Ah yet another year has passed. In 2010 I will be at my practice for 16 years. It often seems that the longer the time here, the more difficult the new changes for the next year become. I wonder if one can run out of things to do? I hope not but I do think that the ideas are harder to come by. Maybe a goal for 2010 is to fine tune all the previous years goals. Ya' know, nothing is ever perfectly done so maybe that will be my focus this year.
It is also difficult to achieve anything close to perfection when the owner isn't always on board and accountable for his actions or lack there of actions! I supposed tackling that challenge would be one magnificent goal to achieve but after 16 years I have come to realize that you can't change anyone. If they are wired to seek out the negative, they will continue to do so and will certainly miss all the great things that the team has accomplished. Sadly, this is the biggest de-motivator I deal with. I have never been one to live by the rule of do as I say and not as I do. I choose to lead by example. I don't ask anyone to do anything that I myself, would not do. I admit my mistakes and do my best to do better the next time. I try to be the cheerleader for my team but often find myself fighting my own de-motivation as a result of the do as I say, not as I do leadership above me. How do I tackle this? Since change will never come..that is obvious...I need to come up with a plan to keep everyone positive and moving forward in spite of the constant nit picking. Any ideas on this?
Well like it or not, 2010 is right around the corner and the people and personalities that surround me will not miraculously change at the stroke of midnight so I best come up with a plan to deal with them.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Life changes
I didn't think at 44 I would be struggling with life changes but indeed I am. After 15 years in the same practice I feel I need something new to excite me. Is it a new place to live? Maybe! I have dreamed of living in the South for several years now. I had the chance at a practice in Columbia, S.C. but things wouldn't fall in to place to allow that to happen and as such not a day goes by I don't regret that! Is it a new job? Maybe! I started my own consulting company for that reason - my passion for client service and a new challenge in my life but as anyone who has started a business knows....it takes time. The clients I have had loved what I did for them but trying to get the word out is difficult. Fear also cripples the chance to take advantage of new areas, careers, challenges some times. What if they don't work out? What if I don't succeed? What if the choice was the wrong one? I hope to never let fear cripple my ability to take on the world but it has certainly caused some sleepless nights lately. What I do know is that if I don't try then I certainly won't succeed and that my husband is right....look at the worst case scenario! If it isn't that bad then you have nothing to loose! He is so smart...handsome too.
So life evaluation will continue! What do you all think?
So life evaluation will continue! What do you all think?
Owners...choose to micromanage or have a manager.
Normally when I think of or discuss professional growth I am the focus. I mean who am I to tell someone else what their direction of their professional growth should be right? Well sort of. Today I feel like screaming from the roof tops about owners and their path to professional growth if they hire a manager.
Time and time again I hear from frustrated managers who were hired to run the practice and are told daily that they are in charge. Unfortunately they are in charge in a practice with an owner who refuses to let go of control to allow them to be in charge. Don't get me wrong. Owners are the most vested people in any practice and I don't care how passionate or dedicated you, as the manager are, you are still NOT the owner. That being said, if you are the owner and you hired a manager to run your business then allow them to do so. Micromanaging at every opportunity or offering your two cents on every single subject, regardless of how insignificant, undermines your manager, confuses your team and is the fastest path to burn out I have ever seen. I suppose, as in any profession, there are managers who are there just for the paycheck. (Not sure why since veterinary medicine is not known for being the most lucrative career choice)..... but that is not the norm....far from it I would argue. 99.9% of the managers I meet are so dedicated to this profession and their practice it is heartwarming. They enter with wide eyes, huge dreams and visions and goals galore only to find out that that they really are just puppets whose moves are controlled by the owner who can't let go. Soon, these once aspiring dreamers stop reaching for the stars and enter each day with plans to go through the motions and wait to be told what to do or not to do. How sad. What a waste.
So, owners - grow professionally! You have 2 choices. Be owners and doctors who also manage or hire managers and let them manage and you oversee your visions be developed by them. They can do it. Let them try. Guide them. Tell them your dreams and goals so that they can help achieve them. Check in with them regularly, after all it is your investment and I wouldn't be foolish enough to tell you to hand it over without question to anyone. No matter what though....don't nitpick. Don't micromanage them in to depression and frustration. If you want to choose what color pens the practice uses then you are not ready for a manager so don't try. What I can tell you is that if you are ready to be a partner with a true professional then hire a practice manager and you will never regret it. (If you do don't call me - kidding!)
