Energy for your tired veterinary team meetings

Boring, robotic and unproductive. Is this a game of word association or a description of your team meetings? If you chose the latter, read on for some easy ways to help put the spark back into your team meetings—and into your practice.

1 Spotlight your staff

You can't run your practice without your team, so how about putting them front and center at your meetings?

Amanda Morris, MBA, CVPM

> Make it "open mic." Amanda Morris, MBA, CVPM, practice manager at Care Animal Hospital in Muncie, Ind., requires staff members to present what they've learned after attending a continuing education session.

> Celebrate successes. Recognize your team's accomplishments. Did one of your veterinary technicians go above and beyond, helping a fellow team member with a tough task? Did one of your receptionists provide excellent customer service to a disgruntled client? Shine the spotlight on someone who's doing a great job. Not only will they be encouraged to keep it up, but other team members will follow suit.

> Incorporate CE. This will make your team—and ultimately your practice—stronger and more successful. Cheryl Arnold, CVPM, practice administrator at Veterinary Medical Center in Easton, Md., invites different speakers to the practice each month. She had an OSHA representative come in recently to educate her staff about a particular safety topic and how it comes into play at their practice. (For complete meeting guides on a variety of topics, such as team conflict, visit dvm360.com/teamtraining)

2 Provide structure

Your team may never look forward to your meetings, but organization and a clear format make them more tolerable.

Cheryl Arnold, CVPM

> Stay on schedule. Weekly meetings are part of the regular workweek and should start—and end—on time. Schedule them in the morning or over lunch, and keep them to an hour in length.

> Location is key. An environment free from interruption works best, so close the practice for the meeting.

> Follow an agenda. If scheduled over lunch, eat first, then have the meeting. This allows staff to interact and contribute more to the discussion.

Make sure your agenda includes a review of decisions made the week before and any problems that arose implementing them. It's also good to get a status report from the persons in charge of each action item from the last meeting.

Give staff the opportunity to submit new topics for discussion as well, and distribute the agenda ahead of time. Develop an agenda for next time at the conclusion of the meeting.

> Set goals. We know you need to make decisions or resolve issues from time to time, but keep in mind that bringing your staff together as one cohesive team is also an important goal of any meeting. Morris once invited her retirement plan administrator to a staff meeting to educate her team about paycheck withholdings and teach them how to keep more money in their pockets. This sends the message that they're just as important as the practice.

> Keep track of players. Attendance is required and your staff is paid to be there. If someone can't attend, ask the managers and team leaders to provide a recap of the decisions reached during the meeting to the person who was absent.

Designate a meeting facilitator to lead the meeting by starting on time, introducing each topic and ensuring you stay on track and end on time. Assign a note-taker to write down all key points, project assignments and deadlines from each topic, and distribute copies of the notes to everyone after each meeting. Rotate note-taking responsibility among your staff every two to three months.

3 Make 'em memorable

Your staff will remember even the most mundane details of a meeting if the meeting itself stirred emotion.

Dr. Mike Brown

> Open on a positive note. Mention something newsworthy or share a heartwarming story related to a patient, employee, community member or even yourself.

> Be an open book. Dr. Mike Brown, DVM, owner of Care Animal Hospital in Muncie, Ind., gives an annual "Financial State of the Practice Address" for his staff. Sharing what it costs to open the doors each day—including utilities, inventory and staff paychecks—is a real eye-opener.

> Inspire your team. Give them something to inspire them to do their best. Ask them to read a motivational book, such as Fish by Stephen C. Lundin or Gung Ho by Ken Blanchard, and discuss how to incorporate what they read into what they do in practice.

Arnold also recommends creating goal-setting exercises for your team. For example, she divides her technicians into teams and gives a prize to the team that meets a specific goal, such as recommending the most dental procedures or showing the most clients how to use dental products.

> Surprise your staff. Bring in treats or buy lunch to celebrate a practice milestone, the accomplishment of a goal or the purchase of a new piece of equipment.

4 Have fun

A team that enjoys life at work—and outside of work—is bound to perform better.

> Create balance. Between your work and personal life, that is. Have everyone bring family to an annual picnic hosted by the clinic—a fun way to show you value work-life balance.

> Be the good example. Look in the mirror and be a strong leader. If you show enthusiasm for your work, your clients and your staff, they will respond in kind.

5 Finally—repeat

Try incorporating these steps into your next team meeting and keep at it. You'll soon describe your meetings with a new set of words—energizing, interesting and productive.

Denise Tumblin, CPA, is president and owner of the veterinary practice consulting firm Wutchiett Tumblin and Associates. Christina Materni is a financial analyst at the firm.