From the moment we awake until we fall sleep, we’re bombarded with a chatter inside our head that permeates our waking life. It’s the voice inside, the internal narrator that, if you pay attention, never really stops talking. Source: The Turknett Leadership Group, August 15, 2019. Link. The research here is robust: those who are happiest are not those with the most money, … [Read more...]
Lead like Barry Manilow?
This sounded ridiculous to me the first time I saw the headline. Too many leadership experts want you to be someone you’re not. However, this article really hits home on five key attributes of many of the successful people I have known. Perhaps it can help you too. Source: Forbes, August 8, 2019. Link. Don't Take Yourself So Seriously. Disarm your critics by taking yourself … [Read more...]
Speed up the Deal
Deals now are better than deals later. You would prefer to win now than four months from now. Better results now are better than results later. This is true for your dream clients, too. They would prefer their challenges be dispatched sooner rather than some time in the future, and their opportunities realized earlier. Source: The Sales Blog, July 30, 2019. Link. Stop … [Read more...]
Lead change
You can meet resistance with resistance, but the winner only gets a loser who remembers it forever. Given that the objective of sales leadership is to obtain wholehearted customers for a given course of action, you need to create a whole new mindset when it comes to managing resistance and answering objections. Source: Vet-Advantage, Livestock Edition, Summer/Fall 2019. … [Read more...]
Intellectually curious
If you want to develop your business acumen (link), your situational knowledge and your ability to create value for your clients and your dream clients, you need to become intellectually curious. Source: The Sales Blog, July 17, 2019. Link. At some point, I realized that creating greater value for my clients meant learning more about their business. I started to ask a … [Read more...]
Integrity is essential for leadership
Businessman, author and syndicated columnist Harvey McKay put it best when he said, “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” Source: Vet-Advantage Companion edition, June 2019. Link. Wikipedia suggests integrity is the practice of being honest and showing a consistent and uncompromising adherence to strong moral and … [Read more...]
The smartest in the room
Some in leadership positions believe that to be an effective leader, they must be the smartest person at their company and if they are not, it somehow sends a signal to their staff that the leader is inept. In reality, no one is an expert in everything. Source: LinkedInPulse, June 3, 2019. Link Great leaders aren't know-it-alls who constantly try to outshine everyone. They … [Read more...]
Networking – the right thing to do for your practice
Veterinary medicine is subject to more competitive pressure today than ever before. While it may be a foreign concept to many in the industry, your survival depends on you becoming competitive. Networking can help you by interacting with other successful business people in your community. Here are five tips that will start you on the way to becoming an expert … [Read more...]
Veterinarians must think like entrepreneurs
While you may not consider yourself one, there is no doubt in my mind that you are an entrepreneur. More importantly, in today’s competitive market with consolidation occurring daily, your survival depends on you thinking like an entrepreneur. Your scientific mind is great when your treating your clients, but your customer base will only grow as you sharpen your entrepreneurial … [Read more...]
Listen to employees and avoid complacency and indifference
There are many possible reasons why a person may choose to quit his or her job. There could be another job offer. They may be starting up their own business. Or maybe they may simply care too much for the organization they are resigning from. Source: LinkedIn, June 5, 2019. Link. “While some organizations aggressively pursue solutions, some organizations have a way of … [Read more...]
References are important
With the average tenure in a role hovering around 4.2 years, chances are, there's a job search in your future. If you’ve updated your resume with relevant accomplishments, built a strong online brand, and practiced for the interview, you’re way ahead of the game. What about your references? Source: Forbes, May 28, 2019, Link. In a study conducted by the Society of Human … [Read more...]
Choose your mentor carefully
Having a mentor can be the catalyst for enriching career development in nearly every industry. Mentors not only bestow real-life lessons and skills upon their mentees, but also open doors to professional networks, facilitating connections to other professionals who can help shape career success. So look for these characteristics when choosing your mentor. Source: Forbes, May … [Read more...]
Compassionate, directness are transformative when combined
We define it (compassionate directness) as empowering employees to speak up, give feedback, disagree, and surface problems, pain points and constructive criticism. And to do this immediately, continuously, and with clarity, but also to do it with compassion, empathy and understanding. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, May 9, 2019. Link. According to a poll from H.R. management … [Read more...]
True grit helps you achieve
It turns out that intelligence might not be the best indicator of future success. According to psychologist Angela Duckworth, the secret to outstanding achievement isn’t talent. Instead, it’s a special blend of persistence and passion that she calls “grit.” Source: Forbes, March, 6, 2017. Link. That’s why IQ and SAT scores aren’t a good indicator of someone’s future success. … [Read more...]
The power of thank you
A Portland State University study shows that being thanked more often at work predicted better sleep, fewer headaches and healthier eating, because it improved employees’ work satisfaction. Source: Science Daily, March, 13, 2019. Link. Many people inherently connect their identity to their job and feelings of appreciation within their roles. Employers who understand and … [Read more...]
Acknowledgement is not agreement
Some people have difficulty acknowledging other points of view, especially when they do not agree with them. Consequently, it is almost impossible to discuss an idea when we have opposing viewpoints. To make it easier, try thinking that you are acknowledging the other person’s right to a different point of view. Source: Vet-Advantage Magazine, April 9, 2019. Link. Our … [Read more...]
MIT study challenges goal setting
Dr. Jeanne Ross, a researcher at MIT's Sloane School of Business, says that goal-setting is an incomplete strategy for high-performance teams. Ross suggests that organizations should put their attention on formulating hypotheses, and then rapidly (and repeatedly) testing these new ideas. Source: Forbes, April 16, 2091. Link. A goal is not always meant to be reached; it … [Read more...]
5 reasons leaders fail
When leadership fails, it is often due to a successful characteristic morphing into its evil twin. Just as with the Force in Star Wars, there is a negative associated with every positive. Don’t let these pitfalls negatively impact your leadership. Source: Inc., February 11, 2013. Link. Leaders fail due to certain social-psychological blinders that inhibit their capacity to … [Read more...]
Your friends influence your success
Warren Buffett dispenses words of wisdom at the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway in Omaha, Nebraska. People from around the globe attend to hear the sage’s message. Sometimes it focuses on investing, sometimes management and sometimes personal development. Source: Inc., March 10, 2018. Link. In 2004, Buffet said, “It's better to hang out with people better than you. … [Read more...]
Evaluate your affect on your team
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...]