Key pointers on how to improve your emotional intelligence skills when moving into a leadership role within your veterinary practice
Moving into the next stage of your veterinary career can be exciting. If that next step involves stepping into a new leadership role, it can also be exhilarating and challenging. Whether you’re a veterinarian, veterinary nurse/tech, or a practice manager, if you want to excel as a leader, there are five crucial skills that, as a newcomer, you’ll need to build on. In the first post of this series: What are the 5 essential skills for new & emerging leaders in veterinary practice? we introduced the five essential skills, and in this post, we’ll delve a little deeper into the third of those skills – Emotional Intelligence
Enhancing emotional intelligence (EI) is crucial for successfully transitioning from a team member to a leadership role. As a leader, your interactions become more complex and influential, making EI skills even more vital. Here’s a guide with tips on improving EI skills and the changes required during this transition.
1. Self-Awareness
A good place to start cultivating self-awareness is by reflecting on your emotions, triggers, and how they influence your behaviour, interactions with others and decision-making. As a leader, self-awareness helps you regulate your emotions, respond thoughtfully, and set an example of emotional composure for your team.
2. Empathetic Listening
As a leader, your listening skills must also develop in a different direction, and you’ll need to transition from basic listening to empathetic listening. You can do this by practising active listening to help you genuinely understand others’ feelings and perspectives. As a leader, empathetic listening fosters trust, strengthens relationships, and helps you address your team’s emotional needs effectively.
3. Understanding Team Dynamics
In a leadership role, you’ll be constantly navigating diverse team dynamics. Enhancing your ability to comprehend the emotions and interactions within your team will help you to recognise potential conflicts, challenges, and opportunities and address them with emotional sensitivity.
4. Conflict Resolution
Developing conflict resolution skills is essential! As a leader, you’ll need to move from avoiding conflicts to addressing them constructively by focusing on understanding the underlying emotions and finding mutually beneficial solutions. Emotional intelligence skills will help you mediate disputes with empathy, foster resolution, and maintain the harmonious work environment that everyone needs.
5. Relationship Building
In a leadership role, your ability to build meaningful connections becomes essential. Develop rapport with your team by showing genuine interest in their well-being and growth. Strengthening relationships within your team fosters trust and encourages open communication, which is essential for a productive and successful team dynamic.
6. Self-Regulation
As a leader, you’ll need to transition from managing your own emotions to regulating them effectively, even in high-pressure situations. Self-regulation helps you make rational decisions, handle stress gracefully, and create a positive emotional climate within your team.
7. Feedback and Recognition
Delivering feedback to individual team members and the entire team needs to be done with empathy and constructive intent. You can improve your feedback skills by incorporating emotional intelligence, focusing on individual growth rather than criticism and aiming to motivate rather than discourage. Effective feedback nurtures trust, promotes improvement, and empowers your team.
8. Adaptability and Flexibility
As a leader, you’ll encounter diverse emotions and personalities within your team. Develop the necessary skills to adapt your approach to different individuals, tailoring your communication and support based on their emotional needs. This adaptability fosters a positive and inclusive team culture.
9. Coaching and Mentorship
As a successful leader, you’ll need to understand the developmental and emotional needs of your team members. This allows you to tailor your training and coaching to suit their individual growth requirements.
10. Continued Learning and Adaptation
Developing emotional intelligence is a continuous journey. As with all leadership skills, you’ll need to seek feedback, learn from experiences, and adapt your approach based on your experiences.
Every week, check out Vetanswers Members’ eNews, as we share a wide range of information with our Members and are constantly researching new and innovative solutions you can use in your new leadership role. Our Members receive the eNews in their inbox every Friday morning, and if you’re not already a member, join here – it’s FREE!
To help in your ‘continuous learning’ journey, you can also check out our online What’s On? Use the veterinary CPD calendar for interesting CPD events that can help you develop your emotional intelligence. Add ‘free’ in the search bar to track down all the freebie events!
Takeaway Points:
Improving emotional intelligence as a leader involves a shift from individual awareness to understanding and managing emotions within the team. Enhance empathetic listening, conflict resolution, and relationship-building skills to create a positive and emotionally intelligent work environment that supports your team’s growth and success.
Next…. Leadership skills for new and emerging leaders in veterinary practice. Essential Skill 4 – Delegation
Posts in the series:
What are the 5 essential skills for new & emerging leaders in veterinary practice?