Working with the veterinary profession now for 8 years, I've tended to find that vets reach a certain point in their career where they really start to think about their strengths and how they'd like to continue making their contribution as a veterinary professional moving forward. I see people begin to crave having more of an input and influence over the standards of clinical care and customer service being delivered to clients and their pets. I see people wanting to feel more of a sense of purpose and fulfilment in their role. They want to feel a greater sense of contribution and have the ability to have a positive impact on the team and the practice environment, and ultimately make a difference.
Does this sound like you?
You might have thought about moving into a leadership role before, but your mind's knee jerk reaction was, "Woah, hold your horses, you're not good enough, you're totally not ready!". Or maybe you have taken on a leadership role before but with the level and variety of responsibility involved, you found yourself tired from trying to be everything, to everyone, all of the time. Maybe exploring a leadership role has never crossed your mind before, until you saw my email today and you thought, "Hmmm....I have been thinking about what to do next, this might be worth checking out...just because I haven't thought about it doesn't mean it wouldn't be right for me."
It is a common misconception that in order to step into a leadership role that you must have prior experience as a senior vet/lead vet. That's certainly not the case for the types of practices and roles we deal with. Many of our roles are shaped around the strengths and interests of the individual. The practice owners we work with recognise that people thrive doing more of what they love!
Which leadership responsibilities appeal to you the most? Responsible for turnover, profit and loss: Spotting patterns in data and opportunities for commercial growth and improvement. Managing team productivity. HR matters: Inductions, appraisals, disciplinaries, handling complaints. Administrative tasks: Payroll, holiday and sickness, rotas, stock, debt. Recruitment: Hiring and firing of permanent and locum staff. Practice Improvements and Development: Managing workflows, setting and overseeing clinical standards and protocols, clinical governance and audits. Coaching and Mentoring: Being the point of contact for lesser experienced colleagues for clinical queries, providing coaching, training and mentoring and motivating and inspiring a team towards a common goal. Whether you're in a leadership role now, or if you're thinking about moving in this direction, I want you to know that you can have a role that allows you to focus on more of what you love and less of what you don't!
Where are you already a leader?
I find that people completely underestimate the natural raw talent they have that would serve them well in a leadership role. Being a great leader is not about the number of years of clinical experience you have, it's about who you are. Who you are is based on the experiences you've been through in your life so far that have shaped who you have become. Being a leader is about being able to inspire and motivate others to reach their full potential, to provide direction and structure to a team so they can work at their best towards a common goal. I invite you to consider where in your life you've already demonstrated incredible strength, courage, determination, communication and resilience.
What's next?
If you're ready to explore your untapped talent for leadership, come and join me in my Leadership Discovery Masterclass Facebook Group where I'll be hosting a live
masterclass.
We are going to be answering questions such as:
What are your current beliefs about leadership, and yourself?
Where are you already a leader?
What are your strengths and interests when it comes to leadership?
What's important to you?
What's stopping you?
The Facebook group will host the masterclass, but also provide a safe and confidential space in which for you to explore your leadership potential, receive ongoing personalised coaching support and guidance from a qualified Coach and NLP Practitioner and have access to free career coaching tools and resources. Click 'join now' below and you'll be taken to a masterclass registration page and provided with a link to the Facebook group. I can't wait to see you there!