Learn to Lead: A Review of Leadership in Speech-Language Pathology
Author: Ainsley Martin, MS, CCC-SLP
Book Details
Title: Leadership in Speech-Language Pathology
Authors: Linda S. Carozza
Publisher: Plural Publishing Copyright: 2019
Cost: $59.95, https://www.pluralpublishing.com/publications/leadership-in-speech-language-pathology
Chapters/Pages: 10 chapters, 249 pages
Subject: An overview of the leadership in SLP including management, supervision, best leadership practices, and mentorship.
Applicable For: SLPs who currently serve in leadership positions, CFY, graduate student, or SLPA supervisors, and SLPs who hope to serve in leadership positions.
Content: The chapters in this book detail information specific to qualities of effective leadership, positions in which SLPs may serve in leadership roles, negotiation, politics, and power associated with leadership, potential problems and conflicts that may confront a leader, problem-solving strategies, establishing a healthy culture of leadership, and mentoring emerging leaders.
Image by Daniela Carvalho Dani from Pixabay
Chapter 1: Why Study Leadership?
Reflecting back on my time as a graduate student, my program never offered a course on leadership or prepared us to take leadership roles in our medical or school-based settings. It was expected that those of us in the medical settings such as hospitals or skilled nursing facilities (SNF) would likely have a rehabilitation director who was a physical therapist (PT) or maybe an occupational therapist (OT). Unfortunately, this is a fairly common experience for SLP graduate programs. Despite this, the field of SLP continues to grow and expand, increasing opportunities for SLPs to serve in leadership positions. With little formal training in leadership, SLPs are often at a disadvantage and often need to learn "on the job."
In this first chapter, Linda Carozza provides a general overview of topics to be further expanded upon in the book including; a definition of leadership, leadership challenges and the challenges in accepting a leadership position, the many ways in which an SLP can serve as a leader, and the importance of effective leadership training starting at the higher education level to prepare new SLPs to make advances not only in the field of SLP, but also to promote positive social change.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Chapter 2: Qualities of Effective Leaders
In this chapter, Carozza explores research detailing SLP competencies that would transfer to management or senior healthcare management roles, personality traits and characteristics crucial to effective leadership, and the six most vital skills needed to transition into a leadership position. As detailed in this chapter, a 2004 study conducted by Pilling and Slattery (2004) identified six skills considered to be the most vital for transitioning into a leadership or administrative position. These skills "included effective communication skills, problem-solving ability, commitment to evidence-based practice (EBP) and accountability, team-work skills, focus, and a background in healthcare." Naturally, one might think of effective communication skills and commitment to EBP as qualities in a leadership position that may be more innate to SLPs; however, the study was unable to identify the skills which were intrinsic to clinicians and which were developed after leadership training. In addition to these qualities, dependent on the type of position, knowledge of financial management, negotiation, government regulations, how organizations thrive depending on the current market, and developing and demonstrating outcomes are also required.
Remember the first chapter that explained SLPs have very little direct management training, especially in higher education? Unsurprisingly, skills involving human resources or financial management were considered underdeveloped in SLPs newly promoted to leadership positions. Additional qualities explored in this chapter included; emotional intelligence, awareness of the organization and the environment, intra- and interpersonal awareness, the ability to support and manage others, social skills. and empathy. Self-assessment and evaluation of one's own leadership style were also identified as crucial to effective leadership. This chapter concludes with four interviews with senior academic leaders about the traits they felt made a successful leader, the rewards and challenges of leadership, how they prepare for the unknown, and advice for aspiring leaders.
Image courtesy of CoWomen from Unsplash
Chapter 3: Organizations in Which Speech-Language Pathologists May Participate in Leadership Positions
Opportunities for SLPs in leadership start as early as their undergrad program with the National Student Speech-Language and Hearing Association (NSSLHA). Opportunities can also include; CFY mentor, clinical supervisor, chair of a Communication Science and Disorders program, organizer of disorder-specific support groups, volunteer positions within the regional, state, national organizations or Special Interest Groups (SIGs), rehabilitation director, committee chair, CEO of a non-profit, creator of an SLP resource site, or even starting a program to develop leadership skills in other SLPs. With creativity, drive, and clinical excellence, SLPs may emerge as leaders in a variety of settings and situations. While SLPs may follow the traditional ladder of career advancement, many do not follow this approach and often find leadership opportunities through taking roles in related organizations, filling a void within a specific area or organization, and or tackling larger social or legislative issues. In my personal and professional life, I am lucky to be surrounded by so many amazing leaders and emerging leaders in the field who inspire me daily.
