Woman's Work: Knettle of Cleveland Clinic on Representation and the Need for Diverse Leadership

Through a number of "happy accidents," Mari Knettle found her passion for leading and educating others. 

The trajectory of Mari Knettle's career has been what she describes as a series of "happy accidents." These instances would eventually put her on the path to being a leader in her field of physical therapy, in both clinical and academic settings.

Shortly after graduating, she was given the opportunity to supervise her own physical therapy student.

"It sparked something in me. I don't know if I had seen that as my career trajectory, that I was going to be in administration, leadership, and education," Knettle said. "I really liked that role of being in education and so I continued to look for opportunities to supervise students and be involved in the profession that way."

To help her prospects in education, she went back to school to earn her doctorate, which would allow her to join a didactic faculty to teach in a college setting. After completing her degree, she began teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia.

After a few years and having moved across the country multiple times, she accepted a position as medical director for Cleveland Clinic's Center for Health Professions Education – another "happy accident," she said.

"I'm able to expand my reach not just in physical therapy but in an interprofessional education setting," Knettle said. "Interfacing with more than 50 health professions outside of medicine and nursing as well as leaders in the physician and nursing world."

Early on in her career, she noticed that while most physical therapists were women, there seemed to be more men in leadership roles. Now, she's noticed a shift in more women taking on leadership roles in the profession.

"It's important to see a leadership profile reflect the demographic of our profession as a whole," Knettle said. "In gender, in race, in all aspects of diversity, we really need to make sure that our leaders are representing who we are as a whole."

She uses Cleveland Clinic, where the chief of staff is a woman physician, as an example. While she demonstrates exceptional leadership, Knettle can tell she appreciates the women that make up their staff and understands the unique circumstances they face that men wouldn't readily recognize – like being a working mother.

"I think that as a woman working, it's obviously helpful to look at leaders of my own organization and others and see that there are women who are successfully and capably leading," she said. "It inspires me to be a better leader, myself, to serve as a model for younger girls, that younger generation who may or may not see herself in a position of leadership or authority until she sees someone going before her and doing it."

While a person's gender doesn't determine whether they'll be a good leader, Knettle emphasizes the importance of diverse leadership – noting that it's been proven to result in better care.

"The more different perspectives you have when it comes to decision making – decisions about care, decisions about how to run an organization— [the more] strong decisions are being made by having that team of people who are more likely to see different aspects and different perspectives," she said.