2004 Pauline Cerasoli Lecture: The Influence of Leaders

Journal of Physical Therapy Education, Fall 2004 by Feitelberg, Samuel B

My premise is: We all are or can be leaders, and leadership often happens naturally. That docs not imply it is easy. We collaborate to move our profession forward. Any one of us can he asked to step up to the plate at any time and contribute. No one person really does it alone, and you do not need a title to participate. Our influence is our power to produce an effect by gradual and indirect means. We become connected by a common vision, passionately communicated, seeing and acting beyond personal motivations and drive.

The history of leadership in our profession can he traced to the years 1915-1918. The reconstruction aides or "physios" were part of the military model of leadership. The leadership traits and principles developed during this period played a significant role in the creation of our association and provided the energy for its growth.4 Some of the traits are:

* Dependability: The certainty of proper performance.

* Bearing: Carriage, appearance, and personal conduct.

* Endurance: Withstand fatigue, hardship, stress.

* Initiative: Take action in the ahsence of orders.

* Integrity: Uprightness of character, moral principles, truthfulness, and honesty.

* Tact: Deal with others without offensive behavior.

* Unselfishness and loyalty.

Some of the leadership principles are:

* Know thyself and seek self-improvement.

* Be technically proficient.

* Make sound and timely decisions.

* Lead by example; take responsibility for your actions.

* Train your people as a team.

* Maximize your unit in accordance with its capabilities.

* Communicate clearly, effectively, and timely.

We have an unsung leader in Dr Abraham Flexner, who preceded our forbears. He was not a physician, but a secondary school teacher and principal for 19 years. For the Carnegie Foundation, Flexner wrote a report, "Medical Education in the United States and Canada,"5 which was published in 1910. In it he proposed strong biomedical science courses together with hands-on clinical training. Those high standards caused many for-profit medical schools to close down. Most of the remaining schools adopted the Flexnerian model.

Although the attributes of a professional can be traced to antiquity, Dr Flexner in 1915 published a set of six criteria to distinguish professions from occupations.6

1. A profession is intellectual and carries with it great personal responsibility for the proper exercise of choice and judgment.

2. It is learned, based on a substantial body of knowledge, developed over a long period of time, and transmissible to students whose training was long and arduous.

3. It is practical, can be applied to real-life situations, and can help solve problems.

4. It has techniques and skills that can be taught and that serve as the mechanisms by which knowledge can be applied to he the solution to the problem.

5. It is organized into associations or groups of practitioners for various professional purposes, such as guiding education and regulating entrance into the profession.

6. It is guided by altruism, concern for the patient who comes for help, and for the benefit of mankind.