As veterinary professionals, we understand the importance of compliance and are committed to achieving that goal with every customer. Unfortunately, that perspective is often the biggest barrier to achieving our goal. Approaching these conversations from our customer’s point of view, rather than our own, will yield greater results. Source: Vet-Advantage, Livestock Edition, … [Read more...]
I screwed up!
Wouldn’t we like to hear an admission of failure instead of excuses more often? According to Justin Grady, most of us are failure hypocrites. Justin claims to be a complete failure, out of which he cultivates creativity and helps others do the same. He speaks to leaders and failures. From our perspective, any animal health pro is a leader when interacting with an animal owner. … [Read more...]
Leaders have a responsibility to stay healthy
Effective leaders realize they have an awesome responsibility and sometimes that burden can lead to burnout or leadership fatigue. Being able to sustain your effectiveness is essential to your success, your team and your organization’s success. The tips presented here to help avoid work burnout could be critical components that ensure your well-being. Source: Forbes, … [Read more...]
4 types of ineffective apologies
Busy workplaces often build intense dynamics that make it easy to say or do something untoward to colleagues, employees or even customers. Sometimes difficult, offering an effective apology is a workplace skill we all must develop. Sincere apologies show that you value relationships and other points of view. Source: Harvard Business Review, November 25, 2016. Many people … [Read more...]
Just add water, plenty of it
Cattle need adequate water in winter to process additional feed that keeps them warm during winter. This article is a good topic to help gin up lively discussions. Source: Beef, October 31, 2016. 'In winter, we often don’t think about water requirements for cattle, but the body’s demand for water is important whether it’s hot or cold,' says Terry Mader, Mader Consulting, … [Read more...]
DVMs fill rural shortages, get loan relief
A three-year commitment to serve in areas lacking sufficient veterinary resources has qualified veterinarians for a loan repayment assistance program. The incentives are for students to take up rural veterinary practices and help take care of American livestock. A map of veterinary service shortage areas by state is available online. Source: Bovine Veterinarian, November 4, … [Read more...]
AAEV hosting BVDV webinars
Research about BVDV and management practices continues. Although we have good working knowledge of BVDV, losses remain substantial across the production channels. Julia Ridpath, PhD, studies BVDV and related pestiviruses at the USDA’s National Animal Disease Center (NADC) in Ames, Iowa. Webinars presented by her are available through the American Association of Extension … [Read more...]
Drs. Blach and Clark, tips for healthier practices
Is My Practice Healthy? is a practice development commitment from Edward L. Blach, DVM, MS, MBA, and Andrew R. Clark, DVM, MBA. Each week, they write tips and commentary in a platform designed to provide an educational venue and community where stakeholders in the veterinary industry can go to learn about veterinary practice management and industry economics. Our team at AHD … [Read more...]
Leaders have flaws, too
Even the most brilliant leaders have flaws. The story of Civil Water General Stonewall Jackson, an extremely effective battlefield strategist, illustrates how flaws limit the potential of even the best leaders. Source: War History Online, October 30, 2016. Yet despite all these faults, Jackson played a vital role in the Confederate army and is rightly remembered as a … [Read more...]
Leave the work stress behind
Animal health pros frequently allow work stress to become home stress, often at the expense of families, relationships and our own health. Jackie Coleman and John Coleman share five tips for keeping work stress from becoming home stress: Confine your work to particular times and locations Develop good mobile device habits Establish a good support network Have an … [Read more...]
Vetted looks at tomorrow’s vet med
See the futurist views of veterinary industry specialists in these areas: The topic of cancer Critical care on another level A retrospective on the fantastic fate of feline medicine Dentistry The prominence of public health A vital future, with one caveat – student debt vs. salary potential Destiny of dermatology Source: Vetted, October 14, 2016. Stop … [Read more...]
Vendor discounts can reduce profit
Andrew Clark offers some spot-on perspective discussing vendor discounts. We would add: Markup is a cost-based calculation while margin is a price-based formula Pricing and invoicing of dispensed items is a market-conditions discipline to remain competitive Free goods should be received at their unit value, not $0.00 Source: Is My Practice Healthy?, November 5, … [Read more...]
R E S P E C T retains clients
Steven Pearson, DVM, shares five ways to ensure your veterinary practice can meet clients' needs. He reminds us all that time is valuable, regardless on which side of the exam table you stand. He says practices must provide high-quality services in a relaxed and consistently respectful manner to reach their full potential. Source: Veterinary Practice News, November 1, 2016. … [Read more...]
Unlearning, not learning, is a real challenge
Many of us have experienced unlearning after buying a different automobile. The new key works differently, the gearshift is now on the column or the windows are controlled by a button not a crank handle. Mark Bonchek suggests that learning organizations have focused incorrectly. The problem isn’t learning: it’s unlearning. In every aspect of business, we are operating with … [Read more...]
Win the talent war with effective coaching
Developing talent in newly hired veterinary school graduates has long been a primary requirement in practice success. Mentoring a new graduate is challenging and often does not follow a defined plan. Magdalena Mook asserts that developing a strong coaching culture across all employee strata is an important element of retention and competitiveness. Source: Human Resource … [Read more...]