Professional Growth is yours my dear owners. Go out and conquer!
Donna Bauman, CVPM
Time and time again I hear from frustrated managers who were hired to run the practice and are told daily that they are in charge. Unfortunately they are in charge in a practice with an owner who refuses to let go of control to allow them to be in charge. Don't get me wrong. Owners are the most vested people in any practice and I don't care how passionate or dedicated you, as the manager are, you are still NOT the owner. That being said, if you are the owner and you hired a manager to run your business then allow them to do so. Micromanaging at every opportunity or offering your two cents on every single subject, regardless of how insignificant, undermines your manager, confuses your team and is the fastest path to burn out I have ever seen. I suppose, as in any profession, there are managers who are there just for the paycheck. (Not sure why since veterinary medicine is not known for being the most lucrative career choice)..... but that is not the norm....far from it I would argue. 99.9% of the managers I meet are so dedicated to this profession and their practice it is heartwarming. They enter with wide eyes, huge dreams and visions and goals galore only to find out that that they really are just puppets whose moves are controlled by the owner who can't let go. Soon, these once aspiring dreamers stop reaching for the stars and enter each day with plans to go through the motions and wait to be told what to do or not to do. How sad. What a waste.
So, owners - grow professionally! You have 2 choices. Be owners and doctors who also manage or hire managers and let them manage and you oversee your visions be developed by them. They can do it. Let them try. Guide them. Tell them your dreams and goals so that they can help achieve them. Check in with them regularly, after all it is your investment and I wouldn't be foolish enough to tell you to hand it over without question to anyone. No matter what though....don't nitpick. Don't micromanage them in to depression and frustration. If you want to choose what color pens the practice uses then you are not ready for a manager so don't try. What I can tell you is that if you are ready to be a partner with a true professional then hire a practice manager and you will never regret it. (If you do don't call me - kidding!)
Professional Growth is yours my dear owners. Go out and conquer!
Donna Bauman, CVPM
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
It's all about the non verbal cues.
Since client relations is the thing that excites me the most in the practice, I tend to monitor it and critique it frequently. Most recently I had a training session with my staff on the unspoken word. It started when I watched a discharge take place at the front desk. The client had already met in the exam room with the technician and now was at the front desk paying for the services. The client service member reviewed the services that were checked off on the travel sheet against those on the invoice. She didn't miss anything or say anything wrong. In the middle of this process the client answered a cell phone call. Now at first I thought she was just rude, as did my client service member, but as I continued to watch I could see her body language was not of a happy client who was just rude and took a phone call. Her spoken word also gave some clues. So after the client was finished and left I pulled the client service person aside and asked for her take on what had just transpired. She gave me the play by play, not knowing I had been watching, and her version was that everything was fine except the client was rude and took a call right in the middle of her talking. I asked her if she thought the client was frustrated or upset about her bill or the visit. The team member told me no. Next, I gave her my version of what I witnessed. I asked her if she noticed that the client never looked her in the eye - even before the cell phone rang. She hadn't noticed. I did though. Mrs. Jones never once looked at the client service person. She looked down, around at other clients waiting in the reception area, staff walking by and her dog pulling at the leash and her arm. I noticed that. I asked the client service person if all the client's questions were answered during this visit. She said that they had been. The reality? Maybe not since the client service member never asked her (our protocol states she asks!). I asked my loyal team member if she noticed that Mrs. Jones sighed a lot? She hadn't...but Mrs Jones did!
So my next step was to call Mrs. Jones. I explained who I was and that I was calling to ask about her experience at our practice today. (I call it an experience because it should be!) Laughing Mrs. Jones was very friendly and told me that she left our practice today a bit frustrated. It seems that she came in with a complaint of "shaking her head". Yes, her dog Spike was shaking her head. I asked her if she would be willing to share with me the reasons for her frustrations. Here they were:
1) Spike, though maybe a masculine name, was a girl. Client frustration? Every team member, DVM included, who interacted with Spike on this day called Spike a HE!
