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Service industries require the human element, in order to function. This requires hiring, training and retaining solid teams that share in your philosophies. The culture of your practice should be a direct reflection of your philosophy of veterinary care, as well as client service.

In order to create and manage successful support staff teams, you need to first create a solid expectation for the culture of your practice. Spelling out expectations makes it easy for any new team member to understand what you want, the work environment you’ve created, and how they should function within those parameters. I call these expectations the Principles of Mutual Respect, and an example is shown here:

Principles of Mutual Respect

The ABC Veterinary Clinic is a diverse organization made up of people from a range of backgrounds with differing values and experiences. As an organization, we aspire to do our best. This aspiration extends to all relationships, including our behavior towards one another, and the clients we serve. These Principles of Mutual Respect are designed to encourage all individuals who make up the ABC Veterinary Clinic to work together in an environment where shared values are supported and diversity is embraced.

Statement of Commitment

Each staff member, manager, and veterinarian shares in the responsibility for creating and maintaining the practice’s environment of mutual respect. We demonstrate openness and fairness in all our dealings with people. Staff, managers, and veterinarians perform the functions of the practice in an impartial and professional manner. We act with care and diligence in the course of our work.

We recognize and value the contributions made by people to the Practice

• We affirm the professionalism of our colleagues, trusting and empowering them to work constructively for the well being of the practice community.
• We exemplify respect through the simple courtesies of always being on time, listening without interrupting, and cultivating a sincere appreciation of what every individual brings to a given situation.
• We recognize and respect, although we are willing to question, established obligations, systems, policies and procedures.
• We encourage and acknowledge a range of contributions that support our values and principles.
• We respect difference and welcome creative, or alternative viewpoints.
• We care for, and encourage staff members, managers and veterinarians in their personal pursuits.
• We encourage and support the educations, professional and personal development of all staff members, managers and veterinarians.

We care for the social and natural environment

• We ensure staff members, managers and veterinarians have the opportunity to become socially and environmentally responsible.
• We use our resources responsibly and seek to minimize or eliminate waste.
• We encourage and value a safe, healthy and creative environment.

We value and support the right to confidentiality

• All private information will be kept confidential, unless with consent or as required by overriding moral or legal obligation.

We avoid conflict of interest in all our dealings with the ABC Veterinary Clinic and the community

• We agree that a conflict of interest may occur when an individual’s personal, financial, political or other interests may conflict with the performance of their duties.
• We agree to avoid situations where there is, or may appear to be, a conflict of interest.
• Possible conflicts of interest should be disclosed to a manager on an ‘as needed’ basis.

We value a harassment free workplace

• We treat everyone we encounter with respect and courtesy, and without harassment.
• All staff members, managers and veterinarians have the responsibility to ensure that their behaviors do not harass, threaten, bully, belittle or vilify others.

We work towards building a harmonious working environment in which we maximize our professional performance

• We maintain honesty, integrity and professionalism in all our work within the ABC Veterinary Clinic.
• We encourage staff members, managers, and veterinarians to be personally accountable for their performance and behavior.
• We agree that any interpersonal friction is handled directly person-to-person, without lobbying for support from outside viewpoints.
• We trust that we will give each other the benefit of the doubt should others ever need it, and will each be worthy of that benefit when given.

Once you create your practice’s Principles of Mutual Respect, you should also write a statement of personal commitment for staff to sign and return as an acknowledgment. This can be filed in their personnel record. An acknowledgment statement should include the following:

Personal Commitment

As a member of the ABC Veterinary Clinic team, I do hereby acknowledge and affirm that as a member of the team I will abide by our Principles of Mutual Respect.

I acknowledge that each staff member, manager, and veterinarian shares in the responsibility for creating and maintaining the practice’s environment of mutual respect. It is my responsibility to do my part by understanding and utilizing these principles on a daily basis.

