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THE ROLE OF LEADER IN A VETERINARY PRACTICE

3/27/2021

So you got the job? Congratulations, new head doctor! But now comes the hard part: Keeping the job. Here are some tips on how to be a leader that your team and your clients can trust.

Conducting your Business/ What To Do:

Delegate and Empower

Having the right team allows you to lead rather than just manage. When each member of a team has their own role to play, the practice can function smoothly.

This means setting up an organizational structure, a ‘Who Will Answer to Whom’ system to increase efficiency. A system like this one adheres to the Autocratic or Authoritative leadership, which is a common style in work spaces like hospitals. Even if your practice functions more as a team, it is still vital to maintain order while consulting each other.
Setting up the chain of command varies depending on the size of the practice and number of employees. Team members need to understand whom they report to and whom they should go to with questions or concerns.
As the head of the organizational structure, you must be responsible enough to keep this hierarchy strictly professional. Remember that it is to increase productivity in the workplace, not to give anyone power to be lorded over their colleagues.

Effective Time Management

Leading efficiently includes enforcing effective time management.

If you notice that most of your time is going into reacting to problems and dealing with dissatisfied customers, there may be a problem with your management style. You may not be delegating effectively and are thus not being as productive as you can be.
Being the leader, you will have demanding roles beyond that of a veterinarian. We have already discussed the importance of forming a chain of command to see that everything is being covered by the assigned personnel.

Take the steps toward seeing that everyone has a clear idea about their work for the day, for example: putting up a board with the week's appointments, or keeping a computerized planner that everyone has access to.
This should help remind each member and employee about their pending work and to refrain from spending time on things that are not a priority.

As for managing one's personal schedule, on this very blog, you can find effective methods of time management to share with your squad.

Establish lines of communication

Making clear lines of communication and a system for sending out news, is setting your team up for success.

Many practices find it helpful to use email or hospital newsletters to share announcements and information on minor issues.
Face-to-face meetings are often necessary to discuss important issues or convey sensitive information or have an interactive session.
Be sure to inform your crew about the methods of communication and how they are to work, to keep your practice running smoothly.

Conducting yourself/How to be:

Lighten up

Imagine a stressful day at the clinic. Everyone rushing about, many clients waiting for their prescriptions, more patients waiting to be examined, the occasional pet yowling in the background… You get the picture.
A veterinarian's job is frustrating enough, but as leader, the weight of making the big decisions may be heavy on your shoulders. For your own mental health and that of your team, you should learn to lighten up.

Even in the face of great pressue - a tough case, a lengthy operation- as the leader, you must be able to lift your colleagues' spirits in the gloomiest of times.
At a workplace where tension is a part of the job, you have to find a way to look at stress with a positive outlook, for your and your team’s mental health, so as to keep up the good work.
Maintaining a solid relationship with all of your staff is a start.
A good sense of humor will take you and your team a long way. In dire times, a smile or laugh give your team, your clients and likely even the pets who have come to be treated, the encouragement they need to stay positive and soldier on.

Be humble

No one likes a show-off, right? Naturally, no one likes to be led by one either. Humility is a critical trait in a strong individual, and strength is crucial for leadership. This is one of the rarer attributes of good leaders because it means putting aside one’s ego.

‘Humility isn't thinking less of yourself-it's thinking of yourself less.' ~C.S Lewis

As mentioned in the importance of being open-minded in the previous article, finding the balance between the confidence as a role model and the overconfidence of being centre-focus, is crucial .
Remember: you are the boss but your crew does not constitute of subordinates, but of capable doctors. They are the ones who give your title as leader meaning, because without them there would be no team to lead, so treat them well.

Inspire and Motivate

Coming down to its definition, leadership is the ability to “inspire, influence and guide others to participate in a common effort.”
Real leaders don’t just bark orders, they take part in the process, by using effective communication and motivation to help their squads take action, and make progress.
On the way, remember to involve them, ask for their input, keep them informed, and give timely and specific feedback.

So good luck! Whether you're just starting out as head doctor or you have had earlier experience, there's always room for improvement. Hopefully, these tips will bring you closer to you, your team and your practice closer to your goal.