2) Shaking her head didn't seem like a $150 visit to the client. It was in fact a $150 bill though and Mrs. Jones felt that was a "bit high". I asked her what the doctor did today and she told me this, "He didn't do much. He looked in her ears and said something about yeast and bacteria, some test EBA and some coccidia thing." Let me back track here and tell you that most times I find a client frustrated with a bill I find a client who didn't see the value in what we did. Their problem? Most certainly not!!! Our problem!!!!! This was the case here. I talked to the doctor and looked at his travel sheet. In fact, nothing was a full physical examination. He checked Spike over head to toe but since he didn't verbalize each step, Mrs. Jones didn't know he did it. Her view? "He pet Spike." He sure did but that was really him petting over Spike to check for lumps and bumps. He pet Spike while he listened to her heart. Yes he did look in the ears and that EBA was really an EDA (Ear Discharge Analysis). Mistake #2 - don't speak in terms the client doesn't know. Mrs Jones didn't know what an EDA was or what it was looking for. She was actually quite interested once I took the time to explain it to her. Mistake #3 - all those things the doctor found. It was not coccidia - it was cocci. Yes there was yeast and baceteria but again that wasn't explained to Mrs. Jones. She was not told the differences and that different ear medications cover different things so she just thought we jacked up her invoice by adding a "ton of medications."
3) Ear appointments are a frequent item of contention at our practice. I think it is because the client thinks it is a simple thing that requires, at best, a simple, single medication. Our doctors know differently. They most often run the EDA, they frequently use the video vetscope to see inside the ear canal and there are often a few different medications. We know this and we had a plan in place for just this thing but we didn't use it. We didn't show her the ear canal on the vetscope screen. We didn't print her photos. We didn't give her the handout on the ear canal, how to administer meds and what an ear infection is. At discharge, by this time she was already angry, we rattled off, once again, all those things she just heard but didn't understand which only frustrated her more. (hence the no eye contact, cell phone call and many sighs). We had a chance to fix this by asking if she had any questions or if she understood everything that took place in her visit today...but we didn't.
So you see what happened here? We missed the non verbal cues that were screaming at us that we dropped the ball and that Mrs Jones was going to leave and maybe never come back...she certainly wasn't coming back for the recommened medical progress exam in 2 weeks. People often tell you they are fine when most certainly everything about them is screaming that they are not fine. Read those cues. Act on those cues. Fix the issues or you risk losing your clients.
Mrs. Jones is now happy. She asked me how I knew something was wrong. I told her about all the non verbal cues I witnessed. She chuckled and told me how perceptive I was and then she said she was also good at reading them and that at that point she knew I was smiling while talking on the phone with her. Of course I was. That is rule number one of answering the phone at my practice!
Donna
So my next step was to call Mrs. Jones. I explained who I was and that I was calling to ask about her experience at our practice today. (I call it an experience because it should be!) Laughing Mrs. Jones was very friendly and told me that she left our practice today a bit frustrated. It seems that she came in with a complaint of "shaking her head". Yes, her dog Spike was shaking her head. I asked her if she would be willing to share with me the reasons for her frustrations. Here they were:
1) Spike, though maybe a masculine name, was a girl. Client frustration? Every team member, DVM included, who interacted with Spike on this day called Spike a HE!
2) Shaking her head didn't seem like a $150 visit to the client. It was in fact a $150 bill though and Mrs. Jones felt that was a "bit high". I asked her what the doctor did today and she told me this, "He didn't do much. He looked in her ears and said something about yeast and bacteria, some test EBA and some coccidia thing." Let me back track here and tell you that most times I find a client frustrated with a bill I find a client who didn't see the value in what we did. Their problem? Most certainly not!!! Our problem!!!!! This was the case here. I talked to the doctor and looked at his travel sheet. In fact, nothing was a full physical examination. He checked Spike over head to toe but since he didn't verbalize each step, Mrs. Jones didn't know he did it. Her view? "He pet Spike." He sure did but that was really him petting over Spike to check for lumps and bumps. He pet Spike while he listened to her heart. Yes he did look in the ears and that EBA was really an EDA (Ear Discharge Analysis). Mistake #2 - don't speak in terms the client doesn't know. Mrs Jones didn't know what an EDA was or what it was looking for. She was actually quite interested once I took the time to explain it to her. Mistake #3 - all those things the doctor found. It was not coccidia - it was cocci. Yes there was yeast and baceteria but again that wasn't explained to Mrs. Jones. She was not told the differences and that different ear medications cover different things so she just thought we jacked up her invoice by adding a "ton of medications."
