Are "team-building" exercises worth it?May 23, 2019Many people have participated in "team-building" exercises—but do they work? Let's start by defining what we mean by team building. According to Wikipedia, it is a collective term for various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within teams often involving collaborative tasks. 1 Many team-building exercises aim to expose and address interpersonal problems within the group. Developing the veterinary team requires developing each individual employee, as well as helping people learn to work together constructively.2 That's the definition. However, it doesn't address the question of, "Why do it?" According to author and veterinarian, Carin A. Smith, DVM, good team development contributes to employee and client satisfaction. Happy people stick around and do a good job. Staff retention increases productivity and reduces expenses.2 Seems like a good reason to do it—teamwork is a worthy goal! Certainly, the general goals consist of getting to know your coworkers better, increasing team spirit, fostering innovation and creativity, enhancing communication, supporting each other, and the list continues. But is there more? Are team-building exercises worth it? What is your team-building ROI? To properly measure the success of a team-building session, you need to have a plan and baseline metrics. …
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How do I make sure the work I delegate gets done?October 29, 2016I’ve been a practice manager for a couple of years, and during that time my areas of responsibility have progressively increased. That’s not really a problem because I enjoy learning new things and being challenged.
What to do when a vet tech goes over a practice manager's headAugust 24, 2016I’m an experienced practice manager who took a new management role in a small practice at the beginning of this year. There is a part-time vet tech whom has been with the practice for years, and has not adapted well to the changes I have implemented. Her attitude is appalling.
