This post will discuss leadership, but with a bit of a twist.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a leader, but from the perspective of a follower. One of the things that strikes me about who we consider to be great leaders, is that they are labeled as such by their loyal followers. People like Gloria Steinem, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, and Maya Angelou inspire others to make life choices that align with shared values. You can’t be a leader unless someone chooses to follow you. A person can be in a position of leadership and not be perceived as a leader because of an inability to inspire people. History tells us that FDR was considered a great leader. He was a dominant political power who brought the US through the Great Depression and WWII, but he wasn’t MY leader. He didn’t engage ME in any meaningful way. I can admire his speeches, and his ability to bring people together. If I had been alive during the 30’s and 40’s, I believe that much of his messaging would have resonated with me.

So how would YOU describe how YOUR leaders make you feel? For me, it’s a basic emotion: excitement. Regardless of status, or position, or field, there are individuals who excite me. They challenge my thinking. They keep me in suspense about what they will do, say, or write next. They instill in me the belief that I will end up being a better version of myself if I follow, listen, and apply their messages.

I am fortunate enough to have befriended countless leaders in the pharmacy and business profession; each with their own style and passion for their families, their communities, their friends and their colleagues. Some are well-known and involved in advocacy, regulatory, and academia, others shun the spotlight. Some are positional leaders in my company, others are front-line staff on my own teams or with other operations entirely. Some are strong orators, training their peers through sharing real world experience with humour and authenticity. Others are hard-line, demanding disciplined excellence through written communication and a well-articulated, crystal clear vision.

This year, I decided to try something different at Christmas by purchasing copies of a popular leadership book for members of my management team. A colleague picked up a copy and immediately looked at the price of the paperback = $22. Immediately I wondered if we can truly put a monetary value on nurturing leaders. In this case, it was a conscious investment to share a message with them, and the cost of this method came to $22. Will it work as intended? Will it challenge their thinking? Will it prompt a change in how they approach their daily lives? THEY will be the ones who will decide, and it will resonate differently with each of them.

In 2019, it’s all about the why. Why do I write this blog for instance? The why is simple: it all began in 2013 as a way for me to rebuild some lost confidence and share some lessons with a larger audience. I was proud of my pharmacy career to that point, but was finding doubt around every corner that I wasn’t adapting quickly enough to a rapidly changing profession. That the ideas I had been the most proud of were sending me in the opposite direction. PharmAspire was and still is, the forum I use to take negative experiences or perceptions and inspect them for silver linings. It’s also a forum to take positive experiences in the profession, and amplify them in ways I hadn’t considered before.

These past 5 years (soon to be 6!) of writing has been so valuable to my personal growth. Sharing my train of thought isn’t the difficult part; for those who know me well, I talk a lot and often feel remorse afterwards for hogging conversations. However, this is different. Seeing ideas in writing forces more discipline, and more conviction. Words on a page don’t easily change, and may be read, and re-read, and re-read again. Impressions may be made, or opinions formed, and later changed. Speechwriters for famous people have tough jobs for that reason. They need to be conscious of misinterpretation and muddled messaging. Thankfully, editor Laura makes sure that my words truly reflect what I’m trying to say.

So for 2019, I want to get back to the ‘why’ basics. I want to get excited about new prescribing authority coming into effect across the country. I want to channel the energy of the student graduates asserting their independence this spring. I want to share management and leadership tips that others have helped ingrain over the years. I want to explore the psychology of behaviour change and traversing the highs and lows.

Finally, I want to continue this journey pondering this question:
What kind of PHARMacist do I ASPIRE to be?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, employer or affiliation.