3) Ear appointments are a frequent item of contention at our practice. I think it is because the client thinks it is a simple thing that requires, at best, a simple, single medication. Our doctors know differently. They most often run the EDA, they frequently use the video vetscope to see inside the ear canal and there are often a few different medications. We know this and we had a plan in place for just this thing but we didn't use it. We didn't show her the ear canal on the vetscope screen. We didn't print her photos. We didn't give her the handout on the ear canal, how to administer meds and what an ear infection is. At discharge, by this time she was already angry, we rattled off, once again, all those things she just heard but didn't understand which only frustrated her more. (hence the no eye contact, cell phone call and many sighs). We had a chance to fix this by asking if she had any questions or if she understood everything that took place in her visit today...but we didn't.
So you see what happened here? We missed the non verbal cues that were screaming at us that we dropped the ball and that Mrs Jones was going to leave and maybe never come back...she certainly wasn't coming back for the recommened medical progress exam in 2 weeks. People often tell you they are fine when most certainly everything about them is screaming that they are not fine. Read those cues. Act on those cues. Fix the issues or you risk losing your clients.
Mrs. Jones is now happy. She asked me how I knew something was wrong. I told her about all the non verbal cues I witnessed. She chuckled and told me how perceptive I was and then she said she was also good at reading them and that at that point she knew I was smiling while talking on the phone with her. Of course I was. That is rule number one of answering the phone at my practice!
Donna
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Thanksgiving Thoughts
Well, Thanksgiving is behind us and though for a short period of time its meaning is hidden by mounds of mashed potatoes, turkey and pumpkin pie - the truth is that it is a great time to sit back and take a life evaluation moment. In my personal life am so very thankful for my 5 amazing children and the love of my life; my husband. On the professional side I think of the term professional growth as I evaluate where I am in my professional life. I think that professional growth can be as simple as increasing your professional skills over a period of time. I can certainly maneuver Quickbooks more efficiently now then I could several years ago. Now, a P&L means something to me and so on and so forth. I have a better skill set now then I did 17 years ago when I entered this profession.
This Thanksgiving though I am looking at my professional growth from a much different stand point - one that might not be so easy to evaluate for growth and may be much more difficult to deal with. For example, it would be much easier to find out that I need to learn out to create a budget then it would be to find out that my job is negatively affecting my mental health. So what is the more difficult professional growth evaluation? That would be my mental professional growth. I meet many different people in my career and so often I find that they don't know why they are doing what they are doing and if it fulfills them in an emotional manner. So this Thanksgiving I looked at my professional life and how it fulfills me emotionally and I encourage you to do the same. Are you proud of what you do? Why? Is there a sense of accomplishment when you close your laptop for the day? Are you respected by those around you in your practice? Are you able to do things that align with your personal beliefs and values? I think that we often get buried with that P&L we now learn to evaluate so efficiently that we forget that evaluating how our "job" makes us feel is as if not more important then that P&L.
I discovered a lot when I did this Thanksgiving evening. It is making me sit back and maybe make some choices in where I go next in my career and making me face some things that maybe I need to leave behind and others I should celebrate.
So remember, when you look at and evaluate your professional growth; don't forget the emotional part of that growth to ensure it is not stunted in an unhealthy professional environment.
Donna Bauman, CVPM
PS: I am also thankful for my brand new niece who turned 1 week on Thanksgiving Day.
This Thanksgiving though I am looking at my professional growth from a much different stand point - one that might not be so easy to evaluate for growth and may be much more difficult to deal with. For example, it would be much easier to find out that I need to learn out to create a budget then it would be to find out that my job is negatively affecting my mental health. So what is the more difficult professional growth evaluation? That would be my mental professional growth. I meet many different people in my career and so often I find that they don't know why they are doing what they are doing and if it fulfills them in an emotional manner. So this Thanksgiving I looked at my professional life and how it fulfills me emotionally and I encourage you to do the same. Are you proud of what you do? Why? Is there a sense of accomplishment when you close your laptop for the day? Are you respected by those around you in your practice? Are you able to do things that align with your personal beliefs and values? I think that we often get buried with that P&L we now learn to evaluate so efficiently that we forget that evaluating how our "job" makes us feel is as if not more important then that P&L.
I discovered a lot when I did this Thanksgiving evening. It is making me sit back and maybe make some choices in where I go next in my career and making me face some things that maybe I need to leave behind and others I should celebrate.
