Team leadership and collaboration

Videos 

• Secrets of successful teamwork: insights from Google (4:00)  
  Google studied more than 180 teams over several years to uncover what makes them effective. This short video highlights their key findings on successful teamwork.  

• How to turn a group of strangers into a team (12:00) 
  In this TED Talk, Harvard professor Amy Edmondson explains “teaming” - how people who don’t know each other can quickly become a strong, effective team. She also shows why leaders need to create a safe and supportive environment so teams can do their best work. 

• Good leadership is contagious - and so is bad leadership (2:00)  
  A short video from Harvard Business School demonstrating how a leader's behaviour can influence the entire team. It highlights why modelling positive actions can inspire and motivate others. 

• Team leadership: what is John Adair's Action Centred Leadership model? (9:00)   
  RCVS Knowledge looks at John Adair’s Action Centred Leadership model, which balances the needs of the task, the team, and individual team members to support effective leadership in practice.

Podcasts 

• Incivility and the impact on patient care (15:00)  
  Dr Laura Playforth from IVC Evidensia and Pam Mosedale from RCVS Knowledge discuss how rudeness or poor behaviour in veterinary teams can affect staff wellbeing and the care patients receive.

Articles and blogs 

• Toxic team cultures, and how to improve them (5 min) - Benton, L., Chartered Management Institute (2020) (CMI) Culture expert Lizzie Benton explains how to identify toxic team environments and introduce quick, effective improvements. 

• How to build a strong team culture in seven steps (3 min) - Rodriguez-Zaba, D., Forbes (2019)  
  Entrepreneur Diana Rodriguez-Zaba outlines seven actionable steps to foster accountability, care, and cohesion within teams. 

• Shared leadership - we're better together (8 min) - Turner, M., RCVS Knowledge (2021)   
  Vet and leadership researcher Mark Turner explains how reducing hierarchy and distributing leadership helps teams collaborate effectively. 

• When it all goes wrong: the importance of debrief (8 min) - Silver-MacMahon, H., RCVS Knowledge (2021)  
  Vet nurse Helen Silver-MacMahon introduces STOP5, a quick, blame-free debrief tool that improves wellbeing, learning, and communication. 

• Compassion - at the heart of practice (10 min) - Turner, M. & Ogińska, O., RCVS Knowledge (2021)  
  Vets Mark Turner and Olivia Ogińska explore how fostering compassion can profoundly impact veterinary practice culture, creating more supportive and effective workplaces. 

• Team huddles: time well spent (5 min) - Brown, J., RCVS Knowledge (2021)
  Vet Jenny Brown demonstrates how regular huddles strengthen team understanding, help anticipate challenges, and improve communication. 

Other resources 

• Good veterinary workplaces campaign - British Veterinary Association (BVA)  
  The BVA sets out its vision for thriving veterinary workplaces, offering tools to help practices create inclusive and sustainable environments.  

• Steps in successful team building (14 min) - Chartered Management Institute (CMI) 
  A practical checklist featuring models, theories, and resources to guide managers in building effective teams.  

• Understanding employee engagement (13 min) - CMI  
  A research-based checklist with tools and resources to help leaders measure and strengthen employee engagement.