Dilue the Pickle Juice! (VHFL wirte-up part 3)
In the third instalment of our Veterinary Human Factors Live write up by Sian Burwood, she shares her summary of a fantastic and thought-provoking session by our favourite ladies at Vet Empowered on self-leadership in evolving systems
Vet Empowered’s Guide to self-leadership in evolving systems
I love a good analogy as a way to really embed a new idea, and as a way to help pass it on to other people. At Veterinary Human Factors Live, we had three great analogies to consider: the complex 3D molecule of a veterinary practice, Chris Turner’s super chickens, and then finally, Vet Empowered encouraging us to think about how we have all stewed in the same veterinary medicine pickle jar.
Vets and coaches Katie Ford and Claire Grigson delivered a compassionate and fun workshop on ‘self-leadership in evolving systems’, a session where we acknowledged that the system is variably broken and in need of change, but by treating ourselves with compassion and self-awareness, we will not only improve our own well-being but that of those around us too. Compassionate self-leadership is using the same techniques we would use for our teams, but turning them inward. Understanding our own values and goals, creating safety, being curious rather than judgmental and believing in our ownability to adapt (whilst always remaining human) was discussed as a way to help us move forward in a system where we can often feel isolated and stuck.
The pickle jar acts as a visual representation of the ‘hidden curriculum’, a term from education theory that recognises that many of the lessons we learn are implicit rather than taught. For those of us aspiring to enter veterinary medicine, often from a young age we pick up all the elements of the pickle juice that we think will make us ‘the golden professional’, and it often leads to thinking a veterinary identity that is a lifestyle choice that leaves little room for individuality. All this results in is a mindset of ‘it’ll all be ok when…’ and can only ever lead to imposter syndrome. Katie spoke passionately about this from her own experience:
“Can you see how we're exhausting ourselves trying to be something that we're never going to get to be? Logically we know it's not possible, but there's often a part of us, deep down within our nervous system, that has learned that this is safety, because that is what we've learned within this pickling. We have learned that making mistakes is dangerous, and they mean something about us. We have learned that our values attach to how much that we know. We have learned that the first time that we do something if it's quick and easy, that means that we're good at it, and if we found it hard, that means that we're not good at it. It's about us acknowledging that part, the scared and worried part, but also realising that now there is a different way to do things. So, yes, absolutely, we need systems to give us permission to be human, but we also need to give ourselves permission to be human.” Dr Katie Ford, Vet Empowered
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We were invited to be kind to ourselves by acknowledging that going against the grain feels uncomfortable, something our nervous system perceives as a threat as we leave the group mentality, and it is a privilege to be resourced enough to be able to sit with that discomfort. A quote from Gabor Maté that really resonated for me was ‘safety is not the absence of threat, it is the presence of connection’. The feeling of connection was palpable throughout the room as we recognised these feelings in ourselves and each other, and the interactive comments on the presentation were summed up by one delegate who said they were ‘really hopeful for the future of vet medicine’ through the act of us all banding together to acknowledge the need for change.
There is a real lack of imagination about what being a vet looks like, and we were encouraged to be ‘real models, not role models’:
“Every tiny, rebellious, courageous act that goes against the hidden curriculum will dilute the pickle juice, just a little bit at a time. It might be just in that moment of sharing your career path, it might be in a moment of saying you reached out for help, it might be setting the break, it might be visibly saying ‘I know it's busy, but I'm going to find a way to go and take a few minutes’. In doing that, we give people permission to do the same.” Dr Katie Ford, Vet Empowered.
I’ll be thinking about diluting the pickle juice for awhile!
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