So remember, when you look at and evaluate your professional growth; don't forget the emotional part of that growth to ensure it is not stunted in an unhealthy professional environment.
Donna Bauman, CVPM
PS: I am also thankful for my brand new niece who turned 1 week on Thanksgiving Day.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Ah Mondays....
Well the day started with a sick child. I had the H1N1 a few weeks back so I am hoping that is not what my daughter has. My oldest daughter got a new puppy this weekend. We visited some shelters and breeders to find the right one. I was amazed at how many of these folks told me "the puppy doesn't need to see a veterinarian unless something is wrong." They have wormers and all kinds of things to send home and all are under the misguided belief that the veterinarian is the bad guy, out to take your money for "fake medical reasons." Ah the surprised looks I got when I told them of my career. We, as the veterinary professionals, must be ready with proper and clear protocols and narratives for our clients. We have to learn to speak in one voice. A new puppy owner is coming to us AFTER they have been "educated" by the breeder. They are coming to us armed with the thought that we are going to take them to the cleaners. If they call us and get a poorly handled call; we are playing right in to that hand. As a consultant who specializes in mystery calls I hear what the practice teams are telling potential clients. Some is good, some is great and some...well let's just say it leaves some room for improvement. Evaluate your team. Be ready to tell the new puppy owner WHY what you do is important!
I will do a free mystery call to any practice that asks! (PS this is my daughter and her sister's new puppy)
Donna
Friday, November 13, 2009
Home from the CVC
Well I am back to Michigan which somehow seems much less appealing to me after spending a week at the CVC in beautiful San Diego. As usual I learned a lot and was re-energized or left with a "conference woody" as Shawn McVey put it. I am still fascinated to see the attire at conferences. I sure would love to be comfortable in jeans and flip flops but I feel that I am representing my profession and as such should wear business attire. No, not a suit, but dress pants, heels and a blouse. A professional look. As I sat there and saw doctors in shorts and t-shirts I wondered if I put too much weight on attire. A DVM is an obvious professional. I was certain they didn't wear that outfit when they entered an exam room. I didn't think less of them for wearing it and I was certain they were more comfortable then I was in my heels and dress pants. Hmmmm....I guess this ties in to the post on tattoos and piercings. Appearance. We are judged by it..good or bad I suppose. So why would the DVM who wears shorts and a t-shirt to a conference judge or not hire a receptionist with a piercing? Ok maybe that is a stretch and certainly the receptionist comes in contact with clients and the DVM at a conference does not. So, next conference.....jeans and some flip flops for comfort while I sit for hours and hours or dress pants and heels so in case I meet someone that I might network with I look professional?
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Who is coming to the meeting?
Who’s coming to the meeting? By: Donna Bauman, CVPM – Visions Consulting
So the staff meeting is about to start and you wait as your staff files in 1 by 1 and gets settled in their seats with their $5 pizza. You know all these team members so well. There is John, Kristy, and Michelle….and so on right? Sort of. Those are their legal names but then we have their given names. You know. When you gather as a team for a meeting all the little characters, affectionately known as your staff, attend and each and every one of them has a role in the way the meeting is about to go. Just are there are different types of meetings held within the practice there are also be different types of personalities attending those meetings. Since it is the responsibility of the leader of the meeting to keep the meeting moving in a positive direction, ensuring that all staff has the opportunity to share thoughts, let’s identify who’s coming to the meeting and how you can deal with them when they arrive.
Chatty Kathy – Chatty Kathy is your staff member who has a lot to say and loves to say it. When Chatty Kathy gets going there isn’t much that can stand in the way to stop her. Be careful not to let her take over the meeting with her endless chatter as it keeps other staff from getting a word in edgewise and participating in the meeting. When Chatty Kathy is allowed to run at the mouth for too long, other team members will begin to get that glazed look in their eyes as they mentally check out to avoid the seemingly endless story shared by Chatty Kathy. Solution: Kathy’s ideas are probably great but her social personality paired with her inability to get to the point, unfortunately, does a disservice to the ideas because nobody is listening when she finally arrives at it. Help her by grabbing the idea from the story and politely interrupting. Praise her idea and ask others to offer input in regards to that idea. This way Kathy has her acknowledgement for a great idea and everyone else doesn’t go in to Chatty Kathy Coma!
Evelyn Eye Roller & Stevie Sigher – Evelyn Eye Roller is the one who will roll her eyes at every idea or suggestion that is brought up during the meeting; whether it has anything to do with her or not. Her male counterpart, Stevie Sigher will sigh, loud enough for the entire room to hear, as a stand against the idea on the table. These staff members can kill staff morale in a minute and also tend to gather a following rather quickly. I mean, who doesn’t want to eye roll or sigh at some point when their boss speaks!? (Well, except for my staff who love to hear me talk! ) Solution: Keep control of these two. When they roll their eyes or sigh ask them if there is something they would like to contribute to the meeting. Often time the public displays of “affection” (said jokingly) are a way to gather attention so it is your job to turn that negative attention in to positive by making them contribute in a constructive manner.
The Big Kahuna – This team member is a leader. They may or may not be the owner or manager but they are known by the team as a positive role model and cheerleader for the team. Let them be an assistant in the meeting. The Big Kahuna will help get staff on board with new ideas and will help guide the team as the changes occur in the day to day operations. The Big Kahuna is a great team cheerleader. There is little negative about the Big Kahuna. Be careful that the Big Kahuna doesn’t try to take over too much though or be a manager without the title. You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen? (I don’t either but it worked here!)
Sarah Shyness – This team member hides in the back of the room, crouched down in the chair and makes very little eye contact. She does her best to wear clothes that blend in with the chair in hopes you never call on her. She would rather look at a fecal then your eyes when you ask staff a question or for a volunteer. As a leader in the practice help encourage Sarah Shyness to share his/her ideas so that he/she can see that their ideas are valuable to the team and the practice. I guarantee that Sarah has amazing ideas but it may take a little hand holding to get her to share them. Don’t push her too hard or she will pull back. Baby steps with Sarah will work. When she sees positive feedback from her team as she begins to share ideas – she will take off and run with that!
Negative Nelly - Be careful of Negative Nelly. Unlike Evelyn Eye Roller and Stevie Sigher, Negative Nelly will verbalize the negative comments that he/she is feeling. Negative comments have no productive use in a meeting and can have a negative impact on the overall feel of the team. Don’t let Negative Nelly vent their frustrations or glass half-empty feelings at the meeting (that’s what diaries are for). Validate that they have a concern and ask them to give a positive idea that would work. You can turn a Negative Nelly in to a Charlie Cheerleader with a little work!
Peter Picker – Peter Picker has the ability to pick on and attack other staff members who share in a meeting. This behavior cannot be allowed in any form and must be stopped. If Peter Picker is allowed to continue his/her attack staff will stop contributing to meetings for fear of being Peter Picker’s next victim. Staff may also plan a behind the scenes mutiny to take Peter out and that is when you get to experience staff fighting, team separation and even team sabotage. Peter may also need a closed door talk with management to set some behavior expectations and to set clear guidelines on what things will and won’t be tolerated.
Devil’s Advocate Danny – Danny can be an important part of a meeting. He/she can share ideas and thoughts seeing the topic from a different perspective. Just like ice cream though, often the grass is always greener on the other side part of the story must be taken in small doses. If Danny ONLY sees the other side and the other side is ALWAYS the side that makes the plan not work, or difficult to get staff buy in then Danny might have to be limited as well. As with many of the other personalities attending the meeting, listen to Danny’s ideas and perspectives but keep them on topic and away from negativity.
So there you have it. With a little planning and a keen eye you can have the whole family at the staff meeting and you will never have to ask again, “Can’t we all just get along?”
So the staff meeting is about to start and you wait as your staff files in 1 by 1 and gets settled in their seats with their $5 pizza. You know all these team members so well. There is John, Kristy, and Michelle….and so on right? Sort of. Those are their legal names but then we have their given names. You know. When you gather as a team for a meeting all the little characters, affectionately known as your staff, attend and each and every one of them has a role in the way the meeting is about to go. Just are there are different types of meetings held within the practice there are also be different types of personalities attending those meetings. Since it is the responsibility of the leader of the meeting to keep the meeting moving in a positive direction, ensuring that all staff has the opportunity to share thoughts, let’s identify who’s coming to the meeting and how you can deal with them when they arrive.
