VHMA 2016 Annual Meeting and Conference Management Musts October 20 22, 2016 Hilton Vancouver, Vancouver, WA

Transcription

1 VHMA 2016 Annual Meeting and Conference Management Musts October 20 22, 2016 Hilton Vancouver, Vancouver, WA Leadership is "Leading Up" Jennifer Hock, M.S.S.L., DEL Leading up is a process and the act of working with people in a leadership position above you. Leading up involves equal parts of diplomacy, intuition, honesty, and tenacity. This session will explore how to effectively form partnerships, build a collaborative team, practice political savvy and use influential power as tools for leading up. For years, practice managers have worked religiously in gaining the trust of those they work for; this session will demonstrate how they can expertly exercise that trust with confidence and conviction. Introduction One of the biggest misconceptions about leadership is that it is associated with title or rank. Leadership is not a position, but rather a process. It is a process of influence that can be learned and practiced by everyone. People follow people, not positions. It is important to establish this point in the beginning. There have been some significant examples of this throughout recent history. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. was not a man of position but rather a man of influence. The same could be said for Mother Theresa. She held no official title, yet her influence was interminable. Although veterinary practice managers and administrators are often times in positions of authority, the authority generally (not in all cases) stops when it comes to associate veterinarians and/or practice owners. The challenge for practice managers is how to effectively lead those who are above them either by position or title. Essentially, it is the challenge of leading up and the ability to lead the leader. Practice managers lead on the edge of and across boundaries, often in areas in which they have no direct authority. In other words, the practice owner(s) has the final word. Practice managers recognize the system in which their practice operates and work to navigate around boundaries. However, to accomplish the goal of leading the leader, practice managers must establish partnerships, build a collaborative team, practice political savvy and use influential power (personal power).

2 Leading Up Forming A Partnership A partnership is where two or more people work together to accomplish an objective or goal. This means the partnership is voluntarily agreed upon, built on the desire to have trust, and based on mutual benefits in achieving a goal. It is important that practice managers establish a partnership(s) with their practice owners or those who hold a position above them. Practice managers who are able to create a partnership have positioned themselves to lead up. Typically, in a partnership, authority and title take a back seat in the delegation of tasks, decision making, and conflict resolution. Roles and responsibilities are generally assigned depending on the demands of the objectives or goals and the particular competencies of both the practice owner and practice manager. In a partnership, the emphasis is always on the objective or goal and therefore, the practice manager and owner need to have access to the same information at all times. There also needs to be established trust that each is doing their part. The components involved with partnerships that foster trust include: Openly self disclosing information and giving feedback Creating trust through attitude, behaviors, and actions Creatively resolving conflicts and solving problems Facilitating change Valuing interdependence (but work independently)

3 By building a partnership with the practice owner, the practice manager has established a level playing field in the sharing of ideas, strategies, and fundamental leadership initiatives. This places the practice manager in a position of leadership equal to that of the practice owner. Building a Collaborative Team A practice manager s ability to build a high performing team with the capacity to collaborate on practice objectives and goals is a demonstration of leadership acumen. This is the credibility piece of leading up and helps establish trust between the practice owner and manager. When a practice owner can see how well the practice manager has orchestrated a well oiled team, he or she will no longer see them as a subordinate but rather an equal in the activity of leading the practice. This allows the practice manager to approach any subject (even those that may have been considered taboo) requiring change. A team s success depends on realistic expectations being set from the beginning. Everyone should be aware of why the team exists through a wellestablished mission and vision and that it is clearly and continually communicated. One of the best approaches to building a collaborative team is through invested engagement. Invested engagement is how a team becomes committed to an objective as well as to each other. Practice managers need to be actively involved in the five steps of team engagement: Know Them First and foremost, learn as much about your team as possible. Learn individual as well as team strengths and weakness. Know what the team is capable of and continue to coach for excellence. Grow Them Foster a collaborative culture by having team members teach what they know to others while also learning new skills. Create activities that encourage working as a team to accomplish practice objectives and goals. Inspire Them Help the team find meaning and purpose in the day to day activities they do every day. Involve Them Empower the team to be creative contributors to the practice. Allow them to be a part of some (they cannot be a part of all decision making) decision making and help resolve practice problems.

