CEO’s Report

Throughout our lives, our careers constantly develop and change–sometimes in a planned and managed way, other times by opportunity, or often by circumstance beyond our control.

Upon completing our formal education, we embark on putting theory into practice and becoming technical experts in our chosen field. Once the textbooks are closed and we find ourselves in the real world, we quickly realise that Albert Einstein was correct in saying that: “In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.”

Like many professions, the health field is guided by the principles of learning through theory, and then experience–and the benefit of knowledge and wisdom transferred through supervision. Supervision ensures theory can be translated into practice–and is necessary to extend your technical expertise, and test your judgement, ideas, and practice in a safe setting.

While technical expertise and experience are critical to developing your professional reputation and career, theoretical skills learned at university and technical skills honed through years of practice are not all that is required to elevate you to management or leadership. Management and leadership are also underpinned by a range of theories and models that guide best practice, and enable us to grow into roles where technical occupational therapy expertise may not equip us for the management and leadership challenges ahead. This may include managing staff, budgets and the adaptive challenges of strategy development and execution, change management, and the never-ending juggle of shifting and competing priorities.

Technical competency—even excellence— does not necessarily equip you to be a good, or even great, manager or leader. In fact, it can sometimes be a fatal flaw–narrowing the lens too sharply, and not readily translating to the practical and adaptive skills of managing and leading. The most highly functioning, productive, and rewarding teams are those in which there is the correct balance of technical skills and adaptive leadership to effect real change.

Now in our tenth year as a national association, and after a year of forced technical and adaptive challenges, OTA is on the precipice of our coming of age. The board and executive have spent considerable time looking ahead, using theoretical models including Dr Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky’s Adaptive Leadership and the Theory of Change. These and other theories and frameworks will allow us to not only move nimbly and flexibly forward, but also over time assess the impact of our activities and actions on the profession and community at large. By spending time ‘on the balcony’ we have been able to assess the opportunities and challenges facing the profession and membership associations now and into the future.

For the profession to step boldly into the light of the new and emerging opportunities that are presenting themselves, I encourage all members to consider how we can best adapt and thrive in constantly challenging environments— and individually and collectively take on the gradual, meaningful, and sustainable process of change. Change is difficult and often uncomfortable, but ultimately necessary if we are to grow professionally and personally. Releasing the traditions of the past or the comfort of the present can be challenging. At OTA we acknowledge and honour the past, while looking to the future to enhance the importance and influence of the profession. We look forward to continuing to extend and expand our capabilities to meet our highest aspirations for both the profession and association. We will continue to put evidence-based, data-driven decisions into practice, and turn outputs and outcomes into impact as we grow and evolve to meet the changing needs of the profession and communities we serve.

Samantha Hunter | OTA CEO

“In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.”