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I hope you’re feeling more zen since our last blog post and have discovered the rewards of mindfulness in building resilience.
If you missed the previous posts in the series you can read them here:
Easy Steps to Avoiding Burnout for You and Your Veterinary Team – #1 Physical
Easy Steps to Avoiding Burnout for You and Your Veterinary Team – #2 Practical
Easy Steps to Avoiding Burnout for You and Your Veterinary Team – #3 Psychological
This week, we’re turning back time to the origin of our species to understand the fourth, and final, category or domain of resilience – social!
As we’re social beings, our interactions with others play an inherent role in our ability to be resilient, but we also need a strong sense of self-reliance or esteem.
So, strap in, as we explain how empathy with others and esteem in our own self, work together to create a foundation for resilience.
As a species, we have a deep underlying need for connection. When we connect with and help others, we experience feel-good feelings, like gratitude. We can also experience these good vibes by association when we hear of someone else helping another.
The technical term is called pro-sociality and it’s what makes us human.
Most people in the veterinary field also exhibit high levels of empathy.
It’s essential that we understand there are two types of empathy that relate to resilience and the potential pitfalls that can result when we overextend ourselves.
🫂 Emotional empathy is more emotional, and involves feeling someone else’s feelings. When you do feel what others are feeling, you become more emotionally affected, which can drain or deplete you.
🫂 Cognitive empathy is more logical, and involves thoughtfully considering how someone else is feeling, without taking on any emotional burdens.
A balance between emotional and cognitive empathy is critical when helping someone struggling. This applies within the workplace as well as outside of it.
Additionally, it’s also important that we understand there are three types of esteem that relate to resilience, and one of them is the most potent in maintaining a resilient mindset.
👍 Pseudo Esteem: when people who you don’t know well tell you how good you are. Gaining likes on social media is an example of pseudo esteem.
👍 Real Esteem: when people who you do know well tell you how good you are. Compliments given by family and close friends are examples of real esteem.
👍 Self Esteem: the most impactful because it is not dependent on others or the social environment that you find yourself in. Self-esteem is essential to resilience.
I hope you enjoyed our 4-part series on resilience and how it can help you and your team avoid burnout. Visit the Lincoln Institute of Veterinary business website for more resources and support.
Monday 28 – Tuesday 29 August | The Hilton Surfers Paradise
Chris Gough is on a mission to empower business leaders and managers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to engage effectively with their people to create extraordinary results. The first half of Chris’ career was spent developing systems enabling him to create one of Australia’s most successful veterinary practice. Riverbank Animal Hospital, an ASAVA Accredited Hospital of Excellence, was benchmarked in 2015 as their top performing veterinary practice by recognised industry analysts. Chris joined Lincoln Institute as a student with Lincoln’s founder Paul Ainsworth in 2012. After completing Lincoln’s flagship Lead to Succeed program he was the first graduate invited to join Lincoln’s innovative mentoring and coaching program in 2015 and 12 months later he became a partner. Chris now heads up Lincoln’s talented Coaching Team, oversees Lincoln’s member benefits program, Lincoln Advantage and is also head of operations at Lincoln HQ.
Connect with Dr Chris:
Australia is experiencing a national shortage of veterinarians, and many veterinary practices are looking overseas to fill critical workforce gaps. Before an overseas-qualified veterinarian can work in Australia, one key question needs to be answered: Is their...
