Not everyone’s born to be a leader. But, for an independent community pharmacy owner, it comes with the territory.
Independent pharmacy owners are not only leaders in their pharmacies, they’re also often leaders in their communities.
But no leader can continue to be successful without continuously learning and developing his or her leadership skills.
Here are seven ways to help you hone your leadership skills as an independent community pharmacy owner.
1. Create a support group
Meeting with other entrepreneurs—especially other independent pharmacy owners—is a valuable way to improve your leadership skills. And, you can learn tips and ideas to advance your pharmacy business from other liked-minded professionals.
Connect with other independent pharmacy owners by:
- Joining your state pharmacy association and attend regular events
- Scheduling monthly meetings with other independent pharmacists in your state
- Using technology, like FaceTime or Skype, if you can’t all meet in person
Use this time to discuss similar struggles you may be encountering and share insights on how to be a good leader.
If you’re unable to connect with other pharmacists, try meeting with a group of small business owners in your community. Even if you aren’t in the same industry, you can still learn a lot from other business owners, including different leadership styles and ways to overcome challenges.
2. Become a mentor
In order to refine your leadership skills, you have to practice them. And, what better way to practice than to become a mentor?
Whether it’s a one-on-one mentorship in your own pharmacy, mentoring an organization or at a local university, teaching people requires leadership.
Your experiences—good and bad—as a mentor can help strengthen your skills when it comes to leading your pharmacy team.
3. Seek feedback
As a leader and a boss, it can sometimes be difficult to get feedback from employees.
Foster an environment where feedback is encouraged, even when it’s for the pharmacy owner. Ask your employees about your strengths and weaknesses, and try to find areas you can improve.
Learning to accept constructive criticism and actually make changes where necessary is crucial to being a successful leader.
4. Listen to podcasts or audio books
While leadership books are great, it can be hard to find the time as a busy pharmacy owner to sit down and read.
Listening to podcasts or audio books about leadership allows you to absorb the same valuable knowledge, without taking too much time away from your day.
Listen to an audio book on your drive to and from work each day. Or, tune in to a podcast during your lunch break.
Check out these leadership audio books and podcasts:
- The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John Maxwell
- Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni
- EntreLeadership – Dave Ramsey
- The EntreLeadership Podcast – Ken Colman
- This Is Your Life – Michael Hyatt
- Leaders in the Trenches – Gene Hammett
5. Share lessons learned
As an independent community pharmacy owner, you’re constantly overcoming obstacles. By documenting the challenges you face and how you overcome them, you can learn a lot about yourself—and teach others.
Share the lessons you’ve learned throughout your career with employees, students and other industry professionals. Your journey can inspire others as well as demonstrate how you’ve grown as a leader.
Start a blog to share your experiences, volunteer to speak at local schools or simply share a new lesson at each employee meeting.
Sharing your experiences can also remind you of certain skills you may still need to work on.
6. Attend industry events
Attending conferences, tradeshows, seminars and other industry events is vital to expand your leadership skills.
These events present a perfect opportunity to network with thought leaders in your industry. And, you can learn how to position yourself not only as a leader in your pharmacy, but also in your community.
Make it a goal to attend a certain number of events each year, and form connections with other industry professionals who you can continue to learn from after the event.
7. Read about others’ experiences
It’s always comforting to know that other people have been in your shoes—especially when they’ve achieved success.
By reading about others’ experiences, you can learn how to lead and overcome certain challenges before experiencing those challenges yourself.
And, it doesn’t just have to be independent pharmacy owners’ experiences. You can learn a great deal from other entrepreneurs and small business owners who aren’t in your industry.
Take time each week to read different blogs written by leaders and business owners. Once you find a few blogs that are relatable to you and your business, follow the authors’ journeys and learn from their experiences.
Learn how to bring your pharmacy vision to life through effective leadership.
