Stop complaining about negative team members, and show them the door!

Let's solve your morale problem by just firing all the unhappy people. Think that sounds rash? The truth is you have nothing to gain from keeping them around. You can't change them. Yes, you can require certain behaviors, such as being on time, doing their jobs, or developing proficient skills or knowledge. But a lot of people simply have a rotten, negative attitude, and there isn't much you or anyone else can do to change that.

Roger Cummings

My favorite question gets to the heart of this issue: "If you could change one thing about your practice, what would it be?" Too often I hear owners answer with, "I just wish my technicians could work together," or, "My associate is constantly complaining," or some other people-fixer fantasy. This is really no surprise when you understand that managing people is the toughest part of running any small business.

Veterinary practice is a challenging profession. Everyday you deal with life, death, and all the emotions that go to the core of human existence through your patients.

As hard as all this is, managing your employees is harder still. So why do you complicate your life further by tolerating people who focus on all that's wrong with their world?

To illustrate my point, let's say you just can't live without your senior technician who's been there for years. But lately, she's been a key complainer who teaches co-workers all of her bad habits and none of her skills and who neglects her responsibilities. Please, do everyone a favor and let her find happiness—somewhere else.

Wait, she knows everything, you say. Maybe so. But you'll find that nothing brings a team together faster than the challenge to gain the skills and take on the new responsibilities needed to cover for the old grouch that left.

An important note: Owners aren't immune to sour-attitude disease. And negative staff attitudes often stem from the negative outlooks of their leaders. Which brings me to my second-most-favorite question: "Would you hire yourself?"

Think about it. Are you being the exemplary team member you expect your employees to be? Do you arrive early, ready to work, and go through the practice greeting staff members with an upbeat "Good morning"? Do you convey a positive, caring attitude from the first patient check in the morning to the last check before you leave in the evening? Do you thank each staff member for a good day's work at the end of the day?

Your team follows your lead. If you're a source of negativity, fire the old, burned-out you, and find the help you need to recreate yourself as a positive leader.

You really can't change others' attitudes. The only mindset you can change is your own. And in practices with endemic negativity, transforming your attitude may be the solution. Changing yourself is far from easy. But if you don't change, very little around you ever will.

Roger Cummings, a certified veterinary practice manager, is a Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member and president of the Association of Veterinary Practice Management Consultants and Advisors. Please send comments to ve@advanstar.com.