSP was fascinating. I was introduced to a whole new community of physiotherapists who were fantastic supporters, thinkers, motivators, and promoters. It’s easier said than done, but I can still distinctly recall some senior CSP officials saying something like, “If you want to be a leader, don’t ask for permission, just ask for forgiveness afterwards.” I must admit that I’m still working on it.

I began networking and approaching leaders of NHS commissioning and other professions for invited talks through my regional network. I also volunteered the opportunity to learn about a brand-new falls commissioning tool that CSP developed to highlight the importance of physical therapy and its role in preventing falls. How often do you, as a front-line physiotherapist, consider the financial viability of the services we provide? For me, that was an insightful takeaway. I even had the opportunity to write an article for the CSP magazine on my experiences from the event.

Have you heard of an ‘Elevator Pitch’? Exactly, I get you. I had never heard of this before. Basically, imagine yourself in an elevator/ lift. So, an elevator pitch is a brief (think 30 seconds!) way of introducing yourself, getting across a key point or two, and building rapport. It’s called an elevator pitch because it takes roughly the amount of time, you’d spend riding an elevator with someone. So, my dear Physios, this is the time you can talk about Physiotherapy and its benefits not only clinically but also financially with your commissioners and/or Service leads.

Finally, I’d like to share my leadership success story to wrap up this blog. At the CSP Annual Representatives Conference (CSP ARC), I made a motion titled “Pressure Ulcer: Expectations from Physiotherapists.” The motion received approval from the conference. This was the first time I led and represented my region nationally. I hadn’t realised that within my current role as a physiotherapist, I had already begun my leadership journey. I realised my own potential about my leadership skills. This was the start of the unstoppable journey!

For those who haven’t heard of ARC, you must experience it at least once to understand the purpose. It looks like the MPs putting forward their proposals in the Parliament and other MPs get to vote on your proposal. So, you literally have a few minutes to say what you want to say and then answer some follow up questions.