Some of you probably celebrated Independence Day with barbeques and fireworks. I celebrated it symbolically by freeing myself from the stress of knowing that July was not what I had expected it to be. Let me explain…
I started out 2023 with some significant plans and goals for my veterinary practice. We were going to plunge into VHMA’s new Organizational Diagnosis and Design Toolkit; we were wrapping up a major construction project. I was super excited.
Then came the curveballs: unexpected turnover (which resulted in time-consuming interviews), new staff additions, disruptive construction delays, and that crazy and unpredictable thing called “life.”
Suddenly, those big operational plans were put on hold.
It is now July and they are still on hold. And (here’s where my Statue of Liberty adaptation comes in), I have given myself the freedom to be okay with that.
A big part of my acceptance of the inevitable stems from a personal mission statement I had created for myself some 10 years ago during an activity at a leadership course. It reads like this: “I am here to take care of the business and my team so they can take care of pets.” To me, this means that I have different responsibilities that must be my focus NOW:
· I have newbies in the office, and I need to orient them to everything from our practice’s mission statement to its day-to-day policies and procedures.
· I need to schedule “stay interviews” with my seasoned staff to make sure they are happy and not planning to leave their positions.
· I must transform this mashup up new and old faces into a cohesive and focused team.
My people are my essential priorities these days, as they should be.
And so, I have pulled out the “get to know you” icebreakers, firmed up the one-on-one employee check ins, and even rolled out the barbeque grill to serve my team hotdogs. I know that food doesn’t resolve setbacks; but it certainly makes people happy.
From this July vantage point, I am not completely sure how and when we are going to get back to that list of 2023 goals. However, we are doing OK. Our KPIs are where they should be, our client feedback remains strong, and there are puppies and kittens in the building to snuggle.
So I am giving myself the liberty to breathe, and the freedom to look away from that list of 2023 plans and goals I crafted so many months ago. I even enjoyed the fireworks I have seen, with the satisfaction of knowing they were far, far away from my desk at work!
I hope you enjoy some independence this July as well!
Sincerely,
Jessica Speas, CVPM, SPHR, PHR-ca, SHRM-SCP, CCFP
VHMA President
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