4 Reward Them Express appreciation and gratitude for team victories regardless of how small it may seem. The idea is to reward collaborative behavior that enriches the whole team while supporting the practice mission and vision. Political Savvy Sometimes practice managers must exhibit leadership by actively influencing those who make the final the decisions, in other words, leading up. Part of the role as practice manager and as change agent, is to get people on board and demonstrate political savvy. What is political savvy? Political savvy identifies the internal and external influences that impact the workflow of the practice. It s about approaching each problem or situation with a clear understanding of the practice s reality, and recognizing the impact of alternative courses of action. Here are some helpful strategies in developing political savvy: 1. Be the strength to the practice owner s weaknesses: In developing the aptitude to lead the leader, become the expert in areas that the practice owner has no interest in or lacks the skill set for. This strengthens the practice manager s partnership while simultaneously positions them as equal contributors. 2. Be a transparent team player: Develop transparent relationships in all directions within the team. It is important that practice managers are in the know of everything going on in the practice. The best way to achieve this by being honest and forthright with everyone in the practice. 3. Toot you own horn: This does not mean being an insufferable braggart but it does mean to subtly find natural ways to showcase achievements. A good method for this is to distribute regular progress reports on how practice objectives and goals are being met. 4. Demonstrate passion: Veterinarians by nature are deeply sensitive to the intrinsic feelings and emotions of the work they do. It is important to practice owners for practice managers to be energizing and demonstrate passion and commitment to the profession. Influential Power (Personal Power) The difference between position and influence has to do with the difference between Authority and Power. Often times the two are confused and misused interchangeably. Authority can be defined as a legitimate right to influence others based on position. Power, on the other hand, is the capacity to influence others without assigned authority. Power can exist without authority and is generally called personal power.

5 Authority Top Down Power Leading from where you are Leading up Two important personal power sources that Practice Manager s can tap into. Referent Power Expert Power Referent Power Referent power is the ability to identify with those who have desirable personal traits. It is also sometimes called charismatic power. This comes from the personal characteristics of the person. For example, it can be associated with a person s energy, endurance, empathy, toughness, humor, and charm. Referent power in leadership is the ability of practice managers to cultivate the respect and admiration of his or her followers to the point of influencing their behavior. This kind of power (referent) has nothing to do with position or title. Practice managers have the ability to tap into this power source to lead up. Expert Power Expert power refers to the power that people have who have special knowledge or skills that set them apart. People tend to listen more to those who demonstrate expertise. Expert power does not require position or title to be exercised. This relates back to the political savvy strategy of Be the strength to the practice owner s weaknesses. Practice managers are unique in this arena because they do have specialized skills that are paramount to the successful business of veterinary medicine. Practice managers need to capitalize on this and continually sharpen and develop their own skills sets to ensure demonstrated competency and expertise. Personal Power is the combination of positive traits and skills and characteristics a person possesses that makes them naturally appealing to others. Unlike positional power, which is external, personal power is internally driven and needs no permission.

6 Exercising Trust For many practice managers, it takes years to earn the trust and credibility of their practice owner(s). Earning trust is especially important in building relationships based on mutual respect. In order to effectively lead the leader, this trust and credibility must already be established. If not, then it becomes necessary to first practice being a good follower and work towards earning the trust and credibility needed to effectively and expertly lead. For those practice managers who have earned trust and credibility, the challenge becomes to exercise that trust by pushing just beyond the safety of a comfort zone. For example, a practice manager may need to ask the practice owner to take a leap of faith to allow the manager to move forward on an initiative that the practice owner may not be entirely comfortable with. This is a demonstration of exercising trust. Leading leaders is about demonstrating diplomacy, intuition, honesty, and tenacity. There is no room for self doubt or hesitation. Practice managers must navigate through their inherited situations with conviction and understanding that their contributions in leading the practice are of equal value of those in positions above them.