Your Team Has Talent!
If you find yourself repeatedly criticizing and judging your employees' nonproductive behaviors, STOP! Put those same people in different roles, where they can do what they do best. 

Identify Your Team's Talents

Before deciding which role is right for each employee, you'll need to understand the difference between talent, knowledge, skills, and a strengths.

A talent is a pattern of thoughts, feelings, or behavior that a person does well without thinking about it. Examples are instantly converting pounds to kilograms or effortlessly making small talk with every client.

Knowledge is what an employee knows in a factual way. Examples are the specifications of different types of computers, the physical signs of a disease, or the features of an ultrasound machine.

Skill is the ability to perform the fundamental steps of a process or procedure, such as a tooth extraction or collecting a client's payment and entering the sale in the computer.

Strength is the ability to perform a task in a consistent, near-perfect way. It takes practice to turn a skill into a strength.

To identify an employee's talents, ask these questions:
  • What part of your job is most satisfying to you?
  • Given a choice, how would you spend your time here?
  • List five characteristics that describe you. 
After observing the employee hard at work, ask yourself: 
  • Where does the employee focus her efforts?
  • When is she most productive?
  • When does she seem happiest? 
Fit the Person to the Role

After getting to know your employees better, you will be able to put them in the right roles and give them the right projects. Write down which talents, knowledge, and skills are required for each role or project you have available. Then match up the employee to the role.

For example, you need someone to call clients whose pets are more than two months overdue for their annual exams. The goal is to set appointments. Which talents, knowledge, and skills are required for the role? You need someone who:
  • Easily converses with people (talent)
  • Knows all of the reasons why a dog or cat should have an annual exam (knowledge)
  • Enjoys talking on the phone (talent)
  • Is persuasive (talent)
  • Can schedule appointments in the practice management software (skill)
Two employees are available for this project. Beth has a knack with people, is familiar with the practice management software, has worked as a technician, and loves the challenge of turning a "No" into a "Yes!" Mark is a manager who is skilled at organizing and jumps at the chance to improve the day-to-day operations of the clinic. He is a computer whiz who loves process. Mark is a nice guy but doesn't have any sales experience or much people know-how.

Who is the better fit for the role? Assigning this project to Beth makes more sense. It's inherently easy for her to talk to clients in a way that will lead them to the desired action. She has the knowledge based on her background as a technician, and she is skilled at using the practice management software. Mark may be enthusiastic and able to learn on the fly, but his talents don't lend themselves to this project. Don't set him (and yourself, and the practice) up for failure by putting him in a role he isn't suited for!

Employees who are able to showcase their talents at work are engaged and happy. Put your team's talents to work in the right roles, and watch as productivity and profit increase and turnover decreases.

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This article is adapted from content in Shawn McVey's presentation titled, "Turn Talent into Performance." To schedule Shawn to give this presentation to your group or team, contact Cindy Oliphant at 888-759-7191 or by email.
What Would Shawn Do?

Helping Your Staff Make a Good Impression
 
Q:
My team often shows up to work looking like something the cat dragged in. Our four-legged visitors tend to look and smell better than my staff does. Help!
 
A:
Working with animals isn't glamorous. Quite often it means sporting pee- or poo-stained scrubs and being covered in pet hair. But you have to pay attention to appearance, because clients use it to form an impression of you and your business.

Within seconds of meeting you, a client will make a number of assumptions, including the level of your self-esteem, confidence, organization skills, soundness of judgment, attention to detail, creativity, and reliability.

Here are some tips to manage your practice's image, increase your team's confidence, and give them a psychological edge:
  • Create a written appearance and dress code. Tie it to the business's mission and core values.
  • Train the team on what constitutes professional appearance, etiquette, and social graces in your practice.
  • Spell out what the consequences will be for not adhering to the appearance standards, and enforce them. Watch my video about how to handle violations.
  • Create contests for fitness improvement or best-dressed employee. Give a makeover or other image-related prize that fits your practice's culture. The goal is to increase team satisfaction and buy-in to the image standards. 
More Resources
In this video, I talk about proper posture for a veterinary-service setting.
In this video, I discuss how to talk to employees about a personal hygiene issue.
In this video, I discuss proper attire for practice managers.
Veterinary Growth Partners members should take the online course called "First Impressions: Image Management for the Veterinary Team."

Good luck!

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If you have a question you'd like Shawn to answer in a future issue of our newsletter, please reply to this email or submit the question via our website on our contact form. (We will maintain your anonymity.) Thank you!
Be Smarter than Your IQ

If you think running a business is all about IQ or book smarts, you're missing out. You also need a high EQ, or emotional quotient. EQ measures how well you identify your own and others' emotions and act accordingly. These are skills you can learn!

Come to Shawn's latest workshop, What's Your EQ? Developing Your Emotional Intelligence, in Scottsdale, Arizona this coming February 23-25, 2016. In this highly interactive class, you'll learn how to increase your value to the practice as a leader and improve your connections to team members who look to you for direction.

You'll receive:
  • A personal vision statement that details how you will lead the practice
  • A 15-page customized report detailing your strengths and weaknesses in emotional intelligence and how you compare to others nationwide
  • A personal development plan that will help you continue to build your emotional intelligence skills
Testimonials from past attendees of Shawn's emotional intelligence retreats:

"I loved the interactive atmosphere and the ability to communicate with my teammates in a safe and constructive manner and learn here together." 
- Dominic, veterinarian and practice owner; attended with five of his management team members

"[Before the retreat], I had zero knowledge/understanding of emotional intelligence and failed to comprehend my leadership role in the practice. This experience opened a whole new world for me! Thank you!"
- Mary, veterinarian and practice owner

"I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about myself so that I can continue to grow and be challenged."
- Ann, practice manager

It's just over two months away! Read more about the program and the curriculum on our website, or register here.
Upcoming Gigs

Here are Shawn's upcoming speaking and consulting engagements. For more information or to schedule services, contact Cindy Oliphant at 888-759-7191, or by email.


FEBRUARY

February 11
OCSCVMA
Tustin, CA
Calm, Cool, and Collected: Handling Conflict Like a Pro

February 23-25
McVey Management Solutions
Scottsdale, AZ
What's Your EQ? Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
Register here!

MARCH

March 8
Merck Animal Health
Rome, Italy
How to Build Your A Team

March 16-17
New Hope Animal Hospital
New Hope, AR
Pathway Planning
Private Engagement

March 19
New Hope Animal Hospital
New Hope, AR
Commando Conversations
Private Engagement

March 29-30
LSU Veterinary Hospital
Consulting Engagement

APRIL

April 7-9
Veterinary Growth Partners
Pathway Planning
Private Engagement

April 12
Hillside Veterinary Hospital
Pathway Planning
Private Engagement
McVey Management Solutions | 3930 Bee Cave Road | Austin, Texas 78746
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