You’ve completed your training as a physiotherapist. You’ve gained years of experience and set up your own practice. And then, at some point, you suddenly found yourself in charge of a team.
The tour just happened. With absolutely no preparation.
This is the reality for the vast majority of practice owners in Switzerland. And it is one of the reasons why good therapists leave what are actually good practices. Leadership development fills the very gaps that exist in their training.
What leadership in physiotherapy means today
Leadership in a physiotherapy practice is, above all, about people. It’s about motivating people who set high standards for themselves in their work. Resolving conflicts before they escalate. Conducting performance reviews that really make a difference. And, as a practice owner, adopting an approach that is clear, approachable and reliable.
Leadership, like any other skill, requires deliberate practice. Those who set out to develop it systematically will be prepared when the first real leadership crisis arises. Leadership is a skill. And skills can be developed.
Why leadership is the underestimated factor in success
In discussions with practice owners within the SPP network, the same pattern emerges time and again: the greatest challenges are rarely technical in nature. They are human in nature: communication, motivation, trust and development.
Practices that make a targeted investment in leadership skills – whether through further training, coaching or exchanges with other practice owners – have a more stable team. The culture helps the practice weather even difficult periods. That is why the strongest practices in the network invest in leadership before a crisis arises, rather than waiting until afterwards.
Two practical approaches to leadership development
Two formats have proved particularly effective in practice.
Firstly: structured professional development with practical application. The ZHAW offers the MAS in Physiotherapy Management a degree programme that combines in-depth specialist knowledge with leadership topics. Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences has also launched the CAS in Leadership and Transformation in Healthcare a suitable option. Both are challenging. And both are designed for people in your situation.
Secondly: the leadership seminar within the SPP network. The focus is on ensuring that you truly understand the subject of leadership, step by step: communication, delegation, feedback, conflict resolution and self-management. Exchanging ideas with other practice owners also plays an important role in this, because real-life cases are more beneficial than theory alone.
What this means for you as a practice owner
Leadership development is an investment: in your practice, your team and the quality of the work carried out there every day.
Within the SPP network, we support practice owners and their teams through our leadership seminar, joint training programmes and a network of exchange that really makes a difference. We are currently setting up our own SPP Academy, which will bring these offerings together in future.
In short: leadership is a skill that can be learnt. And those who start early develop a more solid foundation.
Any questions about which format is right for you?
Let's talk about your future
Partnership
Personal, trusting and on an equal footing with Julian Weber.