For more on the subject, check out the resources we used:

1. The 7 Most Common Leadership Styles (and How to Find Your Own) -https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/trends-and-insights/articles/the-7-most-common-leadership-styles-and-how-to-find-your-own/
2. 5 veterinary leadership skills every boss needs to learn -
https://www.dvm360.com/view/5-veterinary-leadership-skills-every-boss-needs-learn
3. Who Are the Leaders in Your Practice? Growing a Healthy Practice Through Leadership -https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/practice-building-leaders-practice-growing-healthy-practice-leadership/
4. Understanding veterinary leadership in practice- https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/267018976.pdf
5. How to be a great leader at work - https://www.avma.org/education/leadership-development/how-be-great-leader-work

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WHAT DOES BEING A LEADER MEAN ?

3/24/2021

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Remember back in school, when a teacher would group you into teams and ask someone to take over as leader. Were you the one who volunteered up front to lead the team? Were you sitting on the side, willing to let the others step up? Or perhaps you waited to see if anyone else wanted to, and then threw your hat in the ring?

There are 7 basic styles of leadership, to suit all the different types of teams and their captains:

The leadership styles that you would respond to, or the style you would command your team with, vary from person to person. But whichever one you were or are now, the importance of leadership and of having someone to guide a team is universally acknowledged.

Some people are blessed with characteristics that make a great leader, and some less lucky people have to work their way up to the position. Thus, with the right qualities and the ability to apply them- they can’t just be empty words on a resume, right?- one can learn to lead.

So what are these qualities?

Being confident

This is the most important prerequisite for applying to a position of leadership. Because when you aim higher, you must have confidence in yourself to do so; People can believe in someone who believes in themselves.
However, finding the line between being poised or confident and being over-confident and cocky is the deciding factor between whether your team will want to follow you.

Communicating well

Communication is an understated soft skill. How you express yourself to others is vital and if done poorly, it can make for a person who is hard to trust, or believe in. Would you leave the success of your team in the hands of someone unreliable?
Great leaders are clear, truthful and genuine; consistency shows a grounded presence. It shows that you are someone who can be counted on by your teammates or juniors.

Being a Role Model

If you’ve ever worked at a clinic, or even been to one: you must have observed it. The way that the junior doctors look up to the head doctor. Before making a final diagnosis, giving an important prescription, or deciding on the manner of treatment, they will confirm with the main doctor.
As a leader, you must be one to set the standard for your team. Your actions, your behaviour and decisions must be an example to the others to follow. And thus you can be held accountable by them.
And so leaders who work hard and are polite to their team and clients, all while providing consistent care to patients, gain respect and naturally encourage others to be the same.

Having an open-mind

Have you ever liked those team captains who did not have room for suggestions from their teams? They were never wrong and did not like to be corrected.
Leadership is not for Know-it-alls. If it were, the team would have a dull atmosphere where people stop sharing ideas and don’t enjoy participating.

A good leader knows only one thing for certain: that they are not always right. Accepting different opinions and listening to new ideas shows that they know that they don’t have all the answers, and gives the team members chances to contribute.
So keep your ears and eyes open!

Taking Responsibility

One of the best qualities of a leader is being able to accept responsibility for their team. If and when something goes wrong, leaders are to do less complaining and assigning blame, and more focussing on the problem and finding the solution.

‘With great power, comes great responsibility.’ ~ Uncle Ben, Spiderman

It may just be a cliche quote from a Marvel comic, but it means something very important: the power to lead is accompanied by the strength to shoulder the weight of your team. If you are ready to take the credit for your team’s success, then you also need to be prepared to take the blame, should your team fail.

Providing a Vision

Having a vision for your entire veterinary team is the main role of a practice owner or leader. This is because knowing where you and your practice will stand in the years to come, is a significant part of securing the position of leader itself. Who would trust a leader who has no plan for the future?
And once you have a doable objective, share it with your practice, so your employees know what they’re working towards. When team members know the vision and goals of the practice, they understand how their individual role helps to drive the success of the business.
Consider implementing team meetings, so you have a dedicated time to share the vision and discuss its progress.

And those are fundamental qualities you find in a leader, and what people will look for, in the person in charge.

If you are reading this to learn what are the basic necessities in a leader, in order to apply for the job, then these are the most essential things to be worked on. Good luck!
If you have acquired your desired position of leadership, and are looking for how to do the job well, stay tuned for the next article, where you will learn what is expected of a good leader.