Leadership in Veterinary Medicine. Clive Elwood
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and a belief in their own brilliance that they do not see the risk to their patient of doggedly pursuing a futile treatment plan, when the wise decision would be to stop, take stock, seek other opinions and be humble.
3.3 Emotional Competencies
3.3.1 Self‐Awareness and Self‐Leadership
Self‐leadership is about applying awareness, motivation, regulation, development, support, and compassion to your own circumstance. You don't own a racehorse, keep it in a rough paddock, not exercise it, not groom it or pick its feet, not worm it and not care for it devotedly, and expect it to win the Derby. Chapter 4 is devoted to ‘Leading Yourself’ because this is such an important aspect of exercising leadership.
3.3.2 Internal Locus of Control
Those with a strong internal locus of control believe that events in their lives are determined more by their own actions than by chance or uncontrollable forces (Yukl and Gardner 2020). This belief supports leadership because if you believed you were at the mercy of external forces or events (external locus of control), what would be the point of trying to lead? Of course, having an internal locus of control is reasonable but believing you are invincible and can control all things is delusional and, in leadership, is likely to lead to irrational and high‐risk behaviours.
3.3.3 Self‐Confidence
Do you need self‐confidence to take on leadership? Many leaders may be racked with doubts and strong feelings of impostor syndrome but, paradoxically, manage to have the confidence to take on leadership and the ability to project confidence externally, whatever may be hidden inside. This shows an ability to silence the inner critic enough to get on with the job. Of course, this self‐confidence is helped if others show that they have confidence in you and if you have the right support.
Overconfidence and hubris are dangerous. Leadership that plays down real danger and has an excessive belief in its own powers is at risk of shutting down dissent and taking decisions that turn out to be catastrophic.
On the other hand, when someone in a leadership position lacks confidence (including the confidence to be vulnerable), it can lead to arguments, power struggles and a breakdown of group cohesion.
3.3.4 Compassion
Compassion is the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another's suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering (Hess‐Holden et al. 2019). It is related to, but not the same as, empathy. Veterinary medicine is, by definition, a compassionate profession and full of those who are motivated by compassion for their fellow creatures. A desire to relieve suffering is a powerful motivator and drives great good. For leadership, a compassionate mission is easy to promote and align with, perhaps more when compassion is aimed at the animals under our care than ourselves and our colleagues. Compassion for people can be lost when the needs of our animal charges are manifest but those in leadership must ensure that there is compassion for, and care of, their people too.
Too much compassion can be overwhelming and, when compassion for others is sustained and not balanced by compassion for ourselves and support from others (including leadership), it can be draining and lead to compassion fatigue. This is a state of profound physical and emotional exhaustion and a marked reduction in our ability to empathise. It has been characterised as a secondary traumatic stress and is a serious risk in caregivers, particularly at times of high demand (Cohen 2007).
‘I just don't care!’ are hardly the words you would want to hear from a leader. There are plenty of examples of leadership that is not compassionate, and outcomes are rarely encouraging. At best, followers may feel unappreciated, uncared for, disposable. At worst, they may be physically and emotionally damage, depersonalised, and capable of imposing great harm on others.
3.3.5 Energy
An achievement orientation is a common attribute in professionals and often a necessary driver to get through professional training (see Chapter 5). When this is applied to leadership, it means wanting and having the energy to drive positive outcomes for the group and organisation.
Achievement orientation that is not tempered by socialised power motivation and becomes all about ‘Me. Me. Me!’ is not a good sign in a leader. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be recognised for that achievement where your leadership contribution was significant. And there is nothing wrong with climbing a ladder, if that is what you want, but it should be on the back of results achieved through proper process, not manipulation of others, and not until true achievements have been delivered and are sustainable.
No one wants a leader who does not care and is not interested in making things better. In leadership, it is a reasonable expectation that you will deliver and achieve something in exchange for status and privilege.
3.3.6 Socialised Power Motivation
The willingness to exercise power is essential for leadership and can feel uncomfortable, certainly when one first moves into leadership. Some professionals have a low ‘formal’ power motivation and do not want to bear the responsibility of leadership. This motivation can grow and may be specific to a given situational need. A socialised power motivation means you are willing to exercise power in the service of the greater good, not just for your own ends (a personalised power motivation). In the veterinary professions, which have a compassionate and broadly altruistic background, only a socialised power motivation is likely to be authentic and aligned with those around you.
With an excess of power motivation might the risk of moving into areas of overcontrol and a damaging focus on ends as opposed to means. When power motivation is not social, but is personalised, ends are for personal gain and might well be at the expense of others.
Without some drive to take on leadership, however, no one would step into leadership roles and we have seen the importance and benefit of leadership. Wanting to take on leadership is not something to be ashamed of, as long as the goals are benign.
Bernie had drifted along for a while, initially enjoying the early years as a veterinary assistant but having no interest in moving up the leadership ladder. For a while, Bernie's drive and enjoyment in veterinary work waned and she very nearly gave up the profession. Then she realised that there was a need to provide in‐house end of life care services and an opportunity to develop a meaningful, values driven business. Gradually, as a small business grew into a much larger enterprise, Bernie found that supporting, developing, encouraging, and directing others when the end goal was something she really cared about, was enjoyable, fulfilling, and worthwhile.
3.4 Intuition
Using your intuition is about listening to, and cautiously trusting, your ‘sixth sense’ (Gooley and Gower 2018). We are bombarded with sensory data and we each make sense of that in our own way. As data scientists, veterinary professionals are suspicious of, and sometimes trained out of, trusting intuition. But clinicians can legitimately apply all their experience and unconsciously perceived information about the current situation to apply heuristics (mental short cuts) to create action; the same is true of leadership. The key is learning to sense‐check and avoid cognitive errors at the same time.
3.4.1