Providing you a way to quickly sift through industry media is the main objective of Animal Health Digest. We believe informed animal health pros create more opportunities when you’re up to speed on what’s out there. With reading in decline, readers have a comparative advantage in today’s business, Michael Hyatt. Link. We’ve captured a few of the most read posts from Q1 and 2Q … [Read more...]
10 Excel functions everyone should know
The title says it all. Take a look to see if you can add to your spreadsheet skills. Harness just a few of these ten items, and you can transform your typical work day. Source: Harvard Business Review, October 10, 2018. Link. Whether you want to help justify data-driven business decisions at a high level, or simply get home to your family earlier, mastering the right Excel … [Read more...]
Career peaks can happen at any time
If you think you may have peaked in your career or worry that you may already have, take heart. A recent study published in Nature shows that we can peak at any age. Researchers examined the careers of 30,000 scientists, artists and directors and found that almost everyone is likely to experience a hot streak, but its timing is completely unpredictable. Source: SLATE, … [Read more...]
New resources can help handle negative conversations
Three resources about dealing with negative interactions from HBR caught our attention. It’s not easy to stay cool and engaged when things get heated in meetings, negotiations, or difficult conversations. We’ve all been there. Consider using these three quick reads at a team meeting before the holiday season heats up and tensions rise. Source: Ascend from Harvard Business … [Read more...]
Go ahead. Talk to yourself; its normal and good for you
Our AHD team members are remote. We occasionally reference times when we catch ourselves talking to ourselves out loud. Talking to yourself is normal and is good for your mental health. That is, if you have the right conversations, writes Wendy Rose Gould. If we speak out loud, it forces us to slow down our thoughts and process them differently because we engage the language … [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...]
Opinion – Harassment is common at meetings, yet most men are not sexual predators
The curation functions of AHD bring published information to animal health pros to increase awareness and, more importantly, help start new discussions or change behaviors. Since the media has spent considerable time recently focusing on misconduct, a study released by Meetings and Conventions in January provides an insightful backdrop for our industry to consider. It stated … [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...]
7 things Tiger Woods can teach us
Whether you’re a golf fan or not, you’re likely aware of Tiger Woods’ comeback during the Tour Championship late last month. He took the game to new heights for a decade and hit a rough streak that brought him down. But, he got up and beat it. Golf blogger David MacKenzie shares seven reasons Tiger – and us – can make a comeback if we go down. Source: Golf State of Mind … [Read more...]
Understanding customers and decision makers
Two posts featuring Pat Malone, AHD’s weekly contributor, were opened at exceptionally high rates. Malone's focus on leading a customer to decide is evident in his writing and in his daily interactions with colleagues, customers, seminar participants and friends. These posts and the associated articles are relevant in today's business environment. Source: Understanding the … [Read more...]
Stop saying um, ah and you know
Filler words quickly become crutch words that we habitually use. They “ah” diminish our credibility and “um” distract from “you know” our message. Animal health pros routinely interact with animal owners and other animal health pros. Noah Zandan shares how to replace the crutch words with pauses. Source: Ascend, September 2018. Link. Used sparingly and effectively, filler … [Read more...]
So, a Jewish dietician walks into a pig farm. . .
Leia Flure writes about her experience of learning about swine production. She had no knowledge about raising pigs and had questions of her own. They included: What’s a “factory farm” really like? How are the animals treated? How sustainable is animal agriculture? And, of course, are piglets as cute in person as they are in the movies? (note the anthropomorphic … [Read more...]
Boehringer-Ingelheim forum focuses on well-being, not welfare for farm animals
The 11th Boehringer Ingelheim Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-Being recently convened in Australia. Delegates from around the world focused on the intersection between animal well-being and international trade. The discussion centered on how to recognize and measure well-being, and how this relates to introducing standards in a global market where appetite and capacity for … [Read more...]
The Bridge Club ends September with ageism topic
Stacy Pursell with The Pursell Group returns to The Bridge Club for insight on landing a new job opportunity when you are older than 50 years of age this Friday September 28. Register here. The October calendar is full of more opportunities to connect and share during these unique virtual community discussions. Source: The Bridge Club. Link. Click the link to see the events … [Read more...]
What kind of thinker are you?
Technologies for collaboration are improving faster than people’s ability to learn to use them. . . . in today’s marketplace, the smartest companies aren’t those that necessarily out-produce the competition . . . it’s the organizations that outthink them. After a lot of co-creation and trial-and-error, Elisa Steele and Mark Bonchek developed a three-step method that … [Read more...]
