By Carol Hurst, LVT, CVPM, CVJ, CCFP
When we think about the concept of Servant Leadership within a veterinary practice, we immediately start thinking of the fundamental concepts that make a good leader. One whose purpose is to serve their team and help inspire them to work toward shared goals. However, let’s present a broader concept. One that will serve the team as a whole, instead of just the leaders within it. This concept of servant leadership can be discussed at any level of the veterinary team. In fact, when our support team members have this leadership mindset, it can take the team to whole new levels. Of 10 fundamental servant leadership concepts, let’s break down the most critical for our support team members.
Active Listening
This is one of the most undervalued skills we possess but is critical for ensuring that all other inner workings of the practice thrive. Without good listening skills, we are unable to relay information the pet owners give us to the doctors and vise versa.
Stay Actively Engaged
Regardless of whether or not we are speaking with a client or team member, our to-do list is often a mile long and are among many distractions that can keep us from receiving the message. Keep yourself present and don’t let your mind wander during the conversation.
Reciprocate Body Language
Bring the appropriate amount of energy to the conversation at hand. If someone is more reserved for their sick pet, don’t walk in with the boundless energy from the previous new puppy visit.
Mirror the Message
One of the most important aspects of listening – you summarize the person’s message back to them so that you can ensure clarity. It may seem like an unnecessary step at times but don’t skip! You’ll be surprised how many times the sender will add or tweak the message based on your summary.
Maintain a Clean Slate
It can be easy when a client is frustrated to let that color your interaction. Make sure you receive the intended message by approaching each situation with a clean slate.
Plan a Thoughtful Response
If you have followed the above steps to prepare yourself to receive the entire message someone is trying to send, you should have no problem with crafting a thoughtful response. Pay attention to body language of the other person to ensure your message is being received.
Empathy
This is one of the strongest soft skills we can have in veterinary medicine. As much as we are deeply compassionate for the pets we serve, there is too much toxicity against client frustrations and inter-team dynamics. This doesn’t excuse bad behavior and certainly having a supportive leadership team is the foundation to that. However, employing empathy during day to day interactions helps with the sense of camaraderie, helpfulness and giving space to let go some of the emotional baggage that comes with being in the client service industry. Being able to truly employ empathy to the person sitting across from you, whether it is a client or a team member means that you are putting yourself in their shoes and seeing things from their life-lens. Judgement is reserved and compassion can be offered, staving off feelings of anxiety, anger and resentment. We all lead dynamic lives and often only see a slice of what that other person offers. Employing empathy ensures you keep this in mind when executing your interactions.
Building Community
What can the individual do to help encourage a community feel? No one would dispute that a clinic runs better when everyone works together as a team. There is a quote floating around that says,
“If you don’t take the first step…who will?”
We all wait for each other to be the “first,” the first to smile or make eye contact, the first to initiate a casual interaction, the first to make that connection. As a servant leader, taking that initiative should be a priority. Can you ask the newbie out to lunch? Can you employ empathy with the CSR team member that seems overwhelmed and offer to help? Can you put aside assumptions with that technician who always appears rude and offer a listening ear? Will you be first?
Awareness
Awareness has several different components. Can we identify how/what we are feeling at any given time? Can we identify how our actions impact others? Can we identify how others are feeling? Can we identify how our group as a whole is feeling? These are important and often complex concepts. The ones to pay most attention to if this is new territory is identifying how/what we are feeling at any given time and how our actions impact other’s feelings?
The first will help us ensure we are working at our full capacity. Do we take breaks when our body is telling us to? Can we identify what actions are stressful so that we can help prepare ourselves mentally? The second helps contribute to a harmonious environment. Do you take criticism well? Most people would say, “yes,” but still seem to be offended or set on edge when someone brings a concern to them. We must rely on the perceptions of others to help us see what behaviors we exhibit that may impact others in a negative fashion.
Commitment to Growth of People
While this refers to being invested in other’s growth, we can absolutely apply it both to others and to ourselves. There seems to be a mentality in veterinary medicine that if I help another grow, it diminishes my skills. As someone who has trained and coached over a decade, from the management perspective, that isn’t further from the truth. Those that are willing to build others up and share knowledge are far more valuable. The other side of this is personal professional growth. Are you a good role model? Do you uphold the values of the practice? Do you invest in yourself as a professional through continuing education? Being short-sighted and engaging in behaviors like gossip or rivalries goes against this principle.
Healing
The final concept is healing. Do we actively work to repair relationships? This can be fed from empathy and building community. Relatively speaking, our practices are small. If we don’t actively work toward healthy relationships, everyone suffers. If you wronged someone, are you quick to admit it? If you can’t “let go” of someone else’s actions, are you able to approach them in a mature manner? If someone comes to you with concerns over your behavior, can you be open and accepting, working towards personal improvement?
Conclusion
As members of the veterinary team, there are many leadership concepts that we can tackle to help overall clinic function and improvement. Our support team members are often knowledgeable professionals who are engaged in growing – these concepts should be considered as a compliment to other skills like IV catheter placement or proper telephone technique.