Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
The culture of every veterinary practice is unique. Your practice’s culture relies on the vision and principles of the owners and leaders of the practice. The culture of your workplace is about the “community” created by people who come to work each day and the vibe they carry with them throughout your practice.
Building a community is so much more than hiring and training individuals to perform a job. A community is achieved when those team members are driven to help one another achieve a common goal…caring for pets and the people who love those pets, while having a sense for the best interests of the practice.
Building a Community
To build a community, you need to cultivate better communication and understanding amongst your team members. This starts with the Principles of Mutual Respect, as discussed in the last post. To further build respect and understanding, I use True Colors personality testing. This testing tool and the resources that have been developed around the theory can turn a group of people into a community or highly functioning team in a relatively short period of time. Through self-discovery, awareness and team-building exercises, individuals can develop the skills they need to better communicate and complement one another in any environment. If you are looking for a Certified True Colors Facilitator to guide your team, please contact me at bktassava@sbcglobal.net for more information.
Role of the Leaders
The success of your practice’s culture is dependent on the actions of the practice owners and the leaders within the practice. You must maintain a “leading by example” approach in order for any change for the positive to occur. Stating policy and rhetoric that you never intend to do yourself, is only setting the practice up for failure. Be a leader—-take the high road and set expectations for yourself as high as you can!
Tags: community, culture, expectations, leadership, respect, true colors
