Do you have a positive impact on your team or do you just get in their way? Effective leaders constantly evaluate their performance, especially as it relates to the people they serve. And, they are ruthless when it comes to self-evaluation. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, March 21, 2019. Link. The good news is that as a leader, you have the greatest influence in motivating your … [Read more...]
Leisure time is important. Find the right amount for you.
Much has been written about work/life balance. Workaholics believe that balance is impossible. Others have opted out of the rat race entirely to a life of total leisure. For maybe the first time there is an indication of how much discretionary time is optimum. Source: The Atlantic, February 21, 2019. Link. The paper, which analyzed data covering about 35,000 Americans, … [Read more...]
A bully or just tough?
The presumption that bullying bosses get results — and fast — compared with gentler leaders is widespread, and rooted partly in the published life stories of successful CEOs Source: New York Times, February 26, 2019. Link. Bullying bosses tend to undermine their own teams. Morale and company loyalty plunge, tardiness increase, and sick days are more frequent. INSIGHTS: … [Read more...]
Loyal employees = loyal customers
Loyalty, in general use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, company, group or person. According to research by Gallup, fewer than 30 percent of employees say they are loyal to their company. Frequent turnover has a negative impact on employee morale, productivity and company revenue. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, June 18, 2018. Link. The reality is that … [Read more...]
Manage your future career
Plan for your dream promotion, but be prepared to pivot because something will change. Source: Forbes, February 26, 2019. Link. Much of your career is outside your control, no matter how hard you’ve worked or how good your results are. Today, as industries get disrupted, jobs disappear and new jobs are created, this is truer than ever before.” INSIGHTS: Assumptions are … [Read more...]
Use color to build your legacy
This new productivity technique can help you reverse engineer your day based on where you want to be many years down the line. Research has shown to be 91 percent effective. Source: Forbes, February 20, 2019. Link. He breaks down the groups into three colors: Red, Green and Gold. . . . he has come to understand that people are largely looking for function and meaning in … [Read more...]
Generational management challenging, but can be done right
Right now, the U.S. workforce is made up of five different generations, (Link) all of which have their own opinions and expectations — about colleague camaraderie, about power dynamics, about work-life balance, and about office culture. And, that’s a good thing. Source: Medium Leadership, February 5, 2019. Link. For a younger employee, being dropped into a directorial role … [Read more...]
Employees don’t need another friend
When manager-employee relationships grow too close it can compromise a manager's ability to act as he or she might really want or need to. Source: Forbes.com, February 6, 2019 Link. When normal boundaries get blurred, when managers start getting "too close" or "too familiar," it can open the door for all kinds of awkwardness and unintended issues to seep in. In this … [Read more...]
Revenue growth may be wishful thinking – re-post
Editor’s note: Oops! We had the wrong byline on Patrick Malone’s post last week, so we’re re-running it here. Please accept our apologies. According to a recent healthcare survey conducted by TD Bank, 87 percent of veterinarians surveyed expected to grow revenue in the next two years. Given the continuing onslaught on pharmacy revenue from 800 Pet Meds, Chewy and others, I … [Read more...]
Be an agile practice to remain competitive
Maureen Metcalf’s article on leadership trends in the next five years appeared on forbes.com last August. It caught our attention because of the applications to the animal health industry. No trend is more important than the need to become an agile practice. Source: Forbes, August 21, 2018. Link. As leaders, it's important to adopt a nimble mindset and culture. Being nimble … [Read more...]
Revenue growth may be wishful thinking
According to a recent healthcare survey conducted by TD Bank, 87 percent of veterinarians surveyed expect to grow revenue in the next two years. Given the continuing onslaught on pharmacy revenue from 800 Pet Meds, Chewy and others, I sense this is more wishful thinking rather than a realistic expectation. When you’re ready to acknowledge the threat and act, read on. Source: … [Read more...]
This list can help you be an effective manager
A couple of years ago I read a post on the Harvard Business Review Blog Network by Joseph Grenny titled, “4 Ways Leaders Can Create a Candid Culture.” It was the inspiration for my column in Vet-Advantage’s December issue. Upon review I think this column has equal application in practices and hospitals. Source: Vet-Advantage, December 2018. Link. Some veterinarians and many … [Read more...]
This list can help you be an effective manager
This article is titled “15 Tips for New Managers,” but it could just as easily be titled “Checklist for Managers.” Whether you are in your first month of management or a grizzled veteran, it holds a great deal of value for you. Source: the balance careers, August 21, 2018. Link. Use the Four Magic Words: “What Do You Think?” This is a favorite quote from management guru Tom … [Read more...]
A bad boss can be an asset
While we all would prefer to work for a great boss, a bad boss can be a great learning opportunity and an asset in furthering our career. A recent University of Central Florida School of Business study provided encouragement for future leaders currently saddled with abusive bosses. Source: phys.org, December 3, 2018. Link. "The lesson here isn't to hire more abusive … [Read more...]
Harshness can be helpful
The world can be quite the harsh place. It does you no good to avoid that fact, to hide from it, or to pretend it's untrue. Look directly at the harshness, at the ugliness, at the unfairness. Process it and understand why it's there. Then use it to improve. Source: Forbes, January 25, 2017. Link. All the brilliant work, great accomplishments, shattered glass … [Read more...]
