BizQuiz: Are you a misunderstood veterinary practice manager or a bully boss? (Results)

Boss A: If you answered mostly As, you’re a pretty darn good boss. Sure, you make mistakes because you’re a human being, but your employees look up to you and see you as someone who truly cares about them. You have confidence in your team, you look out for their wellbeing and you know that every day is a learning experience and give them their space to spread their own wings while keeping office rules balanced and fair. They can sense this, and in turn they want to work even harder for you.

Boss B: If you answered mostly Bs, you can relax because you aren’t the worst boss in the world. However, you’re a little passive aggressive and your team members may feel a bit guarded around you. You make minimal efforts to try and show them that you care about them, but from their perspective it probably seems false. You treat them all exactly the same way and you don’t really know anything about them. People like to feel praise or even reprimand for something that they did specifically, because it makes them feel like recognized individuals. When you lump everyone into one category and put forth the minimum effort, they feel lost, underappreciated and unmotivated.

Boss C: If you answered mostly Cs, you probably have an unhappy team. You aren’t really that interested in them as people, and it’s apparent. You may think you’re taking appropriate disciplinary actions, but they feel completely unvalued and they know that you have no faith in them, no matter how hard they work. You’re a little immature in your methods and out of touch with who your employees are. Nobody really wants to be the boss’s BFF, but they want to feel like they could be.

Boss D: If you answered mostly Ds, it’s a good bet you experience substantial turnover at your practice. You micromanage, fly off the handle and have complete disregard for the people who work for you. You offer zero encouragement or support to the very people who are supposed to be helping your business thrive. Your team members are probably unhappy and intimidated by your apathy and your angry outbursts. This won’t be an easy fix, but making an honest effort to change and treating your team members with kindness would be a great start.