Thank you for the confidence you have placed in me as President for the next two years. I am extremely grateful for 
this opportunity and am both honored and humbled by your support. Over the past six years, the VHMA leadership team has launched some really innovative programs, it is an exciting time to be a part of the VHMA and I look forward to helping continue the momentum and serving the VHMA membership.
As I reflect on the strategic plan for association I am reminded of a personal journey that I have been on. It began in my own backyard about one year ago. My wife and I purchased our home in 2000 but did not get around to improving our pretty basic backyard until the summer of 2012 at which point we had a concrete patio installed. Otherwise, our backyard was fairly unremarkable. While in Vancouver, BC for VHMA’s 2012 Annual Meeting and Conference we saw a waterfall feature at a local tourist attraction which inspired us to do something with our backyard.
Back home a few weeks later, I purchased some concrete retaining wall blocks and built a crescent moon about eight feet wide and one foot high. I started what I thought was going to be a nice, simple water feature – one that would spruce up the yard and bring us enjoyment for many years. Keep in mind, I’ve never built a water feature before, nor am I experienced in landscaping other than keeping a very rough lawn mowed and planting a few flowers here and there.
Isn’t that how it is with our practices? When we get a vision in our minds we “see” a future state that is somehow different than our present state. Importantly, we get a mental picture of a future that is an improvement over what we currently are experiencing. At this year’s Annual Meeting and Conference, multiple speakers discussed the importance of mission, vision, goals, and core values. They also challenged us to return to our practices and evaluate how our teams are doing with respect to one critically important constituent – our clients. One speaker boldly confessed that his team’s staff meetings are simply to answer one question – how can we better serve our clients? This simple yet so profound strategy clashes with what many practices are still experiencing. You probably know what I’m referring to – staff meetings that focus on a long list of things that people should be or should not be doing. Refreshingly, many hospitals have adopted a concept of team meetings that are focused upon solving problems and improving patient care and pet owners’ experiences.
Over the next few monthly messages I thought it would be worth diving deeper into the water and discovering how an activity as mundane as landscaping can be closely correlated with projects aimed at improving our hospitals. As someone often associated with strict left-brain type thinking, I have rather enjoyed exercising the right hemisphere and more importantly whole brain thinking. Yes, the day-to-day challenges associating with leading a large hybrid practice loom, but the evolution of this rather drab backyard into something aesthetically pleasing has inspired me to dream big, persevere in the face of obstacles, and move forward in unchartered waters both personally and professionally. It has also provided a greater appreciation for work-life balance. I am fervently convinced that many in our profession need to exploit opportunities to improve our practices without extinguishing or dampening the flame within by working “harder and harder” in order to accomplish everything on our never-ending ‘to-do” lists. Just as water is essential for all organisms, effective, efficient systems are vital to businesses. In nature, when proper systems are in place organisms thrive; in the absence of proper nutrient systems plants wither and businesses fall short of attaining their full potential. Together, as leaders in our veterinary practices, let’s exercise both hemispheres of our brains over the next several months to help our healthcare teams discover an even brighter future and to provide essential nutrients for their survival and growth.
Your President,
Jon Cunnington, MBA, CVPM