Signature: _________________________________Date: __________

Creating and implementing your own Principles of Mutual Respect is a solid step towards improving your own workplace culture. If you haven’t had one in place, launch it in a full staff meeting, explaining the importance of everyone’s participation. Ask every existing staff member to sign a personal commitment statement and get everyone off on a fresh start! In Part 2, we’ll discuss how to hold yourself and your staff accountable to the Principles of Mutual Respect.

When I applied for the open receptionist position, all those years ago, I was so excited. Ready to get back to work, after staying home to care for my young daughter for three years, I drove by the help wanted sign and turned around immediately. I entered the practice, in awe of the reception area that looked so modern and friendly.

After submitting my application, I waited patiently to be called for an interview. When that day came, I arrived early for my appointment and was impressed to be taken to the conference room, where the Practice Manager and a Receptionist interviewed me together. They were professional, and conducted a thorough interview. I left feeling confident and anxious to hear whether the position would be mine.

After three weeks, and several persistent phone calls, I was offered the job. My start date: Friday, the 13th! I had so many questions…What do I need to wear? Do I need to pick-up paperwork or training materials before the big day? Who would be training me?

I arrived at noon, on that fateful Friday. I walked into utter chaos. The front desk was humming, as clients were dropping their pets off for weekend boarding, while others were trying to check-in for their appointments. The receptionist who had been in on my interview told me to stick close-by and ask questions while she took care of clients. She told me the Supervisor would take over my training in a few hours.

I followed closely, running from front to back, in and out of exam rooms, back and forth from the boarding facility. In short time, I was more than a little overwhelmed. At 3:00pm, the Supervisor arrived. “Great!”, I thought “here’s where my real training begins.” The Supervisor welcomed me, then let me know she would get me scheduled for the coming weeks, train me to use the phones and computer system….oh, and by the way…today’s her last day! I received a whirlwind of information and was set loose to answer the phone in less than two hours. Come Monday morning, I was opening at the front desk at 7:00am with one other receptionist. This was a fast-paced practice with emergency hours, 5 veterinarians, and a full boarding and grooming facility. I will never, ever forget Friday the 13th.

Most people do not stay when thrown-in like this. I was the exception, not the rule. The biggest mistake veterinary hospitals make is in throwing new team members in with little to no training or guidance. There are a few essential things you must do with new employees, even if you don’t have a formal training manual or program in place.

• Orientation: always take at least a few hours for “off-the-floor” orientation for new hires. Orientation should consist of filling out employee paperwork, reviewing the employee manual, touring the clinic, ordering uniforms, and scheduling training. This is also a good time to introduce your new employee to the rest of the team.
• Employee Manual: review the manual with your new staff members. This will give you the opportunity to answer questions and clarify anything not specifically written in the manual, like where to park.
• Touring the Clinic: a “new employee” clinic tour should be very different than a “new client” clinic tour. You should show your new hire every nook and cranny….where cleaning and office supplies can be found. Open every cabinet and every drawer to show them where things are kept.
• Training Manual: not every clinic will have written training manuals, and if you don’t you need to seriously consider putting one together. If you do…BRAVO! They are well worth the time and effort spent in creating a product that can be used over and over to train new team members. A good training manual will keep your training consistent for your hospital, no matter who is delivering the training to your new staff member.
• Trainer: assign a Trainer to take charge of your new team member. A Trainer should be an experienced team member who knows your systems and procedures. They should also be friendly and out-going. We want our team members to feel welcomed to the practice…beware of the team members who have an attitude of “let’s see how well this one does….”.

If you provide your new hires with these basics before their training even begins, they will approach your practice and their training period with much more confidence. Your support of their introductory period will be appreciated and rewarded with a solid team member in the end.

Today, a new online network was launched that is a social media network for Veterinarians and Practice Managers alike. Its open to anyone who has an interest in veterinary management….and, it’s Free!

To join, go to Veterinary Management Network and register. Once you’ve joined, set-up your profile then invite members to become “friends”. Invite other veterinarians and practice managers to join, as well. Members can chat live online with one another. Are you speaking at an upcoming event? Let everyone know by posting your Event to the network.

