VETgirl Oct 2023 Beat e-Magazine

QUARTERLY BEAT / OCTOBER 2023 ///

/// QUARTERLY BEAT / OCTOBER 2023

conversations where you can say things like, “I think you can make real progress here if you simply apply some effort. Let’s talk about what you want to do as you move forward.” Or you might say, “I believe you can be exceptional at this if you want to and I would love to help you do that if you are interested.” Believing in, investing in, and supporting others as they create a new and better future for themselves is one of the most rewarding things a leader can do. Expect your team to stumble, fall, and struggle. Being bad at something in the beginning is normal. Knowing their leader believes in them helps them become better.

5 Ways to Be a Leader Your Veterinary Team Wants to Follow

Share Your Story It’s important for your team to see you as a human who grows, learns, makes progress, sometimes doesn’t, and works at your craft as a coach and leader. We can use our stories and questions to build strong effective relationships with people on our team. 1 Create New Possibilities People behave a certain way because, ultimately, they believe they should. As a leader, you can model behaviors to demonstrate that there are other choices out there. 2 Go First If you can create early momentum for change by demonstrating you are ready to go first, involving your team from the start, and setting a clear vision, then people are much more likely to follow. 3 Support With Vision Letting someone know that you believe they can make progress in a new direction is often the very catalyst that gets them to try. Believing in, investing in, and supporting others as they create a new and better future for themselves is one of the most rewarding things a leader can do. 4

Don’t Just TELL Them What TO DO

Finally, I hear a lot of practice managers say things like, “I told them to be honest with me”, “I told them that I wanted their ideas,” or “I told them I would listen to anything they had to say.”

People on your team often do not change their thinking because of what you tell them. In many cases, because you are now in “management,” their first instinct is to not believe what you say anyway. They care about what you show them. If you want new ideas, candid feedback, or open conversations, you have to create an environment where that is expected and rewarded. What you say now means less. It’s what you do now that means more and affects more people. Veterinary team leaders who are followable can take people farther, build stronger, more engaged teams and help veterinary practices build a better future. We simply need to make being on our team fulfilling and rewarding. We need to make our team one that constantly supports each other as we all make progress together. We want our team members focused on what they do next and how they get better, not the stress and uncertainty their boss is causing. Final Thought

Don ’ t Just Tell Them What To Do People on your team often do not change their thinking because of what you tell them. In many cases, because you are now in “management,” their first instinct is to not believe what you say anyway. They care about what you show them.

Randy Hall CEO, VetLead

Randy spent over 15 years of his career in the animal health industry. Since founding his consulting business in 2009, he has worked with thousands of veterinary hospital leaders and staff members to help them capture their full potential of their own veterinary practices.

If people struggle to follow you, you will always struggle to lead. But you get to make choices that help others engage with you, connect to you and accomplish more because of you. That’s great leadership.

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