Leadership – The Old Rules Vs. The New Rules
Across the globe leadership is moving on, and especially in the veterinary industry, which let’s admit has been stuck in its way for some time. I have a headhunting firm alongside my coaching business, and my team tell me that almost every conversation they have, the topic of leadership (poor leadership specifically) comes up.
It’s time to abolish the old rules of leadership and invite in the new. Here are 3 old leadership rules, and the new rules that will create powerful results for your practice:
Old rule: Do as I say, not as I do
New rule: Do as I do, be as I be
Practices where there are rules for employees, but those same rules are optional for managers, are rarely healthy places to work. Leaders need to set an example; they need to walk their talk and demonstrate the behaviours they wish to see from their team. You won’t always be perfect, and that’s okay, you’re human, and I think there’s more space for leaders to be human these days than ever before.
Old rule: Lead with fear
New rule: Lead with love
For a long time, fear has been used to create order and control, but it comes with consequences. It creates an “every man for himself” mentality which prevents teamwork. If a team is collectively motivated by fear, you’ll see cliques or gangs forming because people will join forces to get the work done at all costs. Leaders that lead with fear will rarely receive feedback from their team because nobody dare speak up!
Leading with love probably has different meanings for different people. For me it’s choosing to see your team through the lens of “people are always doing their best” and feeling real compassion for individuals as humans and the experiences we go through inside and outside of work. It doesn’t mean being soft, it means treating people with respect and helping them achieve their potential in a caring and sensitive way.
Old rule: Follow me
New rule: Follow you
Follow me leadership is when a leader holds the power and control. It’s a leader who says, “Do this” instead of “What do you think?”
Follow you leadership is when a leader’s focus is on creating more leaders, bringing them to the centre of decision making, and inviting them to help you shape the future of the practice. It doesn’t mean you’re no longer the boss and you’re leaving the success of the practice solely in your employee’s hands. It means you’re leaning on the range of strengths and skills of the people in your team and collaborating with them. I personally find it incredibly humbling to ask my team, “What should we do next?” and, “What am I not seeing right now?”, because they have perspectives I would have never considered before.
These are just 3 examples of old versus new. What do you think?
