Live from CVC: Give your veterinary practice an organizational checkup
Afraid your practice is a little under the weather? Use this checkup to make sure your hospital is staying healthy.
How can you win the game if you don’t know the score? Shawn McVey, MA, MSW, owner of McVey Management Solutions in Austin, Texas, encourages practice owners and managers—and even thoughtful team members—to rate their agreement with the 20 statements below. Use a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 completely disagreeing and 5 completely agreeing that the statement matches your hospital:
1. We have a clear vision in writing that has been properly communicated and shared by everyone.
2. Our core values are clear, and we hire, review performance, reward and terminate employees based on these values.
3. Our core business is clear and our systems and processes reflect that.
4. Our 10-year target is clear and has been communicated to everyone.
5. Our target market is clear and our sales and marketing efforts are focused on it.
6. What makes our practice different from competitors is clear and all of our sales and marketing efforts reflect that.
7. We have a proven process for doing business with our clients. It has been named and visually illustrated and everyone is adhering to it.
8. All of the people in our organization are the right people.
9. Our accountability chart is clear and complete and constantly updated.
10. Everyone is in the right seat.
11. Our leadership team is open and honest and demonstrates a high level of trust.
12. Everyone has rocks (goals or projects they are working on) and is focused on them (three to seven times per quarter).
13. Everyone is engaged in regular weekly meetings.
14. All meetings are on the same day at the same time and have the same printed agenda. They start and end on time.
15. All teams clearly identify, discuss and solve key issues for the greater good and for the long term.
16. We have a system for receiving regular customer and employee feedback, and we know their level of satisfaction.
17. Our systems and processes are documented and followed by all.
18. A scorecard for weekly metrics and measurable goals is in place.
19. Everyone in the organization has a number.
20. We have a budget and monitor it regularly.
Keep scorecards on these questions weekly so you can track your progress and work on the areas that are consistently low.
