QUARTERLY BEAT / DECEMBER 2025
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FAILURE TO LEAD: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LEADERS DON'T GET ALONG?
Wendy Hauser, DVM Peak Veterinary Consulting
What happens when leaders don’t see eye to eye? In this VETgirl Webinar, “Failure to Lead: What Happens When Leaders Don’t Get Along?” Dr. Wendy Hauser, DVM, examines how mistrust, poor communication, and role confusion can fracture teams, and offers practical strategies to rebuild trust, strengthen communication, and align leadership in veterinary practice. In case you missed the webinar, watch it again HERE or read the cliff notes below!
You are on a trip 8,000 miles away from home, in a van with 12 people you don’t know and two guides. The guides, or leaders, are responsible for the well-being of this newly formed ‘team’, with the team members depending on them for transportation, lodging, food, safety and guidance during the physical and risky outdoor activities. This was the situation my family found itself in while experiencing New Zealand. These leaders were at odds from day one. Their inability to communicate, share responsibility and create a psychologically safe environment was absent. The conflict between them was intensely uncomfortable to witness and deeply disturbing. I hadn’t been in a situation like this in decades, unlike many unlucky veterinary teams. Observing the leaders’ interactions, it was clear that there were several factors that contributed to their inability to work together and lead effectively. Let’s investigate how these dynamics show up in veterinary practices:
PERSONALITY PREFERENCE DIFFERENCES We have inborn psychological preferences that govern how we
communicate and interact with others. These preferences are neither good nor bad; they are traits that individualize us. Understanding and recognizing your own preferences, and those of others, is a critical leadership skill. Mismatches occur when leaders fail to adapt their personality preferences to align with others. A LACK OF TRUST It is almost impossible to form and build a successful collaboration without trust. If leaders doubt each other’s competence, integrity or intentions, the ability to co-lead deteriorates. This is worsened when there are unresolved past conflicts or perceived betrayals. When a leader’s actions cause stress and anxiety in the workplace, are inauthentic or when leaders fail to show that they care about each other and their followers, trust is broken. INEFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION When leaders don’t trust each other, communication suffers. A lack of psychological safety prevents leaders from discussing decisions transparently and authentically. They fail to share information with each other out of fear of losing influence. Due to a lack of collaboration and effective communication, mixed messages are sent to the team which leads to confusion, uncertainty, and frustration.
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