Welcome Home, Team: That's Progress

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Have you ever arrived at your veterinary clinic or hospital, ready to take on a day that promises plenty of opportunities to care for patients and serve clients, only to feel that you’re in this alone? 

The fact is, the days of James Herriot’s “one person does all” style of veterinary practice are gone. We simply can’t do all the work alone.

In each issue of Exceptional Veterinary Team in 2012, we will be taking a close look at the team development strategies recognized by experts as critical to the effectiveness and sustainability of teams. For each theme, we will present supporting evidence from the literature and a brief scenario to illustrate the concept, identify potential pitfalls to success, and offer specific approaches for implementation.

The articles in the “Welcome Home, Team!” series will lay a strong foundation for our “house” built on this year’s team development themes. Online tools associated with each topic will also assist you in creating your own team development plan. Combine what we provide online and in print, and by the end of 2012 you will have a team development manual custom­ized specifically for your clinic.

It’s January, which means it’s time for our first monthly all-team meeting of the year. “Old business,” the first item on the agenda, sends a wintery shiver around the room. “Do we really have to talk about last year’s unfinished projects, unmet goals, and all the detours we encountered on what should have been a straight and simple path? No one wants to start the year feeling defeated.”

“But wait. Dr. Bryan is asking us to think back to last February, when we purchased our new anesthetic machine.” It was Kim’s idea. As our surgery technician, she was concerned about patient safety and the well-being of our staff as the machine grew older. Purchasing a state-of-the-art anesthesia and scavenging system changed the way we practiced. We recalled the peace of mind we shared at the time, knowing that our patients were receiving the very best care. Somehow, there was something new at work…shared energy! Where did it come from?

Progress is a Motivator
In his book, Intrinsic Motivation at Work: Building Energy and Commitment (2002), Kenneth W. Thomas describes the four main intrinsic motivators in today’s workplace: choice, competence, meaningfulness of work, and progress. Changes in the way work is done amid information and technological advances demand new ways of motivating and energizing team members. Extrinsic rewards such as salary, profit-sharing, and benefits still play an important supportive role, as they meet the most basic employee needs. But they are not enough to sustain energy and passion in the daily work of veterinary practice.

Progress generates motivation and fulfillment driven by the work itself, whether it occurs as the result of a plan or unexpectedly as if by accident. Progress provides the staying power necessary to drive work performance day-to-day for the long-term, providing the energy to move our focus away from clock-watching and concern for what others are thinking, toward a renewed commitment to the challenging, but joyful, work of veterinary practice.

Progress means having a sense that you are contributing toward a meaningful purpose. You feel encouraged, successful, and excited. Your investment of time and energy is paying off and you are willing to keep going for as long as it takes to finish the job.

Consider the following ideas to help your team discover the energy and motivation created by progress in the year ahead.

Plan for Progress
As you develop the timeline for a new project, especially one with a high level of importance, build early opportunities for success into the plan. Progress measured by successfully completing an intermediate goal will build confidence, excitement, and a “can do” attitude. Remember to balance long-term vision with realistic real-time expectations, and don’t hesitate to acknowledge “baby steps.” Inevitably, there will be weeks when your primary responsibilities to patients and clients will require all your time and energy.

Measuring Up
First, be sure you are measuring the right things—projects that your team cares most about and that align with your practice goals. Next, be ready to provide a rich supply of evidence so you can measure your forward motion. Measure project outcomes at regular intervals, identifying tasks that can be assessed on a daily basis to ensure ample opportunities for problem-solving, adjustment, and redirection. Use colorful charts and graphs to illustrate quantifiable progress, such as higher monthly revenue derived from dental procedures or the positive results of a client survey. Ask for staff feedback during meetings to monitor the progress of less tangible targets, such as compliance with a new parasite control program. Click on this link for tips to help you manage the progress of your veterinary team.

Reframe Repetitive Tasks
The adage “familiarity breeds contempt” can be applied to routine tasks completed on a daily basis. People tend to undervalue repetitive tasks, but just because there is a frequent need for them does not make these chores unimportant. The use of colorful laminated “check-off” charts illustrates visible progress, and at the end of the day checking off the last task feels gratifying. And don’t underestimate the importance of a sincere thank you extended by a grateful teammate.

Connect with Clients
Client satisfaction and appreciation are often the most apparent and impactful evidence of accomplishment and progress by veterinary teams. Success is at the heart of why you do what you do. Find ways to ensure that every staff member, regardless of role, has the opportunity to interact with clients face-to-face on a regular basis. Make sure that notes and emails of appreciation from clients are shared during staff meetings; they are powerful indicators of progress.

Rewards and Celebrations
Take time to cheer for both team and individual efforts. Tie celebrations to milestones as well as the completion of a task or project. The moment of project completion constitutes a very small percentage of the total time invested, but recognizing and celebrating interim milestones can maintain enthusiasm. Celebrate small wins with pauses of appreciation—don’t let teammates celebrate progress alone. Team celebrations amplify the positive emotions of an individual accomplishment and that’s contagious. Think about a special catered or potluck lunch, tokens of appreciation, gift certificates to a favorite coffee shop, a spotlight column in your next practice newsletter, or just a round of applause.

Setbacks and New Beginnings
There will be days when progress seems elusive. Detours will steer you off course and drain your energy. But, unexpected barriers that seemingly sabotage efforts toward realizing a goal are really just a normal part of project implementation. If you can help each other remember that tomorrow represents a new beginning, your team will soon be back on track. A dose of patience or forgiveness in the face of anger and frustration never hurts.

Learning is Progress
New knowledge, whatever the source, is progress…and it is energizing. Learning comes in many forms. It can occur when sharing highlights from a recent veterinary conference at a team meeting or when leading a discussion about a journal article on a topic relevant to a recent case. Learning can be planned or can occur unexpectedly during the course of everyday work. Don’t miss the chance to debrief your team about an unexpected response to treatment or an unusual case.

Conclusion
It is time to let go of the simplistic view that if you set goals and insist on compliance, success will follow. Team members cannot sustain job performance at a level of excellence without acknowledgment of progress. Measurement and celebration of accomplishments along the way provide the drive to push forward, even in the face of setbacks and unexpected detours. Progress creates the momentum and positive energy that unites team members in their work. You can feel it! | EVT 

Download these tools to help implement the suggestions in this article:

Manage Your Progress: Guidelines to Make 2012 the Best Year Ever

Practice Goals for 2012

My Personal Growth Chart for 2012

That’s Progress!
Deborah D. Barton, DVM, MA

Suggested Readings

1. Corporate Celebration. Deal T, Key MK. Berret-Koehler, 1998.
2. Extraordinary Groups: How Ordinary Teams Achieve Amazing Results. Bellman G, Ryan K. Jossey-Bass, 2009.
3. Intrinsic Motivation at Work: Building Energy and Commitment, Thomas KW. Berret-Koehler, 2002.
4. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Lencioni P. Jossey-Bass, 2002.
5. Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution. Peters T. Harper Perennial, 1988.