There are also a number of helpful resources for emerging leaders detailed in this chapter, available through ASHA, or other resources including;
Organizational Leadership and Change
The Beat of a Different Leader (Law, 2015)
ASHA Minority Student Leadership Program
ASHA S.T.E.P Mentoring Program
ASHA Leadership Development Program
ASHA Leadership Academy ASHA
Special Interest Groups
ASHA Grasstops Envoy
The Inner Circle Leadership Program
Council on Programs in Communication Science and Disorders
Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash
Chapter 4: Starting Point for Leadership
The first step to becoming not just a leader, but to becoming an effective leader is to have self-knowledge and awareness. This includes knowledge of personality traits, verbal and non-verbal communication styles, strengths, and areas for development, and values to continue to grow and develop as a leader. Continued self-assessment, personal development, and growth are key. Leaders must also seek to develop additional skills, qualities, and expertise including communication, problem-solving, encouraging curiosity and ambition in their employees, knowledge of technological advances, delegating responsibilities, and awareness of their own limitations. The ability to lead a team including knowledge of interpersonal dynamics within the team, establishing relationships with team members, and encouraging team members to be motivated to do more while playing to their strengths is also crucial.
While leaders and emerging leaders may gain knowledge through coursework, seeking out a mentor, role model, or even a reverse role model (what not to do) is invaluable in cultivating leadership. As a leader continues to grow in their experience they can continue to seek out mentorship while also, in turn, mentor another emerging leader.
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Chapter 5: Internal and External Problem-Solving
Problem-solving is one of the most critical skills a leader can possess. In this chapter, Carozza writes about various problem-solving strategies between members of the same team and different teams. The first step is to understand the work personalities of team members. The four composite work personalities described are the pioneers, guardians, drivers, and integrators. Fostering a sense of shared purpose and working on smaller projects first can help to establish relationships between team members of different work personalities. Allowing each member of the team to make a contribution, playing to their individual strengths, and having their voices heard are also essential to establishing a balanced team. This involves understanding team members' preferred communication styles and making allowances for preferred styles (e.g., extroverted, introverted, those who excel in working as an individual and reporting to the team).
Problems should also be examined from all angles and viewed as opportunities for improvement. Effective problem-solving strategies include transparency in communication, breaking down silos between departments, remaining open-minded, and having a solid vision of the goals of the team/company.
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
Chapter 6: Testing Leadership
This is possibly one of my favorite chapters in the book! Leaders will be faced with different tests and challenges throughout their careers. In this chapter, Carozza details real-life scenarios ranging from staffing changes at a nonprofit multidisciplinary clinic to religious tolerance in the workplace. The readers are provided with an opportunity to select the best course of action. Detailed explanations are then provided regarding the correct choice of action and why the other responses were incorrect.
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
Chapter 7: Negotiation, Politics, and the Concept of Power
Power dynamics, navigating workplace politics, and conflict management, although challenging, are all situations with which leaders must contend. In this chapter, evidence-based strategies for managing conflict, promoting open communication and dialogue, ensuring cultural competence, approaches for conflict management, and negotiation strategies are detailed. Positive reinforcement and providing constructive feedback formatted as a challenge that both the leader and subordinates can work on together promotes a feeling of teamwork, prevents problems from escalating, and increases the occurrence of preferred behavior.
Fostering a healthy work environment free of incivility and bullying is also crucial in preventing some conflict from developing in the first place. This section also discussed incivility and bullying experienced by graduate students from professors or clinical supervisors. While I can't say I was ever "bullied" by a supervisor, I know of other SLP colleagues who have had those experiences. One evidence-based method of providing feedback that was mentioned in this chapter was the sandwich method. Beginning and ending on positive notes while the conflict or area of improvement is 'sandwiched' between the positives. Effective conflict management, negotiation, and feedback are crucial to establishing team effectiveness and overall workplace satisfaction.
Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash
Chapter 8: Leadership Wellness: Establishing Healthy Leadership Cultures
This chapter contributed by Wendy Papir-Bernstein was full of information including; self-care as a leader, personal attitudes, advocacy, managing burnout, the impact of the work environment on stress and productivity, creating a culture of knowledge sharing, professional accountability, and internal communication. A healthy work environment starts with a healthy leadership culture. A healthy leadership culture starts with leaders engaging in self-care and promoting well-being both in themselves and their organizations.
Knowledge of the organizational values and philosophies is critical in branding and marketing an organization to those outside the organization such as potential clients. Branding and marketing are methods through which internal philosophies are communicated to external audiences and should reflect the attributes, benefits, and essence of the organization. Similar to marketing and branding, professional advocacy which can include lobbying, establishing networks and relationships, communication, and leadership development is necessary to obtain needed funding and support.
