The 9 powers of superboss

I've seen a lot of bosses in my day. And some of the best I've ever met possess employer superpowers. These superbosses protect their talented team members from low morale, beat back menacing expenses, and transform their practices into the headquarters of the best pet-saving heroes around. Other bosses are more like failed sidekicks. Their team members are miserable and their business stinks. You, of course, want to be a superboss. Or if you're super already, you want to get even better. Here are the nine superpowers of the veterinary practice owner. See if you've got what it takes to be the best—and how you can improve even if you think you're already there.

Illustrations by Jim Haynes

So, now that you've seen the requisite superpowers under the cape of a superboss, are you the heroic employer you should be or do you fall a little short? Either one is OK. You have nowhere to go now but up, up, and away!

The bottom line

Long-distance vision

You don't need to see through walls to have the vision of a superboss. You just need a motivating picture in your head and on paper of what makes your practice great. Once you've got the vision, you need to share that inspiring image of success with your team members.

Illustrations by Jim Haynes

Some people define vision as seeing what others don't see and having an acute sense of the possible. Any successful business starts at the top with a mission statement or a big-picture view. Do you have a vision for your practice? Have you shared that vision with your team? Your employees, after all, will be the ones to help you make that vision a reality.

A mission statement or motto often defines a vision, but it's much more than words on a page. A vision is the driving force of the practice. It's a standard you use when making decisions so you know you're on the right track and being true to yourself and your practice.

If you already have a written mission or vision statement, evaluate whether it's a reality in your practice. Many successful businesses hold annual retreats with their teams, discuss goals for the year to come, and evaluate how well they're sticking to their mission statement and last year's goals.

Allegiance to the hero's code

A superboss doesn't just tell people to do the right thing. A superboss does the right thing. Bosses who don't follow through on what they say or who ask team members to do one thing and then do something else themselves will never earn respect. Examples include bosses who demand that employees come in on time but who are always late themselves. Or doctors who ask their associate veterinarians to write up complete medical records and follow medical protocols but are always cutting corners on these policies themselves.

I know one practice owner who walked by a cage where a patient had urinated and defecated, looked at it, and just walked on by. Why? He needed to send some personal e-mails in his office. At the next staff meeting he lectured everyone about making sure patients were kept in a clean environment—and he lost a lot of credibility. Excellent employers set the standard with their own actions, never asking their team members to perform tasks they're unwilling to do themselves.

Fiery passion

Superbosses love what they do. And like the muscles on the bulging Incredible Hulk, their passion is obvious to everyone around them. Here's a personal example. People often come up to me after a meeting or seminar I've conducted and comment on my passion. It used to surprise me. I'd never really thought of it as passion—I just love what I do, and it shows. But these people are right. I am passionate about what I do, and it's that passion that excites people to improve their practices and make progressive changes.

Illustrations by Jim Haynes

When a practice owner is passionate, you can see it the moment you walk into his or her practice. It comes through in words, body language, and a beaming sense of pride in the hospital and its team members. It also helps to ignite the passion of everyone else in the practice, creating a self-reinforcing pattern of enthusiasm and motivation.

On the other hand, burnout is obvious, too. Visible physical exhaustion, mental confusion and bad feelings, and frustration and anger can all be signs your flame is guttering. If you're struggling to muster any excitement about your work, it's time to rekindle the fires. Some practice owners have discovered new passion when they've developed an expertise in dentistry, orthopedics, or internal medicine. Others have explored new management techniques or alternative medicine. Whatever you choose to do, let it inspire a newfound passion for practice that you can then communicate to your team. You'll never motivate others if you can't motivate yourself.

Rules of steel

Superbosses set high standards and refuse to compromise on them. They know what makes for a superclinic, and they won't back down. It doesn't matter whether the issue is high-quality medical standards, friendly and efficient customer service, or top-notch cleanliness. The surprising thing is that while many employees complain about high standards, they also respect them. Quite a few employees have told me they left a practice but returned—and they cite the original practice's high standards as the reason. The supposedly too-rigid rules looked better and better after the former employees had worked at a more lax, carefree veterinary practice for a while.

