{"id":77978,"date":"2025-08-01T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T04:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/?p=77978"},"modified":"2025-07-23T18:35:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T22:35:15","slug":"psychological-safety-veterinary-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/navc.sitepreview.app\/todaysveterinarybusiness.com\/psychological-safety-veterinary-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Psychological Safety Is the Lifeline of Veterinary Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

I<\/span>n 1971, my dad graduated from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2014, I began working as his clinic manager and watched him grapple with rapid changes in the field. He had a keen eye for inefficiency and hesitated to adopt anything new if it added avoidable expense. For instance, he balked as the staff advocated for a Fear Free approach to reduce pet anxiety and stress during visits. Dad was old school. He relished opportunities to show new staff how to do a solo blood draw by tethering an unruly dog to the stainless-steel lift table \u2014 his \u201ciron extern.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

We spent countless hours scrutinizing profit and loss statements and tracking key performance indicators. Metrics such as revenue by full-time equivalent veterinarian, client lifetime value, average transaction per client and inventory turnover became the foundation of our decision-making. While these indicators are essential for profitability and sustainability, authentic leadership is about people, not KPIs.<\/span><\/p>\n

In retrospect, I was guilty of managing our numbers rather than leading our people. Our culture was broken. Working at the clinic felt like being tethered to a cold, mechanical iron extern. While we invested in reducing our patients\u2019 fear, anxiety and stress, we failed to foster a supportive environment for our staff. Our employees were asking, \u201cFear Free, but what about me?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture as a Competitive Advantage<\/span><\/h3>\n

Improving workplace culture is one of the most significant challenges that veterinary clinics face. A 2023 survey by the American Animal Hospital Association reported that about 30% of veterinary professionals planned to leave their jobs, with many considering exiting the profession entirely. The problem is not going away. <\/span><\/p>\n

Our clinic was not immune to the factors driving turnover. As the region\u2019s only 24-hour hospital, we took in many of the most severe cases. Our doctors regularly worked past their 12-hour shifts due to medical emergencies or having to triage transfers from neighboring clinics. <\/span><\/p>\n

Somedays, economic euthanasia seemed to be our patients\u2019 leading cause of death. We compounded the problem when we offered walk-in euthanasia. We reasoned it was challenging for pet owners to muster the courage to say goodbye, so we wanted to be there when they were ready. The staff showed unmistakable signs of burnout and compassion fatigue. <\/span><\/p>\n

We launched internship programs with veterinary and technician schools to prepare for the predictable employee turnover. Through conversations with students, we learned that workplace culture and mentorship were more important to them than compensation. <\/span><\/p>\n

The students recognized something we did not fully grasp. A toxic workplace culture is the No. 1 reason people leave their jobs and is 10.4 times more likely to drive attrition than pay, according to a study from MIT\u2019s Sloan School of Management.<\/span><\/p>\n

While managing the clinic, I pursued a Ph.D. in values-driven leadership, researching how leader behavior affects psychological safety. The journey led to a paradigm shift in <\/span>my understanding of authentic leadership. It\u2019s about building strong relationships, fostering open communication, holding ourselves and others accountable, <\/span>and cultivating a psychologically safe work environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Retired veterinarian Dr. David Hall affirmed this leadership approach, telling me: \u201cTurnover goes down and morale goes up when you foster a safe work environment. As a huge bonus, I started to enjoy my staff when I learned to love them instead of looking at them as the enemy within. We all were beneficiaries. I\u2019m just sorry it took me so long to figure it out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So, What Is Psychological Safety?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dr. Amy C. Edmondson, a professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School, defines psychological safety as \u201ca shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Psychological safety\u2019s magic lies in its simplicity. It is an individual\u2019s experience of feeling safe enough to exhibit vulnerable behaviors, such as asking a question, sharing an idea, admitting a mistake or speaking truth to power. Without psychological safety, people often choose the risk-free route of silence, avoiding any chance of embarrassment, judgment or retribution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research from the consulting firm McKinsey shows that only 26% of leaders are effective at fostering psychological safety in their teams. Many leaders mistakenly assume they have a healthy work environment because no one openly disagrees or brings up thorny issues. Instead, these cultures may be experiencing dysfunctional harmony, stifling communication, innovation and productivity. <\/span><\/p>\n

Psychological safety is a personal experience, but its benefits for organizations are realized within teams. Because people feel comfortable working through disagreements and challenging each other, the best solutions emerge \u2014 not from a comfortable consensus but from constructive conflict and a commitment to a shared mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Do You Get It?<\/span><\/h3>\n

Work cultures develop as employees make sense of their leaders\u2019 behavior and other environmental cues. Employees who perceive leaders as well-meaning are more likely to trust them and give them the benefit of the doubt when mistakes occur. Psychological safety is rooted in whether employees believe a leader will extend the same benefit of the doubt when they fail. Over time, individual opinions of the environment merge into a shared awareness, answering the question, \u201cAre we safe?\u201d That perception is the foundation of the work culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Culture defines what is tolerated as normal and acceptable. It forms the collective expectation of how things get <\/span>done. Leaders must understand their culture, as it can influence the strategies an organization can successfully implement. Since culture begins with how employees make sense of their environment, what you tolerate from your team members \u2014 and especially from yourself as a manager or owner \u2014 shapes the culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

Psychological safety scales and becomes a defining characteristic of the work culture. When team members are free from the fear of reprisal, self-protection instincts diminish within a group, leading to better decisions and outcomes. <\/span><\/p>\n

Leaders who aspire to foster psychological safety should keep the following tips in mind:<\/span><\/p>\n