Key pointers on how to improve your delegation 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 final of those skills – Adaptability.
Adaptability and continuous learning are essential at any stage of your veterinary career, but this skill is especially important when transitioning from a team member to a leadership role. As a leader, the scope of responsibilities broadens, requiring a dynamic approach to navigate the challenges and complexities of leadership effectively. Every day is different, and every situation within those days can be different.
1. Adaptability
In a leadership role, the environment in which you work becomes more fluid and dynamic. The ability to adapt becomes crucial as you face unforeseen challenges, shifting priorities, and evolving circumstances.
Unlike a team member role, where tasks are often well-defined and focused, leadership requires the ability to swiftly adjust strategies and tactics and address situations as they emerge.
2. Continuous Learning
Stepping into a leadership role requires a commitment to lifelong learning. This isn’t too unusual in the veterinary industry as the reality is, that every position requires a commitment to lifelong learning.
However, while team members may focus on mastering specific skills, you’ll need to cultivate a diverse skill set as a leader. Continuous learning lets you stay updated on industry trends, management techniques, and emerging technologies, ensuring you make informed decisions and lead your team effectively.
As team members come and go, you’ll also need to develop a range of management and leadership skills to deal with your team members’ different personalities and situations.
3. Shift from Execution to Strategy
As a team member, your focus was primarily on task execution. However, as a leader, your role transforms from doing to strategising and guiding. Adaptability involves shifting your mindset from “doing” to “leading.” You must learn to delegate tasks, empower your team, and focus on the bigger picture while adjusting your approach based on changing circumstances.
4. Embrace Ambiguity
This can be a tough one, as unlike your role as a team member, which often involves specific job descriptions, leadership roles are multifaceted and involve uncertainty. Adaptability requires you to embrace ambiguity, make decisions despite incomplete information, and maintain composure when faced with the unknown. And try to keep a smile on your face at the same time!
5. Manage Diverse Relationships
In your role as a leader, you interact with a broader range of stakeholders, from team members to senior managers, clients, colleagues and suppliers, all of whom have different needs and expectations. Continuous learning will help you to improve and further develop your interpersonal and communication skills. This, in turn, will help you to effectively engage with a wide range of personalities and build strong relationships.
6. Influence and Decision-Making
A significant component of your leadership roles involves influencing and guiding others. Adaptability requires mastering different styles of influence based on the situation and individuals involved. Continuous learning focuses on refining your decision-making skills, encompassing strategic thinking, risk assessment, and ethical considerations.
7. Change Management
Adapting to change and guiding your team through it are key leadership responsibilities. Continuously learning about change management strategies will equip you with the tools to navigate transitions smoothly and inspire your team to embrace new directions.
8. Resilience
One of THE most essential skills within the veterinary industry is resilience. Adaptability and continuous learning contribute to your resilience as a leader. You learn from failures, refine your strategies, and bounce back stronger. Resilience enables you to persevere through challenges and setbacks, inspiring your team to do the same.
9. Innovation and Growth
Leadership roles demand innovative thinking to drive growth and improvement. Adaptability encourages you to explore new ideas, while continuous learning ensures you stay informed about emerging trends and possibilities.
Takeaway Points:
In essence, transitioning from a team member to a leader requires you to embrace adaptability and continuous learning as core principles. These qualities allow you to lead effectively, navigate complexities, and foster a culture of growth and innovation within your team and veterinary business.
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 and adaptability journey, you can also check out our online What’s On? Veterinary CPD Calendar. Use the search feature on the online CPD calendar to find interesting CPD events that can help develop your leadership skills.
Posts in the series:
What are the 5 essential skills for new & emerging leaders in veterinary practice?