Columns

Searching for Your Best-Fit Job

Jeff Thoren, DVM, ACC, September 11, 2009

“To achieve career satisfaction, you need to figure out what your preferences are and then find a job that accommodates them.”—Paul D. Tieger & Barbara Barron

When it comes to your career, your goal is to find your “best-fit” job, a job where you can excel by using your natural gifts and talents. When you use your inborn personality type preferences—ie, your gifts—you’ll feel more energized, motivated, and satisfied.

Table Talk

Jeff Thoren, DVM, ACC, November 5, 2009

One of the most useful tools for understanding team dynamics is the MBTI Type Table. The table can give you an instant look at a team or entire veterinary practice typologically. It’s also a helpful tool to raise awareness among team members about individual similarities and differences. (See our article, The Personality of High-Performing Teams.)

You Don’t Say...Honing Nonverbal Communication Skills

Jeff Thoren, DVM, ACC, January 4, 2010

You walk into your family physician’s office slightly early for your scheduled appointment.

Two staff members are sitting behind the front counter with their heads lowered, focused on their tasks. Several minutes pass before one turns to you, forces a smile, and says, “Hi...you can sign in here,” pointing to a clipboard.

Show Up to Build a 5-Star Practice

Jeff Thoren, DVM, ACC, March 3, 2010

Sustaining a successful veterinary practice depends on the team’s ability to work together to deliver relationship-centered care and service that result in client loyalty. Satisfied clients are great, but loyal clients—those who happily return to you and recommend you to their friends—are the real secret to success.

Running Into a Brick Wall: How I Learned How to Appreciate Adversity

Jeff Thoren, DVM, ACC, July 3, 2010

I launched my own company in 2005 and the next 5 years would be the most transformational period in my life—not as a result of being wildly successful, as I had hoped, but due to adversity, personal pain, and chronic disappointment.

Money Talk: Easing the Angst

Kathleen A. Bonvicini, MPH, EdD & Michael J. Perlin, EdD, MPH, July 3, 2010

Of all the challenges in veterinary practice, broaching the subject of payment for services is the one that is likely to create angst even among even the most seasoned practitioners. We are caught between the world of healing and the world of business. Many veterinarians share that their entering the profession had little to do with an interest in the business aspect of practice and much to do with the love of animals and medicine, yet conversations about money are integral to patient care, client satisfaction, and practice success.

Trouble in River City

Jeff Thoren, DVM, ACC, May 1, 2009

Meet Katharine and Isabel
Katharine and Isabel are licensed veterinary technicians with comparable experience and skills.

They have similar roles at River City Veterinary Hospital (RCVH), spending time interacting with clients and working on inpatient cases. While both are talented and committed team members, their contrasting work and communication styles are making it difficult for them—and the rest of the team—to work effectively together (see Personality Conflict at Work).

Ask, Don't Tell: A Coaching Approach to Staff Development

Jeff Thoren, DVM, ACC, July 2, 2009

Striving for servant leadership means recognizing the power of unleashing your team’s creative potential. Each individual has the ability to step up and take initiative when provided with support to develop individual strengths through critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Despite the best of intentions, however, there are typically roadblocks along the way. Consider these scenarios: