So, you want your veterinary practice to be successful. But as the old saying goes, wishing won’t make it so. Building a better veterinary team requires both leadership skills and effective management tasks. Human resource managers have the potential to greatly influence the practice team. Strong teams are more likely to contribute to the success and reputation of a practice. As a manager, the challenge is to work with a diverse group of team members, including veterinarians, managers, technicians, receptionists and animal care attendants and make sure that each member is equipped to handle their responsibilities and willing to collaborate with colleagues, supervisors, clients, and patients.
Managers can employ a multitude of strategies to strengthen the team, which can range from pre-employment practices to refining existing approaches. While there are a number of resources available, a few of these approaches are discussed below.
Kicking the Tires
Debbie Hill, CVPM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP CCFP, entered the veterinary industry in 1989 and is a hospital administrator for a veterinarian with four practices. She believes that a successful team is dependent on hiring the right people and staying in touch with their progress. The interview is usually the forum where managers make hiring decisions. But to make good decisions, it’s important to go beyond the typical task questions to better understand if the candidate is compatible with the practice. For example, asking a candidate to describe an ideal work environment can provide insights into whether a position with your practice would be a good match. Another question that can generate interesting insight is to ask the candidate how coworkers would describe them.
Employing behavioral-based questions that peel away the layers of a candidate's personality, work ethic and fit with the company is essential. The hiring process is a time-consuming and expensive process. Care should be taken to extract as much good information from this effort to ensure your time and efforts are not wasted.
Advocate for the team
Hill also stresses that the team requires proper resources to do their jobs effectively. A leader or manager who advocates for staff when necessary becomes their champion and develops a strong team. Advocacy can take different forms. Advocates recognize team members when they excel, jump in and lend a hand to provide guidance in challenging situations and aid in problem-solving for individuals.
Managers should strive to create an environment in which employees can share feedback about the work environment. By allowing for this exchange of information in meetings and regularly asking for feedback, the team is more likely to feel that their input is valued and that they have recourse as issues arise. Be sure to follow through on issues expressed during these meetings that require further attention or need to be brought to others for consideration. Even if the outcome is not what employees want, knowing they were heard if important.
Communication is key
Communication is essential but can be difficult given the differences in people. Good communication helps team members understand practice goals and objectives and the role they play in achieving them. Itis enhanced by leaders who relay clear and consistent messages with adequate information. Leaders/managers should be open and honest in discussing the goals, purpose, and direction of the practice. This does not mean sharing every detail of the practice but when the team is kept in the dark about practice issues, the group does not have a solid foundation to move forward and trust one another or their leaders.
Chart the course
Journey mapping of the client experience is an effective way to map out a typical customer experience to better understand problems and address opportunities. Working with the team offers a good way to break down the experience with insights from all who are involved in the interaction. Not only will the team be aware of the issues encountered on the client journey, but they will offer insights from multiple angles that devise solutions that will bring the team together.
On the right path
Creating career development paths with employees is an important way to enhance their skills and knowledge that lead to mastery of their current positions, promotions, and new and different positions. This not only sets clear milestones for employees but provides development opportunities to reach these goals. Taking an interest in the individual’s career path shows that they are seen as important to the practice success and not just a number in the system
Excelling as a human resource professional requires mastering people skills as well as those skills that brought you to your leadership position. The VHMA/PVU Management Essentials series can assist managers more effectively lead their practices. Continuing Education credit is available for these courses and can be used to satisfy CVPM program requirements.