Leadership in Veterinary Medicine

LEADERSHIP IN VETERINARY MEDICINE

Leadership in Veterinary Medicine provides both theoretical and practical information for veterinary professionals who are contemplating leadership or currently facing day-to-day leadership challenges.

This much-needed book introduces and explores key leadership concepts in the veterinary context whilst encouraging self-reflection through real-world scenarios. Each chapter outlines a particular leadership concept or issue and includes a topic summary, discussion questions, full references and further reading suggestions. This thought-provoking text:

• Explores the principal areas of leadership for both veterinary professionals and for those leading veterinary professionals
• Discusses various leadership styles, competencies, behaviours and perspectives
• Addresses topics such as leadership assessment, organisational dynamics, interpersonal communication, remote and virtual leadership, and collaboration skills
• Assists readers in developing strategy, leading change, creating effective teams and improving staff engagement
• Includes practical cases and examples highlighting challenges in veterinary leadership

Leadership in Veterinary Medicine is a must-read for all veterinary professionals in leadership posts, for those aspiring to be leaders and for instructors in veterinary schools and veterinary nursing training organisations.

Clive Elwood MA VetMB, MSc, MS(Ashridge) PhD, CertSAC, DipACVIM, DipECVIM, FRCVS, is the founder of Trellis Leadership Coaching, which focuses on executive coaching, leadership development, and strategy. Clive was a veterinary specialist in private practice for 20 years and was Managing Director of Davies Veterinary Specialists, where he led a staff of more than 150. Clive holds a Masters in Executive Coaching from Hult Ashridge Business School and is a European Mentoring and Coaching Council Senior Practitioner.

