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Engaging the Team
You’ve approached the practice owner and discussed Preventive Pet Healthcare. You’ve even signed an agreement with the owner that outlines a commitment to the project and the responsibilities of each party. It’s time to get ready for the project launch and familiarize the practice team with the Champions project.

You want team’s support, but the team should be fully aware of the benefits of the Champions project. Therefore, when introducing the project at the team meeting, focus on being prepped, polished and persuasive.

The team should know that the owner is a Champion supporter. Invite the owner to attend and make a brief statement as a show of support. When issuing the invitation to the owner, be clear about your expectations. Page 22 of the workbook contains a helpful email template that can be used to gently remind the owner of the commitment to the project and next steps. Included are suggested talking points that can be passed along to the owner.

The owner’s presence is critical, but it is the Champion who will direct the meeting. On Page 23, Champions can find recommendations for making the initial meeting a success. Champion may decide to show a video about preventive pet healthcare, discuss the benefits of preventive care and/or reinforce the importance of team’s investment in the project. These are a few of the many recommendations offered. A list of potential team questions on page 24 provides Champions with an opportunity to practice and become comfortable responding to comments from staff.

At the team meeting, Champions should also distribute a team survey to gauge how team members perceive preventive pet healthcare in the practice. Champion can either use or adapt the team survey that is found on page 26. Include clear instructions about when and where to return the survey.

And, as any Miss Manners follower knows, follow-up with meeting participants and thank them for their participation. Be sure to outline the issues that were addressed and remind the team to complete the survey. For suggested email content, go to page 25.

Once the surveys have been returned, tabulate the responses using the form on page 30. Review the results and identify trends and issues. Armed with this information, it is time to schedule the second meeting with the practice owner. Make the most of this meeting by following the discussion format for reviewing the results on pages 34 and 35.

For a complete discussion and access to the tools that can move the process along, refer to Preventive Pet Healthcare: Your guide to becoming a PRACTICE CHAMPION (pages 21-36).

Now the real work begins!

Preventive Pet Healthcare: Your guide to becoming a PRCTICE CHAMPION is available free to first 1,000 VHMA members who order by December 31, 2015. To order go to www.vhma.org.