Leadership at MHS Spay/Neuter Clinic

VME 6819 6B Essay Clair Hammond

Analyzing how I will apply leadership skills and decision-making models to leadership in my local animal shelter reveals challenges while practicing inclusion and avoiding bias in the shelter environment. When selecting leaders in animal shelters, we should consider many qualities and traits. Leadership is defined as the act of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal (What is Leadership). It captures the ability to inspire others. I will first describe different leadership styles I can use in the role (Bombardier, 2022). As an agriculture teacher working with my local shelter, I can use a "Coaching Style" by mentoring students and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses while developing each student's skill set. I can focus on education and training. I can communicate my expectations clearly promoting a positive learning environment. Throughout the training process, especially for less experienced students, an "Autocratic Leadership Style" may be needed when students need direct supervision. An example would be to use this style while enforcing cleaning protocols in the shelter or surgical prep in the spay-neuter clinic. As my students become more confident, a more relaxed and hands-off style can be used when students complete daily tasks such as feeding and cleaning cages offering a great deal of autonomy and allowing me to focus on other projects. I can also use the "Democratic Leadership Style" with the veterinary and shelter staff by asking for input and feedback from the team before making decisions and working to build a consensus, creating an open and collaborative atmosphere where discussion and synergy are encouraged. Team members will feel their voices are heard and considered before decisions are made. I think the most essential and beneficial leadership style I can strive to use is "Servant Leadership." Servant leaders (IMD, 2022) are very giving, consistently putting the team's needs above theirs. They're always asking what they can do to help others and are giving, consistently putting the team's needs above their own.

As an animal shelter team leader, I should evaluate the ideas and perceptions about traits leaders should have and how they should be used in their leadership roles. First, honesty and integrity come to mind. It is necessary to act in the best interest of the shelter organization, the shelter animals, and the community as a whole while being transparent and honest in your actions. The ability to resolve conflict is necessary to effectively approach problems and directly collaborate with the team to create solutions and evaluate the outcomes of the issues. Two-way communication requires more than directing and delegating responsibility. Taking time to listen to the team members' input and perspectives provides leaders with valuable insight from diverse members of their teams while offering constructive feedback and helping to build relationships. Strong teams who feel valued will achieve their goals. The ability to adapt your leadership style to different situations and different groups keeps teams motivated and engaged. I might use one leadership style when working with students in the spay-neuter clinic and another when meeting with the shelter management team or the county commission. Self-awareness as a leader helps one to understand their limits, know when to seek support from others and be professional. Empathy and compassion are among the most critical leadership traits needed to work as a leader in an animal shelter environment. It is necessary to understand others' feelings and listen to the perspectives of others who work in the shelter and the animals in your care. Lastly, having a clear vision is needed as a leader in an animal shelter's team. The ability to be creative and initiate and influence change is crucial to motivating and inspiring others.

Many decisions are made daily in an animal shelter requiring many different decision-making models. The systemic decision-making model is a slow and deliberate process ensuring all the facts are considered (6.6 - What Kind of Decision Maker Are You?). This model helps establish new programs in the shelter, such as starting a spay-neuter program. It would allow you to carefully consider all options and gather facts before making decisions. I use an intuitive decision-making style daily relying heavily on feelings based on hunches and instincts. There are better decision-making models than this; however, it is reasonable to use intuitive decision-making for trivial or low-value decisions in the shelter, such as the best cat litter to purchase or the brand of rabies vaccine to buy and when speed is critical to a successful outcome. For example, expect to rely more heavily on intuitive decision-making in an emergency. Examples include choices made during surgery or by first responders in a crisis. In both cases, participants should undergo extensive training that helps build experience patterns to improve intuition and decision-making ability and utilize a checklist to minimize mistakes (Fosslien, 2022). A dependent decision-making style depends on other people's support. This style should be used for important decisions where the advice and direction of others are needed. When one person is uncomfortable making decisions alone, a group can be established to help make difficult decisions (Emmerling & Rooders, 2020). An example that comes to mind would be choosing which animals to commit for transport to another shelter or rescue or making a euthanasia list. Group decision-making is helpful in this situation since we have errors and biases. Forming a team will help cope with the complexity of the decision and better utilize the knowledge and skill of the group and enable flexibility. Group decision-making can foster motivation and commitment getting buy-in from the group. The avoidant decision-making style is one that should be avoided at all costs. One situation I have personally seen in the shelter is a manager failing to deal with a bad employee. The manager may prevent the problematic situation of firing or confronting an employee because of the fear and anxiety associated with the task.

Practicing inclusion while avoiding biases can be done by using groupthink in the decision-making process. Establishing a diverse group with different backgrounds can avoid biases or stereotypes learned from society and our culture over time—an example of confirmation bias in the adoption process. Adoptions are often denied due to the lack of a fenced-in yard or the availability of veterinarians in the area (Adopters Welcome Finding, Engaging and Supporting More Adopters, n.d.). There is considerable bias against breeds such as "pit" type breeds due to the dog fighting culture and the negative bias associated with the breed's temperament. Being aware of these common biases can help us make better decisions in the adoption process. Another tendency is that an employee feels discriminated against for certain traits or identities, and this can result in employees feeling excluded and an overall toxic work environment. Acknowledging that the bias exists is the first step in reducing the negative impact of unconscious bias. Then it takes commitment, concerted effort, and practical training to eliminate the bias. For example, include a diverse group of individuals in the hiring process and make sure more than one individual is involved when making promotion, pay, discipline, and termination decisions. You can also look for ways to introduce elements of anonymity in your hiring process. (“15 Ideas for Improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”). For example, you can make it a policy to remove names when giving resumes and applications to the person who decides whom to call in for interviews, reducing both explicit and implicit discrimination since you cannot act on any biases because the individual's identity is entirely unknown.

References and course readings.

Adopters Welcome Finding, Engaging and Supporting More Adopters. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2023, from https://humanepro.org/sites/default/files/documents/Adopters_Welcome_Manual_5-15-2020.pdf

Bombardier, K. (2022, August 10). What are the Different Types of Leadership & Styles - Emeritus. Emeritus Online Courses. https://emeritus.org/blog/different-types-of-leadership/

Emmerling, T., & Rooders, D. (2020, September 22). 7 Strategies for Better Group Decision-Making. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/09/7-strategies-for-better-group-decision-making

Fosslien, L. (2022, February 28). How to Make Good Decisions that Work With Your Feelings. Medium. https://betterhumans.pub/decision-making-checklist-4cb7ae6ccca6

IMD. (2022, August 5). The 5 Most Common Leadership Styles & How to Find Yours. Www.imd.org. https://www.imd.org/reflections/leadership-styles/

Team, H. S. B. (n.d.). 15 Ideas for Improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Sbshrs.adpinfo.com. https://sbshrs.adpinfo.com/blog/15-ideas-for-improving-diversity-equity-and-inclusion

What Is Leadership? - The Balance Small Business. https://www.thebalancemoney.com/leadership-definition-2948275