Jo has over 15 years of management and leadership experience, having successively worked her way up to the role of Managing Director of Veterinary Business Development (VBD). Seeking a change, she retrained as a Leadership and Development Coach and started her own company, Shine Coaching.
Jo oversees both individual and corporate coaching programmes and is passionate about helping recently promoted managers become confident leaders through tailor-made leadership coaching and mentoring.
What inspired you to become a Leadership and Development Coach and was it daunting to take a change of direction in your career?
The first gem of an idea to do something different was during sessions with my own coach. He asked me what I loved doing and what I was great at. Immediately, I thought of all the times anyone in the team came to me with a question and we’d spend time talking it through. It’s incredibly rewarding seeing someone with a smile and filled with possibility, when they came to you with a frown and completely stuck in what they were doing. It was a real lightbulb moment for me, which triggered the next one: “Wow, if my coach can help me feel as great as this, what if I could help other people in the same way?”
Was it daunting? Great question! It didn’t feel like it at the time, it just felt like something I wanted and ‘needed’ to do, an inner drive or purpose. Occasionally, I look back and think, “Am I, or was I, brave or mad?” but it’s always surpassed by that sense of purpose. And yes, I’m now a business owner rather than an employee but I’m doing what I love, and I get to do it every day. I consider myself very lucky in that regard.
How common is it for new leaders to feel out of their depth, and do you think there is sometimes a reluctance to ask for support?
It’s very common. They often think their new role is ‘just’ an extension of the previous one, but it isn’t. it’s a totally new job with new responsibilities, priorities and potentially a new team. And if the company basically says, “Congratulations! Now, off you go”, it can leave the new leader feeling very isolated. They don’t know where to turn.
I don’t think it’s necessarily a reluctance on the leader’s part to ask for support. If there’s the right culture in the business i.e., one of ‘How can we help?’ and they have a good relationship with their manager, they’ll feel confident and safe in asking for help. Asking for help isn’t because something’s wrong and needs fixing, it’s about getting support to become even better than we are now – and getting there faster than we can on our own.
“Asking for help isn’t because something’s wrong … it’s about getting support to become even better than we are now”
Do you find that managers can sometimes fall into ineffective leadership styles if they are not supported, and what effect might this have on the larger team?
Absolutely, yes. Left unsupported, they have fewer resources to draw on so they’re relying on things like instinct and role models to some extent. This could be absolutely fine, but it feels to me like being told to figure out, by yourself, how to drive a car. There’s a reason we have driving instructors!
My point is, in almost all circumstances, we wouldn’t ask someone to do something they haven’t been trained to do, yet businesses are full of new leaders who don’t have what they need to be the best leader they can be. It can then impact their team in so many ways, for example: nothing being delegated to them, they don’t have the right priorities, they start to feel apathetic about their job, and presenteeism creeps in. Conversely, a highly effective team is bigger than the sum of its parts and can achieve amazing results.
What do you think are the most important qualities in a leader?
That’s a tough one, it’s not a short list! It’s a privileged position to be in and one that requires a number of qualities. But it can also be a choice we make – anyone can choose to behave as a leader, whether it appears to be in their job title or not. In other words, leadership doesn’t have to be bestowed upon us.
Emotional intelligence is incredibly important. Leaders absolutely need to understand how their behaviour is impacting on those around them. The ability to build trust is the foundation of great teamwork, as highlighted perfectly by Patrick Lencioni in the book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
Vulnerability and humility in a leader show their team that they’re not perfect – and that the team don’t have to be either – and that they don’t have to have all the answers and are willing to listen. This brings me to active listening, really listening to understand the other person and not just listening to respond.
“Vulnerability and humility in a leader show their team that they’re not perfect – and that the team don’t have to be either”
Analysis by gender shows that a far greater proportion of men than women work
in veterinary director roles. Have you ever felt overlooked or outnumbered as a female leader and, if so, how did you ensure that your voice was still heard?
I guess a lot of it is about self-confidence and self-belief, which is easier said than done sometimes! It helped me to remember that I knew so much more than I often gave myself credit for, and I spoke up accordingly. That’s really important in situations with big personalities where you can perhaps feel a bit overlooked.
It’s the start of a new year, what’s the best way to come up with career goals that we’re likely to stick to?
Goals need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. When it comes to being specific, know why you want to achieve a goal and how you’re going to get there. Being specific also helps you visualise it. An achievable and realistic goal means you’ll need to push yourself, but that you’re willing and able to work towards it.
Write your goals down (physically or electronically) because you will be more likely to succeed if you do. Check back in regularly to see how you’re doing and if you’re not on track, that’s okay – just go back and see if the goal needs tweaking and ask yourself if there’s something that’s holding you back. Start small and celebrate every win along the way.
As a final question, if you could give one piece of advice for a new leader, what would it be?
Believe in yourself because you can do this!
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