Chapter 2 Overview
Culture and leadership in veterinary medicine are interconnected elements that often take a backseat to daily operations, yet they are crucial for practice success. Like a garden requiring constant attention and care, workplace culture needs continuous nurturing through proper preparation, support, and daily coaching. A workplace's collective character, defined by shared values, standards, and behaviors, creates an environment that influences how employees feel about their work and impacts retention more significantly than salary alone.
Leadership in veterinary practices involves the process of social influence to achieve positive outcomes, with leaders setting visions while managers execute the necessary tasks. While certain roles, like practice owners, managers, and DVMs, are leaders by default, others may be elevated to leadership positions based on technical skills rather than leadership abilities. True leadership focuses on influencing critical thinking and problem-solving within teams, fostering personal responsibility and accountability, and ultimately contributing to a strong culture where financial success occurs organically.
When done well, strong leadership and culture will result in:
A great place to work that has low employee turnover, high employee engagement, and self-accountability.
Successful elevation of key team members that leads to optimized utilization in the veterinary practice.
The successful implementation of protocols and communication strategies to achieve practice goals.
Did you know
Studies have shown that companies with a strong, positive culture outperform those with weaker cultures in key areas such as employee retention, expense reduction, increased revenues, and overall healthier profitability.