Emotions that sabotage sales
Managing disruptive emotions is the primary meta-skill of sales. The art and science of getting past NO begins with self-control. This skill is not reserved for just bag-carrying sales persons. Most interactions with other persons are transactional at some level. Whether selling a widget, explaining an invoice or answering a question, learning how to recognize and manage your … [Read more...]
Put your why to the test
Stephen Shedletzky reprises his discussion of why. Pat Malone wrote, “The answer to why,” AHD, September 2017. Link. Shedletzky has upgraded the language of WHY to a Just Cause. A Just Cause is your noble purpose for being. For a Just Cause to be a Just Cause, it must be: Resilient Inclusive Service oriented Source: LinkedIn, September 14, 2018. … [Read more...]
Provide negative feedback in the morning
Almost half of managers find giving negative feedback stressful. One-fifth avoid it completely. Research now confirms that if managers wait an appropriate amount of time, consider an employee’s personal situation and deliver feedback appropriately, doing so during morning hours is most effective to optimize learning. Source: Quartz at Work, September 16, 2018. Link. For many … [Read more...]
Crying at work doesn’t need to be a big deal
Crying at work is like the kiss of death for professional women, writes Jeneva Patterson. . . . to cry in front of colleagues, especially male peers or bosses, ranks as one of the most humiliating professional experiences. Patterson explains the crying response rates between men and women and the likelihood that women in the workplace will naturally react to some situations … [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...]
As CWD spreads in cervids, states also monitor humans
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a disease that kills deer, elk, reindeer and moose or, cervids. Misfolded prion proteins can spread among cervids through saliva and excrement. These proteins may remain viable in environments for decades. The parallels to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has scientists monitoring CWD more closely as it has spread to 20 or more states in the wild deer … [Read more...]
Opinion – Experiencing dogs as economic animals
Portia Stewart, DVM 360 editor and team channel director, deserves respect for her initiative to see another side of the canine world at a dog auction. It is where the dogs are bought and sold like livestock without the fuss and prim that are part of family member paradigms. For some of us reared in rural areas, animal auctions are part of reality. For Portia, I’m pleased this … [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...]
Harvard, 6 things that make people live longer, happier lives
The Study of Adult Development is a rarity in medicine. Quite deliberately it set out to study the lives of the well, not the sick. In so doing it has integrated three cohorts of elderly men and women - all of whom have been studied continuously for six to eight decades. Whether we live to a vigorous old age lies not so much in our stars or our genes as in ourselves. Source: … [Read more...]
Grit: the power of passion and perseverance (includes video)
We know very little about developing grit, says Angela Lee Duckworth. “What if your ability to do well in school and life depends on much more than your ability to learn easily and quickly?” she asked. “IQ was not the only difference between my best and worst students.” In all those different contexts, one characteristic emerged as significant predictor of success: It was … [Read more...]
September at The Bridge Club
Brenda and Catherine recently sought topic feedback from all-access members and past participants. The result is a robust set of topics for upcoming months. Here’s a look at what’s coming. August 30th, Noon MST, VMAE Member Exclusive Event: Momentum Book Club – Part 1. This is a closed event for VMAE Members. For more information, contact Catherine Haskins @ … [Read more...]
Phone addiction; stop the cycle
Phone time affects everything from our memories and attention spans to our creativity, productivity, relationships, stress levels, physical health and sleep, says Catherine Price. We have become like Pavlov’s famous dogs, trained to salivate when they heard the sound of a bell. And when we can’t check our phones, our bodies release stress hormones such as adrenaline and … [Read more...]
4 conversations every overwhelmed working parent should have
Working parents sometimes struggle with the feeling that they are either letting down their family or not meeting their career goals. It can be hard to strike the right balance, write Joseph Grenny and Brittney Maxfield. If you are a parent looking to establish and sustain a healthier balance — for yourself, your children, and even your organization — there are four specific … [Read more...]
Tips for reading the room before a meeting or presentation
Meeting rooms often have feelings or conversations going on that are not fully in the open. Yet, paying attention to the cues can reveal where there is tension, fear or even recalcitrant participation. Rebecca Knight offers these principles to remember that any meeting attendee, presenter or salesperson can use to keep a group headed toward the positives: DO: Consider the … [Read more...]
Rural veterinary shortage continues; food safety a concern
There has been a shortage of large-animal vets in rural areas since 2003. Experts say this is because of a combination of low wages, long hours and fewer new graduates wanting to live outside a major city. Without vets, farmers and the nation's food supply are more vulnerable to disease outbreaks. Source: NPR, June 16, 2018. Link. The death of a cow can set a rancher back … [Read more...]