Illustrations by Jim Haynes

Medals of honor

Superheroes must keep track of their victories and losses. After all, how would they know if their citywide fight against crime and corruption was working if they didn't keep track of how many bad guys they'd defeated? Everybody needs to know if their strategies are effective. A superboss understands this and keeps his or her team apprised of the practice's success. Set goals and let employees know how well they're doing in achieving them. For example, you could set a goal for the number of dental cleanings you want to do in a month or an increase in the practice's per-client transaction. Once the goal is met or exceeded, share that success with your team. The reward might be a financial bonus or taking everyone out for lunch or dinner. Everyone wants to know they're part of a winning team, and most employees will help you achieve your goals if they know what those goals are and what they can do to contribute.

Awareness of weakness

Every superhero has a downfall—like Superman's green Kryptonite—and superbosses are no different. Superbosses know their limitations and accept them. They compensate by surrounding themselves with people who have the skills and abilities they lack. It'd be wonderful if we could all be super at everything we do and know everything, but the fact is we're not and we don't. The successful employer understands this and hires team members with the skill set they need to round out the practice. For instance, maybe a practice owner realizes he's not a good manager, so he hires a talented practice manager. They say the true test of intelligence is knowing what you don't know. Understanding this and hiring people who "complete" you will allow for you to be a much more effective employer and run a more successful business.

Many superbosses, while learning more about business all the time, still lack the financial knowledge of an accountant or a consultant. That's OK. Effective employers hire an accountant, lawyer, consultant, or financial planner for expert advice on issues that the practice manager or head technician can't handle.

Fearless yet friendly communication

Superbosses know when to speak to team members about difficult subjects and what to say. But guess what? It doesn't necessarily come easy. Many, many veterinary employers are conflict-averse. They tend to avoid confrontation and not deal with lazy, disrespectful team members or other people's problems, which causes these issues to mushroom. Sound familiar? Well, even if you hate conflict, you can communicate like a superboss in tough situations. In fact, you must. You can learn to ask tough questions and make hard decisions. It gets easier the more you do it.

Illustrations by Jim Haynes

A superboss doesn't neglect the good either. Employees need to know when they're doing well. Providing positive reinforcement and letting team members know they're doing a good job is essential. Effective employers know the importance of good communication and seek to develop those skills. Keeping your team informed and being able to communicate openly and effectively are attributes of an effective employer.

Heroic fairness

Superbosses all share these traits: They're fair, consistent, and honest. Too many employers show favoritism to one employee over another or sometimes follow a policy and other times don't. Employees hate it when you allow one client to get medication without an exam but refuse another client under similar circumstances, allow one employee to bring in a personal pet while other employees aren't allowed to, or allow one employee to regularly come in late but write up another for tardiness. Few things frustrate team members as much as favoritism and inconsistency.

It's also imperative that an employer be honest. A boss who lies to employees or who asks employees to lie to clients or other ­employees—even little white lies—will not be trusted. Trust is fragile and, once it's broken, it's hard to repair. Treating clients and staff with respect and honesty will go a long way toward earning you respect as a boss.

Super business sense

There's no doubt that superbosses understand and value the importance of business acumen, and team members respect a well-run business. Employees like working in a hospital that's efficient and well organized, one in which everyone knows what they're supposed to do and is held accountable for doing it. Team members are always complaining to me about poor scheduling, lack of inventory control, poor management, or lack of effective internal or external marketing. A superboss understands that he or she is running a business and must develop appropriate skills or hire someone who has those skills to manage the business effectively. Going to business management sessions at national or regional conferences, reading books, and taking classes can all help you develop into a superboss.

Illustrations by Jim Haynes

I've seen a lot of bosses in my day. And some of the best I've ever met possess employer superpowers. These superbosses protect their talented team members from low morale, beat back menacing expenses, and transform their practices into the headquarters of the best pet-saving heroes around. Other bosses are more like failed sidekicks. Their team members are miserable and their business stinks. You, of course, want to be a superboss. Or if you're super already, you want to get even better. Here are the nine superpowers of the veterinary practice owner. See if you've got what it takes to be the best—and how you can improve even if you think you're already there. ?

I have a superboss

So, now that you've seen the requisite superpowers under the cape of a superboss, are you the heroic employer you should be or do you fall a little short? Either one is OK. You have nowhere to go now but up, up, and away!

Mark Opperman, CVPM, is a Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member and owner of consulting firm VMC Inc. in Evergreen, Colo. Post comments on our message boards at dvm360.com, or e-mail them to us at ve@advanstar.com.