Another part of establishing a healthy leadership culture is recognizing signs of burnout and working to establish a healthy work environment to promote work engagement. It is not surprising that there is a high rate of burnout and compassion fatigue in the healthcare field resulting in low job satisfaction. Leaders play a strong role in developing a healthy workplace culture where workers feel supported and engaged. This can include providing opportunities for personal and professional growth and development, allowing a degree of autonomy, fostering positive working relationships, improving the environment such as ensuring there is adequate lighting and reducing clutter, and promoting civility in the workplace. Organizational strategies for stress management including establishing a wellness program are also detailed in this chapter.
Lastly, creating an environment in which knowledge-sharing, internal communication, the development of collaborative learning environments, and personal accountability are encouraged helps to increase workplace satisfaction and engagement while benefiting the organization through access to a wider variety of information and new ideas.
Surveys are provided at the end of the chapter to assess leadership wellness and communication effectiveness.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Chapter 9: Leadership Trends: What is Trending in Leadership Practices
Leadership today does not look like leadership did a decade before. To foster innovation, remain relevant, and drive an organization or an entire field to new heights, leaders must keep track of leadership trends. Leadership is beginning to shift from one individual with managing control to promoting interprofessional practice, encouraging and empowering teams to share in the decision-making process, and modeling humility versus a strictly authoritative approach. This allows organizations and leadership to flourish, encourages the open flow of information, and provides opportunities for all workers learn from one another and take part in decision-making.
At the end of the chapter, resources are provided to assess organizational learning capacity and emotional competency including both personal and social competence.
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Chapter 10: Mentoring Emerging Leaders
After an emerging leader becomes an experienced leader, the next step is to mentor another emerging leader. The benefits to this include a feeling of success for the experienced leader, empowering the emerging leader to meet the demands of a leadership position, and results in a positive impact on the organization.
Before mentoring an emerging leader, it is helpful for the experienced leader to understand their particular leadership style compared to other leadership styles and their key characteristics. This will help an experienced leader to assess their own approach and further engage their mentee. It is also helpful for experienced leaders to invest in training to develop the knowledge and skills required to mentor an emerging leader. An example of such training would be the clinical supervision courses offered by ASHA. Prior to mentoring an emerging leader, increasing cultural competence in identifying any implicit biases and establishing cross-cultural and even cross-generational relationships are important. To further develop a relationship between an experienced leader and an emerging leader and promote the development of communication skills, structured interactions such as meetings, collaborating on tasks or projects and informal interactions such as engaging in small talk are helpful.
Providing feedback and constructive criticism while being open to answering questions from emerging leaders help to guide emerging leaders and promotes improvement, increases the frequency of preferred behaviors, and furthers understanding of experienced leaders thought processes. This chapter also provides suggestions for developing hard skills, soft skills, emotional intelligence, and networking skills in emerging leaders.
Paying it forward through mentoring emerging leaders improves the quality and sustainability of an organization or an entire field.
Impressions:
Reflecting on my experiences in graduate school, I did not have access to formal leadership instruction. I believe this put me at a disadvantage when I began my career in the medical setting and had aspirations of being a rehabilitation director. Unfortunately, my experiences are not unique and many SLPs who are seeking to transition into leadership, managerial, or administrative positions may find themselves at a similar disadvantage. This is why I am so grateful to Linda Carozza for writing this book! Leadership in Speech-Language Pathology is an excellent resource for emerging leaders seeking guidance as they begin their leadership journey and experienced leaders who are looking to provide more of a positive impact on their employees and overall work environment.
In true SLP fashion, there are learning objectives at the beginning of each chapter as well as a meaningful quote related to leadership, The chapters are concluded with questions to guide readers in questioning their own thoughts on leadership and even their own leadership patterns. In many ways, this book leaves the reader with more questions and areas to research further as definitions of leadership or the qualities required can vary dependent on the setting or the type of leadership position. Linda Carozza gathered and assembled insight from personal experience, experienced leaders in the field of SLP, and leaders in other fields such as the military, education, and business. This book is also rich with resources for both new and experienced leaders including ASHA's Leadership Academy, the Council on Programs in Communication Science and Disorders, and the MIT course Organizational Leadership and Change as well as numerous self-assessment surveys.
As I read Leadership in Speech-Language Pathology, I began to look more critically at some of the leadership styles and qualities in noticed in myself as I mentor SLPs in their clinical fellowship year and in my new position as the owner of a private practice as well as the leadership styles of former employers, professors, and clinical instructors. This book fills a void in the field of SLP and I hope that areas of higher education (e.g., graduate programs) incorporate formal instruction in leadership as a first step in developing leaders who will positively contribute to the field.
*** Disclosure: The author received a complimentary copy of this book from Plural Publishing for review.
