Rhythm on a monthly, weekly and daily basis can create the order and flexibility you need for your work and time to flow in harmony. Elizabeth Grace Saunders suggests, “it’s time to discover your cadence.” This piece will appeal to those of us who are challenged with time management, energy management and juggling of priorities. Source: Harvard Business Review, April 14, … [Read more...]
Combat chronic stress with breathing
Media sources are full of articles these days about suicide in the veterinary profession. Intense experiences are commonplace and stress is inevitable. But, with awareness and a little skill, its negative impacts are not. The authors share perspective and outline a technique called intentional breathing. Directed at those in leadership positions, we recognize that all animal … [Read more...]
Is humility a virtue in business?
Humility is a characteristic that most people will agree is in short supply. But, most of us still admire it when we see it. Little in our culture today encourages a humble disposition and I believe this is a relatively new development. More than ever it seems that loudest, boldest and most obnoxious voices often garner our attention. Source: Mark’s Daily Apple, May 26, … [Read more...]
Write smart. Talk smart. Look great.
Despite our best efforts, we all make errors when we write and talk. We often confuse words with their proper meanings. Travis Bradberry, president of TalentSmart, shares 20 words that, when misused, make smart people look silly. Source: Quartz, July 20, 2016. It’s the words that we think we’re using correctly that wreak the most havoc. We throw them around in meetings, … [Read more...]
The science behind reading and influence
Michael Hyatt says, “A readership crisis is really a leadership crisis.” Readers are likely to be leaders. With reading in decline, readers have a comparative advantage in today’s business and political environments. Source: MichaelHyatt.com. Here are five ways reading can uniquely develop and empower leaders: Reading Makes us Better Thinkers Reading Improves Our … [Read more...]
Expect success
Strategy, skill and execution are important factors in achieving success in most businesses. However, too often the mental side of the challenge is overlooked in leading your team to the ultimate goal and success. There are some things you can do to help your business team prepare mentally to reach and exceed expectations. Source: Harvard Business Review June 9, … [Read more...]
Practice management hacks: Advice to a new manager on standards of care
The Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) shared exclusive data with Veterinary Economics which shares a series of practice management "hacks" or best-kept secrets from VHMA members. Source: Veterinary Economics, July 7, 2016. VHMA members spill their best kept secrets for better patient care. Treat your technician staff well and value their input. Tell them … [Read more...]
What to do when you don’t know what to do
Michael Hyatt offers three steps to follow when you're tired of feeling uncertain. Forget about the ultimate outcome. Focus on the next right action. Do something now! Source: MichaelHyatt.com, via AVMA SmartBrief, July 11, 2016. Feelings of uncertainty can quickly transform into a sense of being overwhelmed, Hyatt writes. In those situations, try to forget the … [Read more...]
Control impostor syndrome
Many of us fear being discovered as a poser when we move away from our comfort zones. We fear that we’re not worthy and that that we aren’t qualified to do whatever we aim to do. It’s a fear that strikes many of us: impostor syndrome. Source: Harvard Business Review, July 7, 2016. To overcome these feelings of inadequacy consider these tips: Recognize the benefits of … [Read more...]
Help your team succeed
Avoid procrastinating For many people, procrastination is a strong and mysterious force that keeps them from completing the most urgent and important tasks with the same strength as trying to bring like poles of magnets together. It's also a potentially dangerous force, causing victims to fail out of school, perform poorly at work, put off medical treatment or delay saving … [Read more...]
Help your team succeed
Strategy, skill and execution are important to achieve success in most veterinary hospitals and practices. However, the mental side of the challenge is too often overlooked in leading the practice team to ultimate goals and successes. There are things you can do to help your hospital team mentally prepare to reach and exceed expectations. Source: Harvard Business Review, … [Read more...]
A nudge can change behavior
Can a small, simple adjustment, or nudge, change our behavior for the better? Richard Thaler, a University of Chicago professor who studies behavioral economics and finance, in addition to decision-making psychology believes it can. He’s even written a book titled, Nudge. Source: TED Radio Hour, June 24, 2016, first segment. If you want to encourage people to do something, … [Read more...]
Steps to take when feeling burned out
Research shows that burnout occurs when the demands people face on the job outstrips the resources they have to meet them. Certain types of demands are more likely to tax people to the point of burnout, especially a heavy workload, intense pressure and unclear or conflicting expectations. Source: Harvard Business Review, June 20, 2016. If you think you might be experiencing … [Read more...]
Get up again
In case you haven’t noticed, life in the real world is a series of ups and downs. Life in a veterinary practice is a microcosm of the world around us. It too, has a series of good days and others we would just as soon forget. Most of us handle the good days with grace and thankfulness. The real test is how we react on the really bad days. Source: Laurie Joyce, LinkedIn, June … [Read more...]
A big ego could make you less successful
Having an inflated ego can harm your career by reducing your connection to others and stunting your ability to maintain relationships, writes Ryan Holiday. "Confidence is based on what is real — it is earned," Holiday writes. "Ego is based on delusion and wishful thinking — it is artifice." Source: 99U, June 2016. The idea that only the swaggering, all-knowing, and … [Read more...]
