Theft and embezzlement are a sad reality that many practices face. While we may not be able to ever eliminate the problem, there are certainly things we can do to proactively prevent the mishandling of practice resources. No one wants to work with an untrustworthy team but the truth is some people lie and some people steal. It’s important to protect the business and it will require oversight even in the face of trust.

Today’s guest is John Cunnington, MBA CVPM who works as a Regional Director of Operations for VCA Hospitals. He has been in the industry for many years and is passionate about helping hospital teams reach their goals. In our conversation today, John shares examples of theft and embezzlement that he has seen and how they might have been prevented. He also explains that no matter what protections we have in place, it may still happen. What do we do in that situation? John gives a lot of great tips on how to handle this uncomfortable situation to help you be prepared for this possibility.

[2:34] - Over the years, John has seen a lot of money stolen and when he first got into veterinary medicine, he was surprised how things like this unfold and that the culprit was often in management.

[4:18] - There are several reasons someone may decide to commit theft. Some may feel entitled to the money, some could be driven by the thrill, some find themselves in a bind.

[6:54] - Debbie shares an experience with a manager who gave herself a hefty raise without authorization.

[8:29] - John believes that when employees feel respected and are being paid a decent living wage, it could decrease the risk.

[10:20] - Being friends with your team members is fine, but it is possible to become too chummy and they may feel like they can take advantage of the relationship.

[12:10] - You don’t want just one person in charge of all tasks in a specific area. There needs to be cheques and balances.

[14:56] - Asking questions about money inconsistencies can be uncomfortable but important. People need to know that you are looking.

[16:40] - Large scale thefts and embezzlement generally start small.

[18:27] - Be prepared for these possible reactions in the conversation with a theft suspect that you are confronting. It’s important to stay calm.

[19:40] - Even if they feel that they have a reason for their action, you need to hold firm. Theft is still wrong.

[22:09] - Debbie shares an experience in knowing a theft had taken place but no one would come forward. The police were called to get to the bottom of the matter.

[24:14] - Generally speaking, stolen money is probably not going to be returned.

[25:52] - Cameras are always a good idea to have in place.

[27:45] - Employees need to know that the cameras are there for their safety as well.

[29:15] - As leaders of a practice, it all starts with a conversation. Be open about the checks and balances that are in place. 

[31:35] - VHMA had a very good webinar on preventing fraud and embezzlement by Debbie Boone in 2012. The ppt can be found on the VHMA website.

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

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Being a practice manager sometimes feels like you’re working in a bubble. Your role is unique to each practice and while other team members have colleagues in the same role to talk to, you as the manager are the only one at your practice. And once you are managing, it seems like you need to have all the answers. So, having a solid network of people in your corner can be a real lifesaver. Someone you can turn to for advice or just a listening ear.

Maria Pirita is excellent at networking and she joins us today to talk about how to create this support group for yourself. Maria is a Certified Veterinary Practice Manager, was in the field as a Hospital Administrator in Chicago, and is currently the Business Development Coordinator for the Uncharted Veterinary Conference. 

Don’t make it hard on yourself when we are all in this together.

[2:13] - Both Maria and Debbie fell victim to working in a bubble without the support of others.

[3:32] - The job of the practice manager is unique and can feel isolating.

[4:47] - Fear of competition and fear of rejection are real concerns as well.

[7:34] - It can be scary to put yourself out there, but networking can be a total game changer.

[9:15] - One benefit of networking and connecting with other managers is the validation you don’t receive in your practice.

[11:47] - Sharing advice is also a part of this support group concept.

[14:49] - Even virtual networking is valuable.

[16:38] - Public forums or public online groups can leave negative comments unanswered. Because there are so many people in these groups, there is a lot to sift through.

[18:32] - There are groups for every type of team member. Look for yours.

[19:44] - Both private and public groups provide a lot of value in networking.

[22:01] - Be open to meeting people.

[23:40] - Pinpoint what your needs are at the moment and make time for networking.

[25:51] - Reach out before conferences to meet people you’ve connected with virtually in person.

[27:07] - There are several ways to justify conference expenses.

[29:03] - You might not need the support now, but you will throughout different phases of your career.

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

• VHMA Web Page

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Today’s topic is something that we see pop up time and again. Our staff love animals but are not always sympathetic to the pet’s families. This judgment can turn into snarky comments that not only hurt the client, but also permeate through the practice and influence other team members. We can be proactive and work towards more client friendly teams.

