This post is based on the blog post, A Leadership Practice to Reduce Veterinary Turnover by Josh Vaisman, Flourish Veterinary Consulting
I recognise that veterinary hospitals are often busy places and for many of us, it’s common to feel the pull of survival mode as we think, “I just need to get through the day”. So the thought of adding a one-on-one communication program to your schedule can feel like a burden. And at first, it will likely appear that way. But the research is clear – when we meet with team members on an individual basis in a targeted way, everything in the workplace improves.
Meet Up Often
In fact, in one study, managers reported that adding this program actually increased their discretionary time by as much as 8 hours a month. They literally had MORE time for their own work because they consistently met with their direct reports.
I suggest starting with at least a monthly one-on-one, private meeting for no less than 30 minutes.
Set an Agenda & Make it a Mutual Effort
Use Slack for your internal communication. Create a private channel for each team member with their name and “one-on-one” in the title.
Only the individual team member and yourself will have access. In that channel, you can keep agendas for all one-on-one meetings and both of you can add or edit agenda items. Then, when you meet, you are both prepared for the predetermined topics and most importantly, you are aligned on what needs to be addressed. At first, you may set the tone for this new program. But from Day 1, do all you can to invite each team member to be a part of the process, topics, and evolution of the one-on-one meetings.
Complete the Cycle
In my experience, most one-on-one programs in veterinary hospitals fail because nothing comes of them.
You meet, you chat, and no real action or follow-up occurs. Then next month it’s too easy for you or the team member to have an excuse for postponing or skipping the next one-on-one.
One-on-one meetings shouldn’t just be about talking, connecting, and coaching. They should also be about growth, development, and achievement.
Three things to help you complete the cycle are:
- Take notes during the meeting and record action items including dates/deadlines,
- Follow up on action items and make sure the team member knows when and how you have,
- Re-visit the last meeting’s action items at the beginning of the current one-on-one.
If It All Seems Too Hard….
I also realise this process may seem hard – impossible – or unnecessary. I also just read an article about changing habits – the first step to changing a habit is to say to yourself – I can make this change happen and commit to trying.
If you’d like some advice or assistance in introducing one-on-one meetings in your veterinary business, connect with Tracy via the links below, or start a discussion in the comments section below.