The more members we have contributing ideas and networking in the profession, the better we all become, personally and professionally. Hope to see you there!

In an effort to educate and share, let’s look at what I have seen in the past six months. I run a very active Facebook page for Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center. There are currently 452 Fans of this practice’s page. Of those Fans, we’d like to take a look at some interesting facts which may help you when using Facebook in your practice.

Please keep in mind this is only a look at a single practice:

• 75% of Fans are women, while 25% are men
• Of the Fan database, 90% of the people who actively leave comments and interact on the clinic’s site are women.
• 42% of the Fan database are between the ages of 25-34
• 23% of the Fan database are between the ages of 35-44
• With a Fan base of nearly 500 Fans, you can expect approximately 50-60 “interactions” from Fans, if you are doing a good job with frequent postings that draw comments and “likes”

While this data is limited and is the product of one veterinary practice, it is a place to start. With these statistics in mind, you can view your own page’s demographics and have something to use as a comparison. Perhaps it will also help you in targeting your practice’s Facebook audience. Please leave comments on this blog, if you’d like to contribute your practice’s Facebook statistics. This is a rapidly growing area and the more information we have, the better it will be for the veterinary industry.

Social media is a way to interact with your existing and potential clients. There are all kinds of social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and blogging to name a few. Most social media is FREE and easy to use, with little to no experience or instruction.There are a few things to keep in mind when embarking into the world of social media:

• Social media is a form of marketing, but it is more about the interaction between people. In order for it to work for you and your clinic, you must be very “human” in your approach. If people feel the only reason you’re there is to try to sell something, they’ll get “turned off” rather quickly.
• Social media is more about “us” than “you”. Avoid talking only about your practice and what it has to offer. You need to mix that message with humor, news alerts, direct questions of your audience, and much more. Your client expects your Facebook page to be interactive with them. It should feel like a community, not a billboard.
• Don’t use Twitter to blast promotions and special offers! People will stop following you. Twitter should be used more for client service and news alerts than anything in a veterinary practice. You can drive clients to your blog or Facebook page by using a short headline followed by a link within your tweet. You should use your Twitter account to encourage clients to “talk” to you, encouraging them to request prescription refills, special order food, or even to ask a question. Clients who use Twitter this way feel they have a more direct connection to you and the practice.

Wondering where to begin? Facebook is a good place to start, as is Twitter. The two platforms even work rather well together. I highly recommend you use Facebook yourself, on a personal level before starting your clinic’s Facebook. This will help you become acclimated to the ins and out of Facebook, how it works and what others may be doing on Facebook. On your personal page, you can become a fan of Exceptional Veterinary Team, VetMedTeam, and even Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center.

There are several GREAT books available to read about social media. My favorites include: Trust Agents, by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith; Six Pixels of Separation, by Mitch Joel; Twitter Power, by Joel Comm; and The New Rules of Marketing and PR, by David Meerman Scott. Still not sure how to proceed? Plan to attend VHMA’s Management Retreat in Cocoa Beach, FL in late January 2010. I will be speaking on this topic and sharing lots of tips and tricks to make it easier for you to manage these new tools more efficiently and effectively within your practice.

In today’s marketplace, you can’t afford NOT to make time for new ideas. Without allowing yourself the opportunity for growth and change, you risk losing your competitive edge, not only as a veterinary practice but also as an employer.

While this won’t make a dent in your already large pile of items on your ‘to-do’ list, I offer two tips to help better manage your time:

1. Keep your days and weeks organized with a planner. I’m a huge fan of Pat Croce’s Do It Now! Daily Action Plan for Guaranteed Success, which I have used for more than a year. I buy several copies each year so each of the Associate Veterinarians in my practice always have a new one available when they need it. My departmental supervisors have also enthusiastically started using it to help keep them on track, as they function on and off the floor, performing a wide variety of tasks. Taking a few moments each day to fill in my action plans and follow-up action items keeps me on-task each day.
2. Sign up for Google Reader to keep up with blogs you are interested in following. This was a big one! Many Veterinary Managers are hearing about blogging and social media and may be feeling a bit overwhelmed. Where do you start? Start by reading other people’s blog posts. To manage this, subscribe to your favorites, using Google Reader (a free service) and you will only have to go to one web site each day, NOT multiple blogs. A few favorite blogs I would suggest (besides the one you’re currently reading): BRACpet Connect (shameless plug), Dolittler, Veterinary Recruiting, Marketing Technology Blog, and Six Pixels of Separation.

