Veterinary Women in Leadership: what can the career stories of the past teach the leaders of the future?

The team behind ‘Veterinary Women in Leadership’ (VWIL), a collaborative project between XLVets and Veterinary Woman, were delighted to host the first of many vibrant discussion groups in the summer of 2020, exploring the question ‘What can the career stories of the past teach the leaders of the future?’. Leading contributors from every corner of the profession, including clinical practice, academia, the charity sector, pharmaceutical industry and civil service, took part in the conversation, which was open to all and free to attend. The session was chaired by Veterinary Woman's acting Editor Jenny Langridge and XLVet's team member and small animal vet Alice Moore.

Jenny kicked off the proceedings by asking the group to share examples of successes or failures that they had experienced during their careers to date. The question sparked a discussion around how we perceive or define success and failure, and how we can reframe failures to consider them as successes instead. With this latter point in mind, it was highlighted that in saying no (or being told no) to one opportunity, we allow our-selves the ability to say yes to another. One attendee shared the advice ‘as one door closes, a window might open and you have the choice of whether or not you want to go through that window, even if it may not be the conventional route’.