We have been talking about the development of leadership and whether it is inherent or learned and developed. I have been describing my life experiences and how I had an inherent ability and also how I developed my skills as I became more familiar with leadership and its importance to the business world and my life in general. Going into college I never thought I had the brains to become or even get into veterinary school. After my first quarter at a church school I discovered that if I put a little time into my studies, I could get good grades. This is when I got the courage to start my journey into veterinary medicine. After doing very well at a small church school I came back to Iowa State University to start in pre-veterinary studies. My first quarter at ISU was an eye opener. Trying to have fun and study some, wasn’t working as well as it had in the past. My first quarter did not look good, as far as grades go for someone interested in going into a professional school. At this point in my young life I needed to make a decision to get serious and see what I could do or go an easier route. Thank goodness I had the courage to stick with my plan and from that point on did very well. This is where a lot of my leadership skills were developed in as far as discipline and learning to pick it up when times were tough and not looking good. Once again, I was unaware of any of this but something inside me drove me to achieve and accomplish my goals.
Once I was accepted into veterinary school after my first application, I had no idea what to expect. I thought I had worked hard in pre-vet but now I would learn what hard work was. Now I wasn’t trying to get good grades it was about getting through school. Our first quarter 10 people dropped out because of the pressure and we only started with 98. When you are given 140 parts to the brain the first day of class and you have never heard any of the terms it seems a little hopeless. My desire to be a veterinarian and my perseverance is what kept me going and these were definitely leadership attributes I would use later in business. Next time I will discuss the start of my practice career and how leadership inherent and developed played into this.
Tags: dr dean severidt, Leadership, veterinary management, veterinary school