Take a couple of small steps towards managing your time a little better, while integrating some growth opportunities. In a few weeks, you’ll feel more comfortable in trying to use Twitter, or even starting your own clinic blog!

1. Are you a “big picture” visionary leader? In order to truly lead others, you need to always think first and foremost about the how your decisions are impacting the practice overall. Many times, we are tempted to make choices based on the needs of individuals, without regard for the long term impact your choice may be making on the business. Is it truly in the best interest of the clinic to institute a “seniority scheduling” policy where those who’ve been employed the longest don’t work weekends and receive preferential shift choices? In the long run, this type of decision will work against the practice, as you will always have two very divided groups of team members: those who stay and receive preferential treatment and the revolving door of newer team members who can never reach the upper echelon and become burned out very quickly.
2. Strong leaders live by the golden rule. Respected leaders are those who treat their staff exactly as they wish to be treated. No job is too small or demeaning for a leader to perform in the practice. Does this mean that the DVM in the practice should be cleaning cages and mopping the floors? No….but walking by a soiled cage or an “accident” on the floor while staff are wrangling a patient for a procedure is not acceptable. In order to be viewed as a leader, you must walk the walk. Take a moment to clean that cage as you walk by and the staff will notice and understand your expectations.
3. Exceptional leaders are extremely self-aware of their strengths, as well as their weaknesses. You should hire strong people to complement your weaknesses. If you love crunching numbers and analyzing benchmarks, but struggle with solving people’s problems and scheduling, then human resources is not your forte. Find a management team member who excels at organization and is a “people person” to supplement your weakness. Trying to do it all will only lead to frustration and diminished results.
4. Do you have a healthy attitude towards debate? Are you approachable when there’s controversy? Great leaders have an open door policy that team members are comfortable using. When staff come to you on a fairly regular basis and offer suggestions to problems, you know you’re on the right track. Make sure you’re not discounting staff opinions and barreling ahead with what you think is best. Allowing staff to contribute to problem-solving builds mutual respect and will strengthen your ability to introduce change when the practice needs it.
5. Do you walk away or allow bad behavior to go uncorrected in order to avoid conflict? You really need to get over it. Respected leaders are the ones who make the tough choices for the greater good. It might be uncomfortable to deal with unacceptable behavior head-on, but unless you do it, no one will. State the expected, acceptable behavior within your practice’s culture and when it is challenged, address it immediately. Your team is relying on you, as their leader to enforce the rules of good behavior in your practice.

Some people are instinctual “good leaders”, while others have to work at it a little harder. Either way, becoming a strong leader is attainable with a little hard work and conscientiousness.

