LEADERSHIP IS AN EVOLUTION

By Cara Cherry

Leadership is an Evolution

Leadership comes in many different forms. Over the course of my life, I’ve had the opportunity to experience leadership and learn from various colleagues who have helped impact the way I approach projects, people, and challenges in my professional and personal life. The thing that has remained consistent – from my childhood through today – is that being a strong leader means challenging myself and understanding that leadership is a constant evolution: a lifelong journey of learning.

From Horses to Entrepreneur

Growing up outside of Philadelphia, I was obsessed with horses. I tortured my mother to let me take riding lessons, and it ignited a lifelong love affair that I would never grow out of. It was my first taste of hard work, and I was hooked on the feeling of gratification that came with it. I feel so lucky to have learned such important life lessons through my childhood passion. It was invaluable to learn as a child that you got out of things what you put into them. That animals would do anything for you when you had mutual love and respect. When I was 17, I started a business teaching riding lessons and boarding horses as well as started a summer horse camp for youth in the area. What started as a small endeavor grew into a legitimate business that required marketing plans, investors, financial decisions, and leadership. This business brought out my true entrepreneurial spirit and created lifelong habits that would help me later in my career. I put myself through college running the training and boarding business. Upon graduation, I moved to California and rode horses professionally. During this time, from age 21 to 27, I had the opportunity to travel all over the world in pursuit of my competitive riding goals. The exposure to the top coaches and businesses in the showjumping industry really helped evolve my understanding of process, systems, leadership, and citizenship. Through this worldwide journey, I evolved into my next step: the corporate world.

Taking on the Challenge

There are so many clichés in life about the wisdom that comes with accepting challenges and how the journey will make you a better person. I live this every day. After starting as a sales representative with Patterson Veterinary on the East Coast and moving up to management, I took a job opening on the dental side of the business as general manager of the Los Angeles branch. This was the largest branch in the country and needed to be completely overhauled from the top down. A few weeks in, I knew it was going to be one of the hardest undertakings of my career, but I welcomed the challenge. I focused on two key aspects:

I gave my people the freedom to fail. Too often, we are held back by the idea that everything must be perfect for it to move forward. This kills great ideas that might just need some massaging or support to become great. After accepting the position in Los Angeles, I was clear with my team that if they had an idea or passion project that would benefit the business, they had my blessing to see it through (within reason, of course). This generated trust between the team and me – they knew they could come to me with any idea, and I would listen. It also provided them with the confidence to raise their hand, pursue the project, and care enough to make it happen.

Perfect is the enemy of progress, my favorite saying from my mentor, Paul Guggenheim. This one was for me as much as for the team. At the time, I had a newborn at home, and like many working mothers, I was juggling a time-consuming career while trying to be fully present for my son. I put this pressure on myself with unrealistic expectations that led to late nights, working on vacation, and second-guessing myself. I soon realized I couldn’t do this forever. Once I let go of the idea of perfectionism, I realized you sometimes must fail to move forward. From this, I started to work in a trial-and-error system which provided me with the framework to move past perfection. I started to look at my role and leadership as a constant learning experience. The only requirement is continuous mindfulness and improvement. This afforded me a level of fearlessness that can only come from operating in a safe and supportive culture.

The branch I was managing quickly went from the back of the pack to the front. Challenges I was facing tended to become easier to cope with the more I experienced them. At the time, those experiences gave me the strength and flexibility to deal with unexpected changes – lessons that are important in all stages of life.

Be a Doer

Execution is key to being a great leader. From when I was young running the training stable and summer horse camp, to when I got older and transitioned to leadership roles, my biggest accomplishments happened because I cared enough to make them happen. Ideas are incredibly important but are also irrelevant if you can’t bring them to fruition. In my new role as region president, I am really inspired to set a strong, positive example for others in my organization. I love that I have the honor of representing the women of my company in this capacity. It’s important that young women starting in Patterson see that there is a path for them all the way up.

I put a lot of urgency around implementing things that empower, enable and motivate our teams. I know execution is critical to success, so I constantly ask myself, “What did I do today to move the needle?” “Am I creating change at all levels of the business?” “What kind of leader am I being right now?” A key answer to these questions was about staying true to my leadership style. My leadership style had developed into prioritizing relationships and staying close to those around me. This meant regularly checking in with my teams and going on ride-alongs with my sales reps. I’m a believer in never getting too far from the end user, and this was a way to interact with our customers and see the offices we helped them build firsthand. I also try to recruit talent that reflects Patterson’s value of being a people-first company. It’s never been about my job title; it’s about the people, the work, and caring enough to get the job done.

One of my favorite quotes is from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Everyone performs best when they feel good about their organization, leadership, and mission.

Supporting Women and Giving Back

I tend to use the phrase “I’m a work in progress” quite a bit. We are always trying to find new ways to be our best, to do it “all,” and to use our voice. Being in a leadership role predominantly held by men, I do my best to set an example and raise up other women in the company. When a new role is posted, I look at the profile and send it to women that I think would be a good fit. Even if they think they are unqualified, I try to encourage them to take the leap and try. I regularly have women reach out to me on LinkedIn about job opportunities – I either help them myself or connect them with the right resource in the company. These aren’t huge acts of service, but they add up over time. I often hear others say (and I agree) that women should have a seat at the table. We bring a perspective that is multifaceted and needed in every business sector. This doesn’t mean we get to the top just by being a woman – the best idea should always win – but I want to encourage all women to be brave enough to put it forward.

In the past several years, I have had the privilege to join a few great organizations as a board member. I am currently a board member for the South Bay Children’s Health Center and the Patterson Foundation. I’ve been able to get out in my community and meet with organizations doing life-changing work. Sometimes it’s hard to keep all the balls we are juggling in the air, but when you care enough to make it happen, it usually does. Giving back consistently in small ways, whether that’s helping a colleague, volunteering with an organization, or joining that committee, adds value to your life. The more I mature, the more I am inspired to provide service to others. My other favorite Maya Angelou quote is, “Courage is the most important of all virtues because, without courage, you cannot practice any of the other virtues consistently.”

My son, Brandon, is getting to the age where I can soon get him on a horse. I’m most excited about the lessons I can pass down to him through the sport. The biggest of those lessons? That we are an eternal work in progress and to be part of something bigger than ourselves. You’re never done becoming a leader; we are always leading whether we are a “leader” by title or by deed.

About the author:

Cara Cherry is currently the Regional President of the Mountain West Region at Patterson Dental. She has worked at Patterson for a combined 15 years, starting in the Veterinary business, and eventually moving over to Dental in various leadership roles. She resides in Los Angeles, California, with her 6-year-old son Brandon and husband Ross. Together, they enjoy hiking, traveling, and skiing.