CVC educators, Drs. Sarah Wooten and Kimberly Pope-Robinson, offer some perspective to help veterinary professionals stop personally owning every team and client problem. Source: Vetted, March 15, 2017. As members of a giving profession, veterinarians sometimes struggle to learn that dirty little word: NO. INSIGHTS: Animal health pros will recognize the situations and some … [Read more...]
Air out the office now!
Study after study has shown that the amount of ventilation, or fresh outdoor air brought inside, is a critical determinant of health. A research team from Harvard and Syracuse Universities dug deeper to find out if better air influences a worker’s ability to process information, make strategic decisions and respond to crises. The results show it is time to air out the office … [Read more...]
Customer context important in demand generation efforts
Marketing and sales persons will find this Important. A customer has many different interactions with a company, their buying process is just one of many touch points. If marketers make the mistake of thinking about demand generation in isolation, this could lead to a poor customer experience. Marketers responsible for generating demand need to think of their demand generation … [Read more...]
Be flexible to keep your best people
Employee turnover is a problem in most industries. However, it is a major problem when star performers leave your organization. You can retain your best people and attract more like them relatively easily if you first understand what these top performers want. Source: Gallup, March 8, 2017. However, brand and reputation also reflect a sense of pride. Employees want to feel … [Read more...]
AKC Museum of the Dog returns to New York City
“The AKC Museum of the Dog houses one of the largest collections of dog art in the world and is an important part of the AKC’s history and future,” said Ronald H. Menaker, chairman of the board for the American Kennel Club. The relocation to Midtown Manhattan also provides a means for the Museum to generate revenue from additional admissions, memberships, sponsorships, and … [Read more...]
WVC recaps 2017 conference
The WVC 2017 program and conference was attended by more than 6,000 veterinarians. Plus, more than 1,400 veterinary technicians and 360 practice managers were among the 14,000 veterinary professionals who attended. W. Mark Hilton DVM, PAS, DABVP (beef), assumed the position as the WVC 2017 president. He is a technical consultant for the Elanco Animal Health beef team and a … [Read more...]
Changing behavior requires awareness and determination
The amount and pace of transformation around us is overwhelming. Change is the new normal. According to scientists we are living in a VUCA world; one that is heavily impacted by increasing levels of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Yet, even if we see the benefit and understand the need for change and although we have the knowledge, skills and resources to act … [Read more...]
68.2 percent fewer dairies since 1992
The number of dairies needed to produce adequate milk supplies continues to decline. The dairy industry is on track to have only half as many farms as it does today. The only question is which year during the 2030s it will happen. Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, March 20, 2017. The biggest statewide declines have occurred in North Dakota (-94.4 percent) and Arkansas (-93.1 … [Read more...]
Multilingual employees are the best
Speaking a different language changes how one’s brain is structured and how it works. This change can help see situations differently and apply novel solutions to problems. According to the school of thought called linguistic determinism, the structure of language we speak influences how we see the world around us. This implies that those with different language backgrounds … [Read more...]
Take control of your inner control freak
Our AHD team monitors concerns about stress and depression in the veterinarian community. Stressors are often self-induced or expectation-centric. Cari Romm shares insights on the proverbial, “control freak,” primary controllers and secondary control. Some of you will find this worth the read. Source: Science of Us, March 3, 2017. There are ways to let those take-charge … [Read more...]
Delegate meeting leadership to gain effectiveness
Well-run meetings allow you and your team to clarify issues, set direction and move objectives forward. Yet, meetings are seldom planned or executed well. Paul Axtell says it’s time to rethink whether you should even lead your own meetings. Source: Harvard Business Review, December 23, 2016. Letting other people lead meetings has three key benefits: Development of your … [Read more...]
4 ways to give effective feedback
Receiving feedback is often difficult. Many times, providing feedback is just as difficult. But, without it, we have no idea if we are meeting expectations, are below expectations or exceeding expectations. Most importantly, we need to know if there is opportunity for improvement. The simplest solution to this dilemma is to provide feedback in a way that has a positive impact … [Read more...]
“My door is always open.” Fact or fallacy?
As animal health companies, practices and retailers integrate and grow, leaders must encourage candor. Megan Reitz and John Higgins have studied accessibility, employee dynamics and why employees rarely cross the leader’s office door threshold. They challenge leaders to ask five questions. Source: Harvard Business Review, March 9, 2017. Reitz’ and Higgins’ research suggests … [Read more...]
Pre-op surgical site preparation is critical
Surgical site preparation is one of the more important skills operating room veterinary technicians perform in regard to patient care. Currently, surgical site preparation protocols are not standardized. Thus, veterinary team members should adhere to their practices’ accepted procedures when preparing patients for surgery. Source: Veterinary Team Brief, January/February … [Read more...]
Dr. Blach presents customer service
In the most recent Is My Practice Healthy,? Dr. Blach references focusing on the customer in three different posts. We agree with his assertions. Customer service training, listening or questioning and anticipating customer needs are critical to differentiating your business, territory or company from competitors. Source: Is My Practice Healthy?, March 12, 2017. How do you … [Read more...]
