• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

The sweeper should choose the broom

January 1, 2010
Bob Levoy

Everyone affected by a decision should be involved in the process.

I'm indebted to Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks and author of It's Not About the Coffee: Leadership Principles from a Life at Starbucks (Portfolio, 2007), for the title of this article. It's a nugget of management wisdom that's as applicable to a veterinary practice as it is to a coffee house. Perhaps even more so.

Image Source/Getty images

Many veterinarians make decisions affecting team members' daily work without soliciting their input. Ideally, everyone who'll be affected by a particular decision should be involved in the process at some level—at the very least they should have their views taken into consideration. Among the benefits:

Advertisement

> Team members using equipment on a daily basis know more about it than anyone else.

> Job satisfaction tends to increase as people are given an opportunity to participate in decisions affecting their work.

> Empowered employees do a better job than "do-as-you're-told" employees.

Many team members I've spoken with consider it insulting not to be consulted in such matters. Their complaint? "I'm treated as if I don't have a brain in my head." This feeling is obviously not conducive to staff morale, job satisfaction, or retention. As Behar says, the person who uses the broom should decide which one to buy.

Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Bob Levoy is a speaker and writer based in Roslyn, N.Y. His latest book is 222 Secrets of Hiring, Managing, and Retaining Great Employees in Healthcare Practices (Jones and Bartlett, 2007).

Related Content:

AssociatesPersonnel Management
CE: Why tapeworms matter
CE: Why tapeworms matter
Advances in the detection, characterization, and monitoring of cancer in pets
Advances in the detection, characterization, and monitoring of cancer in pets
Treating feline arthritis with spectrum of care
Treating feline arthritis with spectrum of care

Advertisement

Latest News

Pet Advocacy Network honors outstanding contributions to the pet care community

Traditional and holistic treatments for giardia

ASU trustees approve the creation of a new veterinary school

6 tips for first-time dog owners

View More Latest News
Advertisement