Grace Ursery is today’s guest. After starting with a degree in Asian American Studies in History and then a few years in mutual funds, Grace found her way to the industry through volunteering at a local Humane Society. That was the first step on her veterinary career path. Grace has been a practice manager in small animal specialty, general practices, and remote finance manager. She is currently in a hybrid, remote role for a mixed animal practice in rural CA. Her role is stretching all things curious on numbers and data.

In our conversation today, Grace addresses some very common frustrations and how we can better communicate to each other and hold each other accountable when it comes to passing judgment. She even recommends a book called Compassionomics: The Revolutionary Scientific Evidence That Caring Makes a Difference that will further our understanding of this important topic. Ultimately, we just don’t know everyone’s situation and empathy plays a huge part in building relationships with clients.

[2:31] - Sometimes we have to talk about things that are uncomfortable.

[3:34] - All animal patients come with a human attached.

[5:02] - Once we walk into our work space, we sometimes forget how to empathize.

[6:40] - Even if we just think judgmentally, it can be reflected in your body language and tone.

[9:09] - When we make a comment to another team member, they take on the judgment and assumption as well.

[11:01] - Sometimes a client asks for less expensive options. That does not mean they don’t love their pet.

[13:34] - It can be difficult to be more aware of yourself in the moment.

[15:05] - Grace shares a recent example of snarky comments and judgment from staff.

[17:01] - We just don’t know everyone’s situation.

[18:30] - Teaching empathy is tough.

[20:43] - We love animals, but our job is also about building relationships with people.

[22:22] - Think about ways to handle clients in different levels of stress.

[23:53] - Loneliness is a major problem in the United States and pets fill a void.

[26:17] - There are even different relationships between an owner and their pet.

[27:53] - Hold yourself accountable.

[30:17] - Because there is a diversity in our clients and a diversity in the animals, we need to offer a diversity in the services we provide.

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

• VHMA Web Page

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We all have that one team member that all the clients love. It seems to be their personality to simply get along with everyone and try to solve their problems. But are those qualities trainable?

Kim Delaney says a lot of them are and she joins us today to talk about just that. Kim has been in the industry since she was a teenager, beginning as a kennel attendant and working into other various roles before her current role as the practice manager. In our conversation today, she shares her experience during the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges that the practice experienced post-Covid. 

Ultimately, we know that the staff needs attention, but without clients, we don’t need staff members. We can’t have one without the other and while the “customer is always right” mentality might not be as true as we once believed, we know that building relationships with clients is the key to ensure their satisfaction in the level of care we provide. 

[2:56] - Kim manages a family practice that has seen a lot of changes and challenges in the last three years.

[3:45] - One thing she is seeing is the influx of first time pet owners.

[4:58] - Post-curbside, a challenge they saw immediately was the lack of experience in face-to-face service from newer team members.

[6:38] - Put yourself in the client’s shoes to understand where they are coming from.

[7:40] - Kim shares an experience with discovering why a client was behaving the way she was.

[9:42] - It’s not about us and it’s not even about the client. It’s about the pet.

[11:43] - Open discussion is important at the practice.

[12:51] - Use the personal experiences of others and how other people have handled situations to help prepare for future conversations.

[14:29] - There’s a lot to juggle when you wear a lot of hats.

[16:41] - Client service goes throughout the entire practice.

[18:26] - Someone spreading negativity about clients can bring the whole team down.

[20:23] - Difficult conversations sometime need to happen. How do you have these conversations?

[22:13] - Challenging clients will come in, but we have to remember that we are here for the pet.

[24:05] - Remember how you would feel if this was yourself.

[26:28] - Cross communication can support client service.

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

• VHMA Web Page

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Not everyone is naturally comfortable giving honest feedback. But it is important to remember that everyone deserves to receive it, even if it isn’t all positive. This is a hot topic in management right now and while the new workforce says they want feedback, what happens when it’s about things that aren’t going well?

Today’s guest is Heidi Rizkalla, a CVPM in Pennsylvania. Heidi comes to us from Johnstown Veterinary Associates in Pennsylvania with a background in education and as the director of a non-profit. Now in the veterinary industry since 2013, Heidi has the experience in giving quality feedback by staying fair, firm, and friendly.

[2:16] - Management is a social act. Managers constantly give feedback.

[3:13] - It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that they may sometimes get negative feedback.

[6:22] - Have a conversation about expectations and evaluations right when someone is hired.

[8:14] - Transparency is key. Ask questions and give honest answers.

[10:20] - Be consistent with rules and feedback. 

[11:50] - People like rules and structure.

[13:03] - Tone is a big factor in how feedback is received.

[14:37] - Make sure feedback is direct and professional.

[16:29] - Don’t be stingy with praise.

[17:29] - Stick to being fair, firm, and friendly.

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

• VHMA Web Page

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There have been times in all of our careers where we may have felt micromanaged. It is a word that is thrown around a lot, especially when team members are asked to complete a task a certain way. But there is a difference between micromanaging and prudent oversight and through setting expectations and boundaries, we can more effectively manage a practice where everyone is on the same page.

Today’s guest is Michelle Winter. Michelle’s professional experience includes years of multiple site practice management, consulting, and speaking nationwide. Most notably, she is known for creating and managing the Patterson Veterinary University educational programs where she influenced the professional development of tens of thousands of veterinary professionals and paraprofessionals hungry for education.

Now the Director of Education and Training at Encore Vet Group, Michelle develops educational opportunities, both in-person and online, for partnering hospital team members. Professional development is the cornerstone to positive culture, and Michelle’s focus is to provide opportunities to strengthen people, teams, and practices.

[3:09] - Micromanaging feels like hovering.

[4:03] - Performance shouldn’t be micromanaged, but behaviors need to align with the practice values.

[6:10] - When the stakes are high, people should be prepared for a little more oversight.

[7:54] - We tend to know when we lean towards micromanaging and have trouble letting go of control.

[10:11] - Set the expectation that team members may feel micromanaged at certain times and for certain tasks.

[12:36] - The responsibility to communicate is placed on the potential micromanager.

[14:56] - Start with a conversation that sets the expectation of checking in on tasks.

[17:20] - Michelle gives some examples of things to say to form trust and loosen the reins.

[19:11] - Some tasks don’t need much guidance, but others need quite a bit.

[22:11] - It is frustrating to be questioned about things we feel competent doing.

[23:07] - As managers, we have to become comfortable giving away the ability to make decisions. Empowerment is necessary.

[24:37] - Delegation can be hard.

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

• VHMA Web Page

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It’s not news that keeping good employees takes focus and often managers are blindsided when a seemingly quiet and content employee leaves stating that they just can’t take it anymore. How did we miss the signs? How could we prevent that from happening over and over again?

Today’s guest is Kim Hettinga who is a practice manager in the industry for over 25 years currently in the Seattle area. Kim implements quarterly stay interviews that have changed the way the practice runs. They not only provide necessary feedback to leadership but they develop a culture of trust and honesty throughout the entire practice.

In our conversation today, Kim shares the ins and outs of implementing stay interviews and how they have impacted the practice in the best way possible.

Exit interviews gather information after they leave, but how honest will that feedback be?

[1:53] - Kim was fortunate enough to work for a practice that focused on staff retention.

[2:56] - Stay interviews help with getting in front of losing employees.

[3:52] - We miss an opportunity without a process like stay interviews.

[4:42] - Every team member needs to feel valued and stay interviews take maybe 15 minutes. Kim recommends them quarterly.

[6:04] - The key to this is to not use the time as a problem solving session. Kim shares the five questions she uses every time.

[7:26] - Kim has always been fortunate to get honest feedback.

[8:54] - Employees need to feel safe in sharing their honest thoughts to each question.

[9:40] - Sometimes the thing an employee needs to keep them on board is something simple.

[11:10] - What happens when there is an employee that is really angry and finds their voice during a stay interview?

[12:16] - Give disgruntled team members a realistic time frame in which some of their issues can be addressed. Acknowledge their frustration.

[13:54] - Kim does stay interviews with every single person in the practice.

[15:04] - There are some people who will not be optimistic about their experience due to past experiences with leadership follow through. 

[17:18] - Over time, Kim narrowed down the type of questions that resonated with the team and met their needs.

[18:12] - Stay interviews are opportunities for connection. To get started, just jump in and do it. We have to invest in our team.

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

• VHMA Web Page

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Love them or hate them, team building activities and events are really important. The key to having these be successful is to build a team through fun. Building a team that hangs tight after spending their day under pressure is hard but focusing on having fun can make a huge difference.

Today’s guest is Jill Brecklin who has been bringing fresh ideas to the table in a hectic veterinary practice in Illinois. She has over 20 years experience in the industry, beginning her career as a CVT and now as a practice manager. She has proven that building a solid team is not only important, but it is completely doable and a lot of fun.

Listen to Jill’s ideas that have kept her teams strong and working together under pressure. Her ideas include everything ranging from valentines to ax throwing. Let her be the creative one and gather your ideas for some extra fun and impactful team building events for your practice.

[2:27] - Sometimes we’re just trying to get through the day. But Jill shares her reasons behind her drive to make things more fun.

[3:56] - One of the team building activities Jill brought to the team was their own version of the Olympics.

