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One of the highlights of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) 2025 Convention, held in Victoria, British Columbia from June 25 to June 29, 2025, was the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), a one-day leadership workshop presented by Rob Marr. This workshop provided veterinary professionals from across Canada the opportunity to reflect on how they would approach different scenarios within the workplace and offered opportunities to see these situations from a different perspective. Perspective-taking was encouraged not only by Rob Marr, but also through the highly interactive group sessions, where participants were encouraged to share their personal stories and advice.
Since the attendees of the ELP came from many different stages of their careers, the points discussed during these sessions showcased many unique perspectives and strategies. Participants learned new strategies for conflict negotiation, interpersonal communication, and even for assessing their own potential biases. Rob Marr offered practical, realistic advice on how to incorporate the knowledge from the workshop into ‘real life’. The workshop also was designed with the understanding that not everyone ‘fits the mold’ when it comes to leadership and communication strategies, which was reflected in the diversity of the content covered during the day.
The day began by discussing what qualities we believe that leaders should possess and then examining the feasibility of a single person possessing all those traits. It was refreshing to look at the ideals that we often hold ourselves to from an outside perspective, as Rob Marr emphasized that we are all human and we will have bad days, so we need to be careful of what standards we use to base our self-worth on. We then transitioned into talking about behaviour, including biases, willingness to change, and strategies which are effective at integrating personality differences into a cohesive team. The exploration of these topics sparked numerous discussions and engaging conversations between participants, and Rob Marr was extremely adaptable in his ability to relate the theory to real scenarios seen in veterinary medicine.
From a student’s perspective, the day held many different opportunities for growth, in both leadership skills and tools to help support resilience within the industry. Many of the conversations were focused on topics that held the most relevance for graduated veterinarians and technologists, but I received many important pieces of advice and tools that I can take with me to use in both my personal and professional life. I would encourage any students attending the CVMA Convention in the future to attend the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), as the information presented during the workshop can be integrated into all aspects of student life; from collaborating with peers and professors, to learning to interact with clients, and to being able to integrate yourself efficiently into a workplace once you graduate.
I was also fortunate enough to attend the Student Leadership Workshop (SLW), hosted by University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) in the fall of 2024, where Rob Marr discussed becoming an emerging leader with our student body. This workshop was another incredible day of learning, and I am impressed by his ability to tailor his content to his audience, as we delved into how to best integrate these strategies while still early in our career. I would encourage any future attendees of the conference to think about what they want to get out of the workshop before they attend and bring this with them to the program, as Rob Marr is brilliant in his ability to relate to your situations and wants to help find a solution that works for you.
My fellow SCVMA representatives and I would like to express our gratitude to the CVMA for providing us with the opportunity to attend the ELP and the CVMA Convention. The knowledge that we gained from this incredible experience will be one of the highlights of our time in veterinary school and has helped to equip us with the skills that we will need to take forward into the industry if we want to make positive impacts in the future. I would also to thank the sponsors of the Emerging Leaders Program, which falls under the CVMA Leadership Program (CLP), Hill’s, Humm, Scotiabank, and Zoetis, for helping to encourage positive change within the veterinary industry.
- Shelby Jennings, UCVM Class of 2027
