Ask Shawn: Communicating to change a control freak

Our practice owner refuses to delegate work to team members. How can we convince him to share the work and restore his sanity—and ours?

—Willing to Pitch In

Dear Willing:

Some people just refuse to let go. To convince the practice owner that team members are perfectly capable of handling certain tasks, the first step is to list the five most important aspects to the practice’s success. Whatever factors you choose—training, marketing, financials, e-commerce—give the practice a grade for each item. If you’re getting a lot of Ds and Fs—or any Ds and Fs, for that matter—it’s time for a change. And part of that change starts with the practice owner’s willingness to delegate tasks.

Show the grades to the practice owner and say, “We’re not doing as well as we could. If you delegate to us, we can help improve these grades to As. You’ll have more help, we’ll be happier, and our patients and clients will be happier and healthier as well.” Most veterinarians aren’t used to getting less than As, so your practice owner will likely want to do what’s necessary to help boost the practice’s grades.

—Shawn