Recovering from rejection
Rejection is a universal and universally disliked experience. It’s also one that each of us experiences differently. Sometimes, getting rejected hurts more than we expect, especially if our immediate response is to become self-critical. Source: Harvard Business Review, April 6, 2016. I think a lot of us have a gut instinct to question ourselves in the face of rejection,” … [Read more...]
Self-disclosure, leadership and trust
John C. Maxwell said, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” Every animal health professional is a leader when it comes to communicating with an animal owner, client, customer or staff member. Jesse Lyn Stoner provides some perspective on self-disclosure. Source: AVMA SmartBrief, May 31, 2016. Self-disclosure is an important leadership trait … [Read more...]
Career paths for client service representatives
Team members who want to grow personally and professionally in any role can help a practice thrive. Consider these tips and examples to help yourself or a staff member explore opportunities for advancement. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, March 2016. Many exceptional veterinary assistants, veterinary nurses, office managers, practice managers, and practice administrators … [Read more...]
Make a list of unethical things you’ll never do
Most people want to make a positive difference and remain ethical. But, it is easy to take shortcuts, cheat or stretch the truth. Like it or not, cellphone cameras make our behaviors more easily scrutinized today than ever before. We like this exercise of writing down what you won’t do. See what you think. Source: Harvard Business Review, May 30, 2016. Write a list of … [Read more...]
Grads need a P & L
We received Andy Kessler’s article from a subscriber. His tilt is toward recent graduates, but it seems the content offers a lesson for us all. The subscriber also commented that beyond the concept of P & L statements is the unspoken reminder that the objective is P over L. Source: The Wall Street Journal, May 22, 2016. The basic idea is to postpone consumption. Then … [Read more...]
A parent’s checklist
Millenials in or entering the workface have been characterized as entitled, lazy and a host of other unflattering terms. While this may be true in many cases, the root cause goes back to parents who allowed such behavior in their child’s formative years. So, when the former dean at Stanford university wrote about parenting in a piece titled, “8 skills everyone should have by … [Read more...]
Overcome your fear of public speaking
Representatives and veterinary team members are generally comfortable speaking one on one. Speaking before a group however can be a different story. Here are four tips to deal with potential fears. Source: Inc., May 16, 2016. Maybe you need to convince others that an idea makes sense. Maybe you need to show investors how a project or business will generate a return. Maybe … [Read more...]
The 21 most valuable career skills
Learn which skills are in demand and add to earnings in today’s job market. There are also tips about how to acquire those skills. Source: Money, June 2016. You can’t remain stagnant,” says Lydia Frank, PayScale’s editorial director. “You always want to be learning something new; you always want to be advancing.” … [Read more...]
Improve self-acceptance for better well-being
More than one in six veterinarians have considered suicide since graduation, according to a 2014 study by the Centers for Disease Control, as reported by JAVMAnews. It is important to maintain mental health and sound well-being, no matter what role you fill in the animal health business. Srini Pillay, MD, notes that self-acceptance, or lack of it, affects your physical and … [Read more...]
12 things that make us sound dumb
Consistently communicating clearly is hard. Yet, how we communicate with others helps keep projects moving, builds relationships and keeps careers advancing. Dumping these 12 words and phrases will help us sound as smart as we are. Source: Business Insider, May 12, 2016. Your verbal communications can make or break your relationship with your boss, team, clients, business … [Read more...]
Outsmart angry outbursts
So much of our communication is transactional — a word here, a sentence there — that we forget that at its essence, communications is relational. It sounds simple, but in reality there is nothing simple about communicating, especially when emotions are involved, says Peter Bregman. Source: Harvard Business Review, May 6, 2016. The problem with most communication is that … [Read more...]
First impressions matter
Whether you are a sales rep, on hospital staff or a DVM, there is never a second chance to make a first impression. Some people seem to have a knack for creating a positive first impression with everyone they meet. Just like there are no overnight successes, no one is born with this ability. They work at it. And these people who create positive first impressions aren’t just … [Read more...]
4 networking mistakes to stop making immediately, if not sooner
The old joke goes, “You can easily tell if a DVM is an introvert or extrovert. The extroverted DVM is the one who looks at YOUR shoes during a discussion.” Natural tendencies make networking difficult for some, whether they’re introverts or extroverts. This article provides sound considerations for networking. Source: Inc, May 4, 2016. In environments where you should be … [Read more...]
Editorial – Invest your energy wisely
I answered “busy” when asked about my schedule recently, but when asked if I was being productive, I hesitated and finally answered “hope so.” Many of us might respond the same way. Consider the five tenants of strategic energy application in this thought-provoking article where Peter Bregman suggests 89 percent of us are operating without much to spare. Source: Harvard … [Read more...]
Editorial – Questions are essential to successful workplaces
My grandfather often said, “the wisdom is in the question, not the answers.” He was not admonishing me for talking too much, rather, trying to get me to think more broadly and thoughtfully. Companies that view questions as a problem are missing out, writes Jay Steven Levin and Scott Mabry in these blog posts. Meaningful questions take time and consideration. They’re, intended … [Read more...]