Positive influencing pays off
The influence of leaders on their environment, and the people around them, is difficult to overstate. Like magnetism, the leader’s disposition and decisions affect everybody in the vicinity. If you're a leader, it's a good idea to remember some of the many ways you can influence. Source: Forbes, December 4, 2018. Link. Although a spirit of "meeting in the middle" is often … [Read more...]
Generosity is rewarding
Conventional wisdom holds that to make it to the top, you need to be a bit greedy—that constantly focusing on other people compromises time spent on yourself and your own advancement. But is selfishness really the key to high earnings? A new study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests otherwise. Link. Source: Quartz at Work, November 18, … [Read more...]
Implementing change can be challenging
Why do the results of even good plans and strategies sometimes fall short of our expectations in the execution? The implementation can be far more difficult than the planning. The reason? People. People have different reactions and points of view, different interests and needs. Source: Veterinary Advantage, November 2018. Link. Buy-in is a powerful thing. It takes the … [Read more...]
Remain calm and lead on
Calmness inspires confidence. It’s a leadership style people want to follow. In most jobs you spend a lot of time with your boss. It’s only natural to want to feel comfortable about that — rather than having your stomach perpetually tied in knots. Source: forbes.com, September 18, 2018. Link. Employees respond well to calmness. Over the long term it’s a pleasant, easy … [Read more...]
Praise: the magic elixir
There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying the experience of a compliment. Do we need to be able to receive praise well? Not in the same way that we need air to breathe or a roof over our heads, but it certainly makes for a better experience at work (or life in genera!) when you're able to receive and appreciate the value of a compliment. Source: forbes.com, October 23, … [Read more...]
Go from good to great
There are a lot of bad bosses out there—that's no surprise. In fact, 65% of Americans (link) would choose to fire their boss over getting a pay raise. But what gets lost amid trying to stop an awful lot of bad behaviors is the fact that there are a fair number of good bosses out there as well. Source: Forbes, October 18, 2018. Link. Great bosses take it a step further - … [Read more...]
Failures are essential to success
One of the hardest things for effective managers to do is to let one of their direct reports fail. The natural inclination is to jump in and save the day. But, you would never learn to ride a bike if you didn’t fall off a few times. So, failure is an essential part of success. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, October 1, 2018. Link. Success is important as it tells you that, what you … [Read more...]
Effective leaders have the right questions
A popular misconception is that effective leaders always have the right answers. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, they do have the right questions that stimulate the conversation where the right answers often emerge. As a starter, try these questions at your next staff meeting. Source: Inc., September 24, 2018. Link. No leader is perfect. However, the only … [Read more...]
Little things = big results
A penny that doubles every day for a month will produce more than $10 million by the end of 30 days. In the same way, the following small changes will produce big results in your career and personal life. Consider these micro habits. Source: Forbes, September 18, 2018. Link. If you want to change your life, you need to start considering the needs and wants of your future … [Read more...]
Be your own best advocate
Why advocate for yourself? Because, only you know what you really want and need. You are your own best advocate. And, cold hard truth here: If you don't do it, no one else will. Source: Bright Blue Consulting, August 31, 2018. Link. Smart, savvy women are forced to walk a tightrope between their authentic self, the skills they need to deploy to “play in the big leagues” and … [Read more...]
Add by subtracting
Sometimes, to become successful and get closer to the person you can be, you don’t need to add more things — you need to give up some of them. There are certain things that are universal, which will make you successful if you give up on them. Source: Thrive Global, August, 2018. Link. If you never try and take great opportunities or allow your dreams to become realities, … [Read more...]
Strong sales managers coach well
A friend who is a sales manager recently sent me an article titled, “There are too many bad salespeople,” with the suggestion that this could serve as an inspiration for a future column. My friend will be pleased to discover that it worked, but perhaps not in the way she intended. Source: Vet-Advantage – Companion Edition, August, 2018. Link. Real coaching occurs when … [Read more...]
Learn from your mistakes by reacting appropriately
Every business makes mistakes. As a leader, you’ll be responsible or at least accountable for most of them. The best leaders don’t let their bad decisions define them. A simple way you can accomplish this is by not reacting right away to every mistake, but reacting in the right way, whether that means rectifying the issue immediately or learning a valuable lesson and moving … [Read more...]
Protect your business
“Disruptive times call for transformational leaders with a knack for addressing complex problems. To navigate effectively, we must learn to let go—and become more complex ourselves.” This lead paragraph in an article in the March 2018 edition of the McKinsey Quarterly caught my attention. The further I read, the more I realized there is an acute need in the companion animal … [Read more...]
YOU are your sustainable competitive advantage
A competitive advantage is obtained by implementing value-creating strategies that are not simultaneously being implemented by any current competitor. These strategies need to be rare, valuable and non-substitutable. These competitive advantages become sustainable when they are not easily copied and, thus, can be maintained over a long time. Source: Vet-Advantage, June 2018. … [Read more...]