Your best strategy for improving productivity

Effective delegation is undoubtedly the strongest productivity-improvement tool available. But here's a harsh reality check: Only 47 percent of staff members responding to a VetMedTeam survey indicated that their doctors delegate 80 percent to 100 percent of possible tasks.

Bob Levoy

If you think you should delegate more, consider using this matrix, devised by renowned performance improvement pioneer, Robert Mager, Ph.D, author of What Every Manager Should Know About Training, 2nd Edition (The Center for Effective Performance, 1999), to pinpoint problems that could be holding you back:

Start with a task such as a heartworm check. Think of a staff member to assign the task to. The above matrix suggests four possible scenarios—each of which calls for a different solution.

1. He or she can do the job and is willing to do it. Solution: Delegation.

2. He or she can't do the job, but if trained, would do the job. Solution: On-the-job training.

3. He or she can do the job but doesn't want to do it. Solution: Learn the reason. If it's acceptable, delegate the task to another team member. If unacceptable, consider either revising the person's job description or termination.

4. He or she can't do the job and won't do it. Solution: You've most likely hired a round peg for a square hole. Termination is the only solution, unless you're willing to keep on doing what you've been doing—and accept the loss of productivity that goes with it.

Use the same analysis for each task that you could legally delegate. The more you limit yourself to diagnosis, surgery, and prescribing, the more productive and profitable your practice will be.

Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Bob Levoy is a seminar speaker based in Roslyn, N.Y.