Today’s guest is Melissa Benway, a CVPM at a three doctor practice in Michigan. She was invited to the show today to talk about something incredibly important and impactful: communication. This means communication between employees and with clients. Oftentimes we have miscommunication or poor communication skills in our team. What can we do as managers to make sure that communication is effective?

 

Personality styles go hand-in-hand with communication and Melissa Benway has a lot of great tips to make sure that we are 1) hiring the right fit personalities for a strong but diverse team and 2) communicating with each employee effectively.

 

Melissa is the perfect person to chat about this with as she is passionate about management and learning as much as she can at all times. Listen on to our conversation about communication and personality styles and see if there are any tips and tricks you can bring back to strengthen your team.

Show Notes:

[1:42] - We all have so many different types of employees and Melissa believes that is what makes things fun.

[2:23] - Ineffective communication is what causes 90% of the problems in the workplace.

[3:13] - Communication is a trainable skill.

[3:53] - Melissa uses different breeds of dogs as examples of client personalities to make it easier for employees to understand and work with.

[6:15] - From a management aspect, Melissa loves the strength binders as quizzes for her to review to make sure she understands each employee.

[7:21] - It is important to review personalities and team member strengths periodically.

[8:29] - When hiring, it is important to look for a good fit regarding personality style.

[10:02] - Everyone thinks they have the right personality style, but being able to recognize your strengths and weaknesses are crucial for communication.

[11:06] - Melissa shares an experience regarding miscommunication in her practice.

[12:18] - There’s a lot of coaching that goes with communication skills.

[13:45] - Debbie shares how many managers feel they can “fix” people. But really, it all boils down to personality styles and communication between employees and clients.

[15:24] - We have to remember that we know the ins and outs, but clients don’t.

[16:18] - Sometimes shifting tasks for those who communicate with clients all day can benefit employee stress levels.

[17:20] - Melissa does not believe that personality styles don’t really change but you can recognize your personality traits and manage them.

[19:21] - Debbie admits that when she started in her first position, she knew nothing about the industry or animals at all. But someone believed in her.

[20:05] - It is part of a manager’s job to bring out the best for each employee.

[22:01] - Regarding communication failures due to personality styles is a topic there isn’t a cut and dry answer for.

[22:40] - Melissa shares the success of “morning huddles” and describes how they work.

[23:57] - The morning huddle isn’t just good for clear communication but it’s good for morale and teamwork.

[25:36] - Personality styles and communication skills will show the best and worst about each person. The best thing to remember is that everyone is different.

[27:58] - From a manager’s perspective, it is important to look at personality styles and invest in learning about each person you work with.

Thank you for listening. Remember you are not in this alone. Visit our website for more resources.

 

Links and Resources:

 

• VHMA Web Page

 

• VHMA Coronavirus Resources
• VHMA Facebook
• VHMA Twitter
• VHMA on Linkedin
• Melissa Benway VHMA Manager Profile
• Melissa Benway, CVPM on LinkedIn
• Oceana Veterinary Clinic