6 questions veterinarians want to hear from dog owners
Veterinarians spend a great deal of time asking and answering questions to understand as much as possible about an individual dog, writes Dr. Byron de la Navarre. He suggests dog owners come prepared with six questions: “How often should I bring in my pet for wellness visits?” “Should I give my pet once-a-month parasite protection medication, and why?” “Do you think … [Read more...]
Equine asthma syndrome review
David Ramey, DVM, reviews the various causes of equine asthma syndrome, a new term to describe airway conditions characterized by inflammation and airway hyperreactivity. Among them: broken wind, heaves, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and IAD (inflammatory air disease). Source: Veterinary Practice News, February 27, 2017. Depending on the clinical signs and … [Read more...]
Cats have to play
Behaviorist Marilyn Krieger reminds us that playing is a lifelong activity for cats. She says playing is intrinsically rewarding. If it wasn’t, cats wouldn’t play. Source: Catster, February 24, 2017. Cats of all ages should be encouraged to play — but always within their limits. Playing is a lifelong activity that teaches skills, promotes health, fights boredom and is fun. … [Read more...]
Grieving for a dog is hard
Cesar Milan discusses the emotions and challenges for losing a canine companion. He shares that the loss of a dog represents multiple losses at the same time. Source: Cesar’s Way, March 8, 2017. The biggest loss is the unconditional love that they give us and which we have earned over their lifetimes. We probably have no relationships — especially not human ones — with such … [Read more...]
Client control is key to optimizing pet health
Joel Parker, DVM, discusses ways to communicate effectively with clients whose inboxes and notices are just as full as our own. He suggests three strategic steps to help plan and execute a good Client Control Program (CCP). Source: Messenger, February 2017, pages 17-18. Follow these steps to put a good CCP in place: Set up your client communication lines Get your … [Read more...]
Don’t give up your parasite prevention sales
Bash Halow, LVT, CVPM, has two reasons for not giving up on selling parasite prevention products: Your products, with the assistance of manufacturer incentives, are nearly always competitively priced. You can be the one-stop shop. Halow adds as a veterinary team, rediscover the value of the products that you sell and understand the value of buying them through your … [Read more...]
Celebrate the women in our profession
International Women’s Day was celebrated worldwide yesterday. It’s theme, BeBoldForChange, is a reminder of the contributions women make daily to our profession. They’re often the ones leading the charge for change, whether it is research for a breakthrough new vaccine, a simple routine change in a clinic or getting a customer to improve his baby animal care protocols. If you … [Read more...]
Technology is a literal pain in the neck
Many of us walk around with our necks jutting further forward than they should be. It is a consequence of being so tied to smartphones, notebooks, driving and working on computers. Bob Fischer, a personal trainer in Philadelphia, shares his five favorite moves for counteracting the effects of "tech neck." Source: Prevention, January 25, 2017. One study published in the … [Read more...]
Organizational alignment counts
Regardless of size, the most effective businesses succeed because their strategies, organizational capabilities, resources and management systems support the enterprise’s purpose. But many businesses struggle to keep the balance needed to excel. Source: Harvard Business Review, February 7, 2017. A tightly managed enterprise value chain that connects an enterprise’s purpose … [Read more...]
Deal with it!
Most big problems are ones that were ignored in hopes they would go away or magically resolve themselves. Conflict avoidance occurs in many industries. Veterinary medicine is not immune to its impact. Thus, using the FIGHT strategy to deal with issues before they grow is likely helpful. Source: CharlesMarshall.net January 2017. Courage isn’t the absence of fear but the … [Read more...]
Manage your line of credit carefully
Dr. Andrew Clark addresses managing operating lines of credit in this edition. He reminds us that credit lines to cash flow can be a slippery slope. Source: Is My Practice Healthy?, February 27, 2017. You have borrowed an operating line of credit because you didn’t have enough money in the bank to pay the bills. You must budget to pay the full year expenses PLUS pay off the … [Read more...]
Toxic teams hurt patient care
Ask sales reps about their in-practice or retail store experiences and you’ll likely hear about some pretty tense business settings. The dvm360 toxic team survey reveal that stressful environments not only hurt employees and dissuade animal owner visits, but the environment is harmful to animals as well. Source: Vetted, February 2017. Toxic veterinary teams are a problem, … [Read more...]
Software and gadgets enhance work and play
Technology plays a tremendous role in how animal health pros manage their days at work and home. This article reviews technology advancements that include drone security, video doorbells and key finders. It is followed by good automotive-related news and hacks. Source: Repertoire, February 2017. Pages 50-53. … [Read more...]
March issue of JAVMA
There continues to be a lot of attention paid to probiotics. Among the papers in this issue is Use of probiotics in small animal veterinary medicine. Animal health pros will appreciate it as well as with the others presented. Source: JAVMA, March 2017. (abstract access only) … [Read more...]
Leadership requires physical, mental strength
Effective leadership requires much – vision, strategic thinking, tactical skills and the list goes on. We sometimes overlook the physical and mental requirements to be truly effective. We previously focused on the physical health requirement and would like to move to the mentally strong leader. Source: Vet-Advantage, February 2017. Confidence is often described as being … [Read more...]