Are you new to a leadership role? Or, perhaps you seek to develop into a leadership role? Maybe you were “voluntold” to be in a leadership role because you excelled in the previous role you were in? Whatever the scenario is, it will be a journey. The journey will be whatever you make it, so here are some tips to make it the best one possible:

• Be Selfish: Yeah, I said it. As a leader, you will sacrifice a lot. You will sacrifice time with family, sleep and even friendships. However, there are times you HAVE to lead by example. This includes doing things to take care of yourself. Start early by “practicing what you preach” to your team. Take vacations, establish boundaries and ask for feedback (A LOT). By doing these things you are showing your team that they are not only important enough for them to do, but for you to do also.
• Be Humble: Management can be a dark and lonely place sometimes. However, the best leaders are those that the team trusts and are approachable. It’s not enough to just say “I have an open-door policy”, you have to live it. Ask for feedback from your team. Solicit constructive criticism. Create a two-way communication environment. I never claim to know everything, but I tap into my team when I come across a problem I don’t know how to solve.
• Be a Servant: One thing I was told early on in my career was that the best leaders and mangers build others up. They develop a team that could operate without them, and individuals that could replace them if needed. That allows them to grow into other roles when the time comes. A “servant leader” is one who understands that an organization is successful by focusing on the team and the clients rather than the bottom line. Profit will follow a positive culture, a positive culture does not always follow profit.

Include a summary of professional development information in your employee manual. Not only does this give prospective and current employees clear and concise information for how they progress within the practice – but it can also serve to help practice leadership stay accountable. This might look like:
ABC Clinic is committed to a workplace focused on learning and advancement for our team. The professional development structure is outlined below but it also requires self-motivation from the employee for progression to the next level.

• Quarterly 1-1s serve to give the employee and leadership space to discuss projects, goals and any other forms of progress.
• Annual performance reviews are bolstered by the 1-1s and give the employee and leadership space to review progress.
• Training levels are detailed for each position and serve to train on the core competencies needed for the position.
• Additional training opportunities are listed in each training binder and are available as training levels are completed.
• Additional growth opportunities include team or shift leader opportunities (as available), role manager (social media, inventory, OSHA/Safety Officer, etc) and specialized training are based on a set of minimum skill requirements, availability and resources. Details are listed in the training binder.