Chatty Kathy – Chatty Kathy is your staff member who has a lot to say and loves to say it. When Chatty Kathy gets going there isn’t much that can stand in the way to stop her. Be careful not to let her take over the meeting with her endless chatter as it keeps other staff from getting a word in edgewise and participating in the meeting. When Chatty Kathy is allowed to run at the mouth for too long, other team members will begin to get that glazed look in their eyes as they mentally check out to avoid the seemingly endless story shared by Chatty Kathy. Solution: Kathy’s ideas are probably great but her social personality paired with her inability to get to the point, unfortunately, does a disservice to the ideas because nobody is listening when she finally arrives at it. Help her by grabbing the idea from the story and politely interrupting. Praise her idea and ask others to offer input in regards to that idea. This way Kathy has her acknowledgement for a great idea and everyone else doesn’t go in to Chatty Kathy Coma!
Evelyn Eye Roller & Stevie Sigher – Evelyn Eye Roller is the one who will roll her eyes at every idea or suggestion that is brought up during the meeting; whether it has anything to do with her or not. Her male counterpart, Stevie Sigher will sigh, loud enough for the entire room to hear, as a stand against the idea on the table. These staff members can kill staff morale in a minute and also tend to gather a following rather quickly. I mean, who doesn’t want to eye roll or sigh at some point when their boss speaks!? (Well, except for my staff who love to hear me talk! ) Solution: Keep control of these two. When they roll their eyes or sigh ask them if there is something they would like to contribute to the meeting. Often time the public displays of “affection” (said jokingly) are a way to gather attention so it is your job to turn that negative attention in to positive by making them contribute in a constructive manner.
The Big Kahuna – This team member is a leader. They may or may not be the owner or manager but they are known by the team as a positive role model and cheerleader for the team. Let them be an assistant in the meeting. The Big Kahuna will help get staff on board with new ideas and will help guide the team as the changes occur in the day to day operations. The Big Kahuna is a great team cheerleader. There is little negative about the Big Kahuna. Be careful that the Big Kahuna doesn’t try to take over too much though or be a manager without the title. You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen? (I don’t either but it worked here!)
Sarah Shyness – This team member hides in the back of the room, crouched down in the chair and makes very little eye contact. She does her best to wear clothes that blend in with the chair in hopes you never call on her. She would rather look at a fecal then your eyes when you ask staff a question or for a volunteer. As a leader in the practice help encourage Sarah Shyness to share his/her ideas so that he/she can see that their ideas are valuable to the team and the practice. I guarantee that Sarah has amazing ideas but it may take a little hand holding to get her to share them. Don’t push her too hard or she will pull back. Baby steps with Sarah will work. When she sees positive feedback from her team as she begins to share ideas – she will take off and run with that!
Negative Nelly - Be careful of Negative Nelly. Unlike Evelyn Eye Roller and Stevie Sigher, Negative Nelly will verbalize the negative comments that he/she is feeling. Negative comments have no productive use in a meeting and can have a negative impact on the overall feel of the team. Don’t let Negative Nelly vent their frustrations or glass half-empty feelings at the meeting (that’s what diaries are for). Validate that they have a concern and ask them to give a positive idea that would work. You can turn a Negative Nelly in to a Charlie Cheerleader with a little work!
Peter Picker – Peter Picker has the ability to pick on and attack other staff members who share in a meeting. This behavior cannot be allowed in any form and must be stopped. If Peter Picker is allowed to continue his/her attack staff will stop contributing to meetings for fear of being Peter Picker’s next victim. Staff may also plan a behind the scenes mutiny to take Peter out and that is when you get to experience staff fighting, team separation and even team sabotage. Peter may also need a closed door talk with management to set some behavior expectations and to set clear guidelines on what things will and won’t be tolerated.
Devil’s Advocate Danny – Danny can be an important part of a meeting. He/she can share ideas and thoughts seeing the topic from a different perspective. Just like ice cream though, often the grass is always greener on the other side part of the story must be taken in small doses. If Danny ONLY sees the other side and the other side is ALWAYS the side that makes the plan not work, or difficult to get staff buy in then Danny might have to be limited as well. As with many of the other personalities attending the meeting, listen to Danny’s ideas and perspectives but keep them on topic and away from negativity.
So there you have it. With a little planning and a keen eye you can have the whole family at the staff meeting and you will never have to ask again, “Can’t we all just get along?”
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Sunday
Why is it that the weekend goes so much faster then the work week? I packed today for the CVC in San Diego. I am excited to learn new things and also to see some sun and warm weather. I am writing a case study for the VHMA. My first one so not sure if I am on the right track but since I love to write I enjoy that. I also have some mystery calls to type up.