[5:32] - The measure of success is when team members ask to do something again. Jill’s fresh ideas have had a great response.

[7:06] - The team building initiative has even become a family affair for Jill with her kids and husband helping out.

[7:56] - Jill shares an example of an event that did not go well.

[9:49] - For those who don’t like to participate, they are encouraged to come watch and be together.

[12:03] - Jill mixes the ideas up and tries to do a variety of different things. The variety helps include everyone.

[15:17] - The team comes together to also offer ideas.

[17:35] - The biggest struggle for Jill is location.

[19:55] - The use of a suggestion box has been really handy. Ask your team to help keep things fresh.

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

• VHMA Web Page

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When it comes to staff meetings, we know they can be painful. Whether you are waiting for the same team member to show up on time, listening to complaints with no real solution in sight, or putting unrealistic expectations on yourself as a facilitator, we know that staff meetings don’t always accomplish what they should. You may leave staff meetings and ask yourself, “What went wrong?”

Today’s guest is Katherine Rankin and she joins the VHMA Manager to Manager Podcast to talk about staff meetings and how to avoid some common problems. Katherine is a CVT and CVPM with over 20 years experience. She started out as a technician and worked her way up to practice manager who is frequently facilitating staff meetings. She offers a lot of great tips on how to manage these staff meetings and how we can utilize the expertise of other team members to help, enter with an open mind, and leverage technology to make sure no one misses a thing.

[2:09] - For some staff meetings, they can be broken into departments rather than having the entire staff in one at the same time.

[3:45] - Late meetings and especially early meetings are not the best idea.

[4:25] - No matter what, timeliness is an issue for some people on every team.

[6:23] - Meetings need a solid facilitator but we don’t train people on how to run them.

[7:46] - Katherine shares how they manage the agenda of a staff meeting.

[9:07] - Is the meeting to air issues and complaints or is the meeting run with the intent of finding a solution?

[10:54] - We can’t go into a meeting with the expectation that we have to solve all the problems. That is too much unrealistic responsibility.

[12:45] - Team members should be able to present to the meeting. It is more engaging to listen to varying team members.

[14:43] - In some situations, virtual meetings might work. But they aren’t as effective as in-person.

[16:20] - The technology is available and simple to use. Record a meeting for a team member that can’t make it.

[17:14] - Katherine shares some of the things that have not been successful in staff meetings.

[18:21] - There is no one-size-fits-all for staff meetings. If something isn’t working, change it.

[19:43] - Bringing in representatives from other teams to smaller department meetings can help clear up issues without wasting other peoples’ time.

[21:02] - Be open and be able to listen. Be okay with other team members bringing in ideas.

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

• VHMA Web Page

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Especially in the last couple of years with seemingly constant supply chain issues, maintaining an inventory has been a problem. Increases in the price to maintain an inventory hasn’t helped the problem either and we have an ongoing issue in keeping shelves stocked without breaking the bank.

Let’s talk about ways we can not only maintain stocked shelves, but create systems that work for the entire team to communicate inventory needs. Alex Flinkstrom joins us to talk about this topic. He has been in the veterinary industry for 25 years and is currently the Practice Manager at Lunenburg Veterinary Hospital in Massachusetts. Alex is passionate about helping people find solutions to problems and this ongoing problem in the industry needs the solutions he’s got to offer. Listen for ideas on how to help solve this problem for your practice.

[2:22] - Maintaining supplies is hard for various reasons. Small practices may even struggle with space in keeping bulk inventory.

[3:32] - Some items can be maintained in a computer system, but not every little thing needs to be tracked that way.

[4:16] - Alex recommends having a central stock location.

[6:19] - There is a learning curve for the team to know what is kept in stock consistently and what they will run out of quickly.

[8:57] - A tagging system is a good way to notify managers of things that aren’t frequently ordered that need to be restocked.

[10:09] - Use your team’s strengths. Alex has an employee that is a former chef that uses his previous career skills to maintain inventory.

[12:42] - Alex also makes sure to do spot checks on inventory from time to time.

[15:04] - Accurate inventory is also tied directly to patient care especially when it comes to ensuring the correct dosage.

[16:50] - Things being on backorder can be a sticky situation.

[18:08] - Having a network of other practices to communicate when things they are ordering are on backorder or when things are back in stock, keeps us on top of it.

[20:07] - Sometimes changing the person who does a count makes a difference. Multiple pairs of eyes can be helpful.

[23:01] - The benchmark to look at differs per practice.

[25:22] - What are Alex’s ideas on end of year counting?

[27:30] - If your inventory isn’t what you want it to be, start small and build over time to see what works.

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

• VHMA Web Page

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