1. A great leader is always helping others grow, personally and professionally. Do you take the time to get to know the members of your team? You should…leaders have a vested interest in making sure the people around them are continuously trying to better themselves. It’s not only a matter of creating personal balance in their lives, but growing professionally as well. One of my personal favorite quotes, which I refer to often at work is “If you’re as good as you’re going to get, then find another place to work”–Joe Calloway. Provide your staff with avenues for growth through continuing education opportunities, tuition assistance, or merely by setting personal growth goals each year at their review.
2. Respected leaders are those who create positive work environments. Don’t be that boss who puts up with the negative attitude of one person, simply because they’re a “good tech”. If you aren’t taking a look at your work atmosphere and making proactive moves to improve the situation, your staff knows it. No one respects tolerance of the few at the expense of the group.
3. Leaders care deeply about the success of their practice and the well-being of their team. This means doing your best to balance a healthy balance sheet with doing what’s right by your team members. Don’t work them to death for as little money as you can pay them! Open book management styles have been in place in practices for quite a while, yet some still choose to hide everything from the team. Be open and honest, so the team is more aware of the situation and can have a vested interest in helping steer the practice towards success. Being equipped with a full picture enables team members to take control of their own destiny, which enhances their well-being.
4. Learn from your experiences and pay it forward. If you’ve worked in other practices for bosses who have done things you didn’t like or disagreed with, don’t be that guy who seizes power and reigns supreme at the expense of others. Make it your mission to be a better manager or veterinarian, which in turn will enhance the practice and make others appreciate your leadership.
5. You should be building a strong succession plan. This idea stops most people in their tracks. My mother would say, “That’s not job security!”, but it really is a sign of a remarkable leader. Always be on the look-out for that team member who has potential…then start training them! You should be growing, just as much as your team. There will come a time when you will want to move on, or this approach will enable the practice to grow in different ways. I never dreamed six years ago that instead of managing a 4,000 sq. ft. hospital with 5 veterinarians, I’d be directing an operation that consists of 6 buildings, more than 50 employees and 7 veterinarians today. I couldn’t have done that if I hadn’t constantly been bringing key people into management roles…not to replace me, but to “enhance” me. Surround yourself with exceptional people and give them the power to succeed and they will.

In Part 2, we’ll discuss five more strengths displayed by great leaders. Take a look at your current management style and start making small changes to improve your skills as a leader.

Let’s look at a single day, keeping in mind it will be very different day-to-day, depending on where it falls in my management cycle.

• 7:00am: arrive at my office, turn on all the lights and feed my fish before opening my laptop
• 7:15am: audit the computer security reports from the previous day’s activity to ensure staff compliance of our Internet use policy and medical record accuracy…while consuming my second cup of coffee of the day
• 7:45am: post the daily announcement to the staff communications page of our email server
• 8:00am: hospital walk-through, greeting staff and ensuring everything is neat, inviting, and in working order…while I check out the patients and see who needs a little loving
• 8:20am: back to my office to check voice mail messages and return phone calls
• 8:45am: open the following programs on my computer screen: Entourage, Twitter, our clinic blog, Facebook, and our practice management software
• 8:50am: begin work on that day’s to-do list (staff meeting planning, coding invoices for accounts payable, writing a new blog article, daily posts to social media sites, completing the doctors’ schedule for the coming month, printing and mailing statements, writing annual reviews, updating training manuals, writing new protocols, solving new problems, etc.)
• 10:00am: meet with practice’s management team (Human Resources Director and area Supervisors) to discuss issues, problems, on-going projects, etc.
• 11:30am: resume work on the daily to-do list
• 12:15pm: 2nd walk-through of the main clinic facility, making sure to get puppy kisses from the cute little bulldog in for vaccines
• 12:30pm: eat lunch at my desk while tweeting and responding to Facebook posts
• 1:00pm: drive to our satellite clinic to perform facility walk-through and check end of day reports
• 1:30pm: drive to our dog training center to perform walk-through, weekly reports, and conduct a staff meeting
• 2:45pm: drive back to my office and check-in with front desk, handing over deposits to be made from other facilities, while performing 3rd walk-through of the main clinic
• 3:15pm: check email and voice mail, returning messages received while at satellite locations
• 3:30pm: resume the day’s to-do list, completing as many tasks as possible
• 4:40pm: 4th facility walk-through at main clinic, checking in with the second shift to assure all is running smoothly
• 5:00pm: check voice mail and return calls before leaving for the day
• 5:30pm: hopefully, I’m on my way home!

Is this a typical day? Yes…and no. My days have a lot of variety, and that’s what keeps things interesting and challenging. Managers love to solve problems and make life easier for other people. This keeps us on our toes and on the prowl for what needs to be fixed next. I’m happy not to have a 9-to-5 job. The hours in my day fly-by and I look forward to the next day’s surprises….everyday.