Develop effective elevator pitches
Presenting yourself effectively is an important skill. Whether networking, interviewing for a job or meeting with clients, being able to concisely communicate what you do is a critical success skill. Source: Personal Branding Blog, November 3, 2016. Outplacement organizations tell clients that in order to be prepared for different kinds of circumstances; they must have both … [Read more...]
The evolving role of practice manager
Christine Shupe, executive director of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, shares her organization’s predictions of how the top trends in veterinary medicine influence the evolving role of practice manager. Source: Firstline, October 28, 2016. The VMHA surveyed industry leaders to gain insight into industry trends that influence the roles managers will play. Three … [Read more...]
Emotional agility can help you at work and in life
Emotional agility is the ability to be with yourself in a way that is courageous and curious and compassionate, says Susan David, PhD. But in a fast-paced world, we often get derailed or stuck. She says the things that we are upset about or angry about often contain information of what’s of value. People will often push these emotions and, with them, the learning … [Read more...]
Being nice wins
The nastiness of this year’s Presidential campaign is often excused by observing that “politics is a contact sport.” Plus, reality shows with the highest ratings seem to involve the nastiest people. Despite society’s current love affair with verbal thuggery, research proves you can win while being nice and you can disagree without being disagreeable. Source: Wall Street … [Read more...]
Being helpful at work can make you worse at your job
The title seems to fly in the face of logic. But University of Florida business professor Klodiana Lanaj recently outlined a major downside to this approach. Helping your colleagues is exhausting. In two recently published studies she and her colleagues discovered that helpfulness at work is something of a tightrope walk: It can boost your energy, but it can also leave you … [Read more...]
Speaking up to supervisors is a two-way street
Corporate leaders often say they want employees to speak up and offer new ideas, challenge processes and call out unethical behavior. However, research shows that those same leaders generally react negatively to employees who challenge them, even when done constructively. Source: Harvard Business Review, October 18, 2016. Building speaking up cultures is, on the whole, a … [Read more...]
Providing corrective feedback correctly
Providing corrective feedback is challenging but it becomes more difficult when it gets emotional. Defensiveness, crying or yelling create an environment that most would rather avoid. However, it is part of the real world. So, tips on handling these types of situations are helpful. Source: LinkedIn Pulse, September 22, 2016. Remember the “why.” Focus on all the good reasons … [Read more...]
Warmth and competence critical to first impressions
When you put people into decision-making mode they are being influenced by logic and emotion. Additionally, the bigger the decision, the more emotion influences the final outcome. So, very often your technical competence as a DVM or vet tech will work against you when dealing with increasing customer compliance. Source: Business Insider, January 16, 2016. If someone you're … [Read more...]
Understanding accountability
Accountable. The word conjures up visions of bad annual reviews, pink slips, punishment or harder work. Jonathan Raymond suggests thinking about accountability in five steps: The mention The invitation The conversation The boundary The limit Source: Harvard Business Review, October 13, 2016. At work as in life, we all need the people who care about us to … [Read more...]
Understand negotiations, don’t kill them
Negotiations are a part of professional life whether you’re a veterinarian, a marketer, a salesperson or even a farmer. Top Producer’s Sara Schafer brings together the advice of three negotiators who offer worthwhile tips to use when negotiating anything you can imagine. Source: AgWeb, October 10, 2016. 'When people get in the heat of the moment during a negotiation, they … [Read more...]
Professional development for employees is critical
Our post, 21st-century agriculture amazes many, scares some paints vivid pictures of food production in the United States. As technology advances, new skills are paramount to achieve success. Erika Osmundson reminds employers of seven underlying benefits from professional development beyond simple education: Confidence and credibility Efficiency Ability to influence … [Read more...]
Remember names with practice
Remembering names can be a challenge. Some remember faces, but struggle to put names with them. Still others seem to always know the person and name. Nicolas Cole shares his name recall strategy which is basically conscious repetition to affect short term memory. Source: Inc., September 27, 2016. What makes remembering someone's name so hard? Well, it's usually because … [Read more...]
The latest from VetFolio can help connect reps with prospects, clients
VetFolio brings together the best educational material in the industry through the combined efforts of the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). They provide a one-stop resource platform for professional and personal advancement under a new way of learning—Continuous Education. Source: VetFolio, September 22, … [Read more...]
Self-talk is worth understanding
The responses to information about managing ourselves, teams and relationships continue to top the list of most-read posts at AHD. Bob Stahl explains how paying attention to your internal dialogue can free you from you self-doubt and help you become familiar with your own personal brand of autopilot. Source: Mindful, September 12, 2016. When you begin to bring mindfulness … [Read more...]
5 tips to help you negotiate with liars
Research tells us that people tell one or two lies every day. Additional studies report that half of negotiators will lie when they have motive and opportunity. Even more studies tell us we can only correctly identify lies about half the time. Fortunately, scientific examination tells us that we can conduct conversations in ways that make it difficult for our counterparts to … [Read more...]