There’s No Veterinary Wellbeing Without Positive Leadership

When it comes to wellbeing, other people matter. In both life and work, those we are surrounded by influence our happiness. In fact, some data suggests the quality of relationships we have at work may account for a significant portion of our overall life satisfaction. And no single work relationship has more impact than the relationship with our boss.

When I met Greta – the woman who would become my wife – she was an analytical chemist at a major global biopharmaceutical company. Her work was deeply meaningful as she helped life-saving cancer drugs make their way to market. Each day her mind was challenged in ways that gave her an enduring sense of growth and accomplishment. Her colleagues were more than co-workers, they were friends she holds dear almost 20 years later. The company compensated its employees generously and offered benefits and perks that would make most of us jealous.

In almost every way it was an ideal job. Yet, she was miserable. You see, Greta’s manager treated her horribly. 

Leadership Matters

I often refer to leadership roles as coming with a “beautiful burden”. Especially in middle-management, leaders are burdened with incredible responsibility. It’s a heavy, often lonely, weight they carry.

However, carrying the title of “leader” also affords individuals a beautiful opportunity to influence the lives of worthy people in positive ways. You see, leaders can nurture wellbeing in others in powerful ways. In their 2022 study, “A Meta-Analysis of the Relative Contribution of Leadership Styles to Followers’ Mental Health”, which included 53 studies and over 90,000 participants, Montano and colleagues found a significant relationship between leadership behaviors and team member mental health and wellbeing.

As leaders, if we choose to “show up” in positive, supportive, goal-oriented ways we are likely to have a positive impact on those that follow us. This hypothesis was confirmed in a 2022 study that my consulting firm, Flourish Veterinary Consulting, conducted.  

We surveyed nearly 600 veterinary professionals who met two criteria: they held active employment in veterinary medicine and reported on some level to a “boss”. Participants then completed a two-part survey. Part 1 provided a list of 16 positive leadership behaviors and participants were essentially asked, “Does your boss do this?” Part 2 attempted to measure several participant psychometric factors such as intention to quit, job satisfaction, and workplace wellbeing.

The study findings revealed a strong relationship between the impression of a boss’s positive leadership behavior and follower wellbeing. For example, participants who reported their manager does not practice positive leadership reported, on average, “just getting by” at work. Comparatively, participants who reported working for a manager who does practice positive leadership reported, on average, “doing well despite the stress and challenges” at work. The difference was striking – participants who reported working for a positive leader were over 2-times more likely to report feeling resilient at work.

How to Lead “Positively”

A robust review of current leadership literature combined with some of the veterinary-specific work cited here has led us to conclude that there are at least 4 key behaviors leaders can commit to practicing if they want to enhance the wellbeing of their teams:

1. Invite and celebrate voice. High-performing teams accomplish great things because they embrace an almost constant state of learning, development, and innovation. The accomplishments that come from this approach contribute to professional fulfillment, ultimately boosting wellbeing. However, this mindset rarely occurs on its own. It’s cultivated, fertilized by psychological safety. And leaders play a critical role in establishing team psychological safety.
2. Show people how they matter. Mattering – the belief that we are seen, valued, and needed in the world – is a foundational element of wellbeing. At work, the belief we matter comes in large part from the belief we matter to our boss. Do the people around you matter to you?  Do they do work that matters? If so, show them how.
3. Help people accomplish meaningful things. Research suggests that wellbeing is, at least in part, fueled by the experience of growth and achievement. No one likes the feeling of stagnation, personally or professionally, and we actively avoid regression. Positive leaders take the time to understand the goals and aspirations of their team members and find ways to help them move toward them. Bonus points for leaders who can align individual goals to the goals of the organization.
4. Build community. At our core we are social creatures. Yes, even the introverts among us crave, and need, human connection. Research suggests human medical practitioners who believe leadership cares about them as a person report higher levels of job satisfaction and deliver better patient care. Positive leaders excel in connecting with their teams in meaningful, personal ways. They also cultivate these connections between team members.

The days of dictatorial or directive leadership are behind us, in large part because people who work in those environments find their wellbeing depleted. On the other hand, thriving people don’t just feel better, they do better work. For veterinary medicine to fully deliver on its purpose, we’ll need as many positive leaders as we can get.