I hope to see lots of posts on my blog and hear your opinions!
I hope to see lots of posts on my blog and hear your opinions!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Square peg - round hole
When I first became a manager it seemed like the job was pretty self explanatory. Technicians work with the animals doing medical stuff. Receptionists answer the phones and make appointments. Managers – well they manage stuff and owners and associates do surgery, diagnose and prescribe. Piece of cake! I will take that job! Give me a new name tag and a business card and I am good to go….off to go manage a veterinary hospital. That was day 1.
On day 2 I learned the real and sometimes ugly truth! Some technicians aren’t great with people and forcing them to do exam room appointments can be a nightmare and certainly not a top notch veterinary experience. Other technicians are so social that I needed a shock collar to stop them from wandering out of surgery to go up front to chat with the new puppy owner. Receptionists, I found out, only wish they had to answer the phones & make appointments. Those poor girls are on the frontline of disaster! Managers? PLEASE, just let me manage. I tried; in between begging my owner to let go and stop micromanaging, putting out fires, calming down irate clients, explaining to Mr. Jones that while YES, we do love animals we still are a business and expect payment when services are rendered, finding missing inventory and cats, restraining a pit bull while in heels and a skirt and actually trying to complete a single management task off the day’s to do list. I ended day 2 in tears, with a torn skirt, hair on my black blouse and the most disheveled hair ever seen.
Day 3 started with an epiphany and a new outfit! Stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole3. Just because someone has a title for their role in the practice doesn’t mean that role is black and white.
Day 4 was implementation day. Social technicians make GREAT exam room technicians. They love to talk and educate clients! Perfect! Happy clients, healthy patients and increased outpatient services. Anti-social technicians love surgery. Nobody to smile at and clients with 4 legs and fur who don’t talk back! Perfect! Happy technician, closely monitored surgical patients, no missed in patient fees and a shock collar I sold on E-bay for $50! Receptionists can do SO much more than answer a phone & make an appointment. I never saw happy people after being set free to serve our clients and serve them they did. Perfect! Ecstatic clients with coffee or water in one hand and a brochure on microchipping in another, pre-scheduled medical progress evaluations and a happy chatter going all around. Perfect! A meeting with the owner with a complete list of my responsibilities and how I would report to him allowed for him and the associate to do surgery, diagnose and prescribe! Happy manager, closely monitored practice and doctors doing what doctors do! PERFECT!
Day 5 – Happy, non-dysfunctional, well managed practice….. PERFECT!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tattoos and Piercings and Professionals
I was in a discussion today about piercing and tattoos and if professionals should avoid them. Here are my thoughts on this. I think people should be able to do what makes them happy and comfortable. I also try my best to always judge people by their actions and not their appearance. On the other hand I certainly do know that extreme individuality makes people judge you differently and act differently and I bet it even holds people back from being successful. I meet lots of people and see lots of speakers and and everyone is very "normal" appearing but I would hope that if I went to a conference and there was a management topic I wanted to hear being delivered by a fully tattoo'd woman with an eye brow ring that I would still attend and not be distracted. I would hope that I would admire her individuality and right to do what she wanted that made her feel comfortable. On the other hand...would I hire her? Well based on my policy manual I couldn't but that would be the extreme. I have 2 staff with tiny nose studs and I myself am thinking of getting one. I find them very feminine and beautiful. I have staff with tattoos but most of them can't be seen. I too, have 2 tattoos but they only show in a bathing suit. I am trying to break in to the veterinary world as both a consultant and a speaker. I love my profession and am passionate about what I do and believe in. I have worked hard to earn my Associate and Bachelor Degree as well as my CVPM certification. would a nose stud make me less knowledgeable? I would hope not. So the debate rages on I guess. I may get the nose stud....and hope that I am not judged. I will see the speaker covered in tattoos but probably wouldn't be able to hire her as my receptionist. Not because I don't want to but because my policy manual for the practice I don't own states that I cannot. I would also feel that the extreme might be distracting and make clients uncomfortable. On the other hand a small nose stud or even a small tattoo on the back of her neck (I have staff with both of these) wouldn't bother me and I don't think would bother my clients. Why the difference? Small is not distracting and extreme is?? Not sure. I hope the day comes when we are all judge solely on how we treat people and what our skills are. I wonder if that will ever happen?
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