Every team needs leadership. And leadership is required at many levels of a veterinary practice. The owner/CEO needs to establish a vision for the practice and to communicate that vision to the team and to their customers. Part of this vision is establishing a culture for the practice. The culture that is established will impact the success and/or failure of the enterprise very much. The office manager needs to establish clear expectations for how the office will run, who will be responsible for various tasks, and by when. These same needs are found in a team of technicians, kennel workers, barn staff, and any group of people organized into a team structure. Every team needs leadership, and many of your best leaders can come from those who work their way from the ground up.
It is crucial for leaders to establish clarity of expectations with their team, and to their customers. It is important for the practice owner(s) to provide opportunities for leadership development amongst the team if they intend to cultivate a business that will run successfully with or without their direct oversight. A high performing team knows their expectations and establishes definite plans for how to deliver to them. A good book on leadership that I recommend is called "Moving Mountains, Lessons in Leadership and Logistics from the Gulf War" by Lt. General William G. Pagonis. In the book, Lt. General Pagonis details the simple, clear components of leadership that he used in moving hundreds of thousands of soldiers and all of the supplies and equipment needed to support them to successfully undertake Desert Storm. Those same principles apply to every business or organization. Invest in leadership development. Invest in it for yourself and for your key employees.