Acknowledgements xii

Foreword xiv

Part I Foundations of Veterinary Leadership 1

1 Introduction 3

1.1 What Is Leadership, and Why Do We Need a Book on Veterinary Leadership? 3

1.2 My Leadership Experiences 5

1.3 My Approach 5

1.4 Who Is the Book for? 6

1.5 How to Use This Book 6

1.6 What Is ‘Good Enough’? 6

Questions 7

Further Reading 7

References 7

2 Veterinary Leadership in Context 8

2.1 Introduction 8

2.2 Complex Systems and Wicked Problems 9

2.3 What Is a Profession? 10

2.4 The History of the Veterinary Profession 11

2.5 What Are the Veterinary Professions, and What Are They for? 12

2.6 Uncertainties of Role and Identity 13

2.7 Professional Archetypes 14

2.8 Why Is Leadership Important in the Veterinary Professions? 14

2.9 Veterinary Teams 15

2.10 What Difference Does Leadership Make? 16

2.11 The Discipline of ‘Leadership’ in Veterinary Medicine 17

2.12 The Future of Leadership in Veterinary Medicine 18

2.13 Conclusion 19

Questions 19

Further Reading 20

References 20

3 Leadership Repertoires 23

3.1 Introduction 23

3.2 Cognitive Competencies 25

3.3 Emotional Competencies 29

3.4 Intuition 32

3.5 Conclusion 34

Questions 34

Further Reading 35

References 35

4 Self-Leadership 37

4.1 Introduction 37

4.2 Self-Awareness 38

4.3 How Do Others See Your Leadership? 42

4.4 How Do you Want Others to See Your Leadership? 45

4.5 Self-Motivation 46

4.6 Self-Regulation 47

4.7 Leadership Traps and Shadows 49

4.8 Self-Development 51

4.9 Self-Care 52

4.10 Conclusion 55

Questions 55

Further Reading 56

References 56

5 Veterinary Professionals and Leadership 59

5.1 Are Veterinary Professionals Different? 59

5.2 The Leadership–Followership Dynamic 67

5.3 What Do Veterinary Professionals Want from Leadership? 70

5.4 It’s Not Just the Veterinary Professionals 72

5.5 Conclusion 72

Questions 73

Further Reading 73

References 73

6 Analysing Organisations 76

6.1 Introduction 76

6.2 Why Do Organisations Differ? 77

6.3 How Organisations Differ 77

6.4 Analysing Organisations 87

6.5 How Do Organisations Develop? 93

6.6 Leadership and the Organisational Context 94

6.7 Conclusion 94

Questions 95

Further Reading 95

References 95

7 Understanding Strategy 97

7.1 Introduction 97

7.2 Strategy Now 98

7.3 Strategy Then? 103

7.4 Strategy How? 108

7.5 Conclusion 112

Questions 112

Further Reading 113

References 113

8 Communicating and Engaging 114

8.1 Introduction 114

8.2 How Do We Communicate? 115

8.3 What You Want to Say Is Not (Necessarily) What I Hear 117

8.4 Types of Communication 118

8.5 If You Want to Be Heard, First Listen 118

8.6 Asking Great Questions 119

8.7 Think About Your Intended Audience 120

8.8 What Message Is Received? 121

8.9 Putting It Together 122

8.10 Engagement and Authenticity 123

8.11 What If They Don’t Want to Listen? 124

8.12 Negotiation 125

8.13 Conflict and Conflict Management Styles 126

8.14 Mediation 127

8.15 Difficult Conversations 128

8.16 Conclusion 129

Questions 130

Further Reading 130

References 130

9 Creating Effective Teams 132

9.1 Introduction 132

9.2 Who Is the Team? 133

9.3 What Is the Shared Purpose? 136

9.4 Shared Leadership 139

9.5 Relational Team Leadership 140

9.6 Creating the Right Team Environment 145

9.7 Task Leadership 145

9.8 If, and When, to Intervene 147

9.9 Team Maintenance 147

9.10 When Teams End 148

9.11 Conclusion 149

Questions 149

Further Reading 149

References 149

10 Leadership and Change 153

10.1 What Is Change? 154

10.2 Systemic Perspectives on Change 155

10.3 Psychological Aspects of Change 158

10.4 Change Leadership 160

10.5 Adoption and Diffusion of Change 166

10.6 Conclusion 169

Questions 170

Further Reading 170

References 170

11 Remote and Virtual Leadership 174

11.1 Introduction 174

11.2 Definitions 175

11.3 Considerations for Remote Leadership 176

11.4 Remote Leadership Tasks 178

11.5 Considerations for Virtual Leadership 180

11.6 Virtual Leadership Tasks 185

11.7 Informal Virtual Leadership 188

11.8 Hybrid Models 189

11.9 Conclusion 189

Questions 190

Further Reading 190

References 190

12 Leadership and Development 193

12.1 Introduction 193

12.2 What Are You Developing? 194

12.3 Does Leadership Development Work? 195

12.4 Engagement and Motivation to Develop Leadership 195

12.5 Developing a Leadership Identity 197

12.6 Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle 198

12.7 Creating a Feedback Culture 200

12.8 Choices for Leadership Development 202

12.9 Succession Planning 207

12.10 Conclusion 209

Questions 209

Further Reading 209

References 209

13 Leadership in Practise 214

13.1 Introduction 214

13.2 Choose Your Behaviours 214

13.3 Be Brave and Authentic 215

13.4 Be Decisive and Assertive 215

13.5 Be Honest, Fair, and Transparent 216

13.6 Have Integrity and Trustworthiness 216

13.7 Own Your Failures 216

13.8 Be Grateful and Positive 217

13.9 Understand the Organisation 217

13.10 Get to Know the People 218

13.11 Think of the Group 218

13.12 Align and Create Direction 218

13.13 Trust 219

13.14 Empower 219

13.15 Nurture 220

13.16 Protect 221

13.17 Be Tough on Standards and Kind to People 221

13.18 Connect 221

13.19 Make Time 222

13.20 Follow 222

13.21 Accept Messiness and Dance with Complexity 222

13.22 Conclusion 222

Questions 223

Further Reading 223

References 223

Part II Veterinary Leadership Scenarios 225

Scenario 1 A Thief in the House? 228

Scenario 2 A Failed Strategy? 229

Scenario 3 ‘What Do You Think You Are Doing?’ 230

Scenario 4 At Last, a Proper Lunch Break! 231

Scenario 5 Not a Trivial Matter 232

Scenario 6 Convincing the Board 233

Scenario 7 A Tough First Time 234

Scenario 8 A New Broom? 235

Scenario 9 A Bit of a Beef 236

Scenario 10 Into the Lion’s Den 237

Scenario 11 Our Planet Is at Stake! 238

Scenario 12 Creating a New Future 239

Scenario 13 On the Horns of a Dilemma 240

Appendix A Behavioural Drivers Questionnaire 241

Index 243

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