You can't pizza party your way out of a toxic workplace culture.

Developing a positive workplace culture starts at the top of your organization: You can't expect more positivity, professionalism, and team spirit out of your employees than you demonstrate yourself. Unfortunately, as veterinarians we receive little to no leadership training (or business training in general) in veterinary medical school. Here's a few quick leadership tips:

1) Balanced feedback: It's easy to fixate on the things that need fixing and not on the things that are working well. Don't forget to point out your team's successes, especially as a follow up to offering constructive feedback on areas needing improvement.

2) Gratitude costs nothing: The price of "thank you" is $0, and expressing genuine gratitude means a lot. Let your team know they are appreciated regularly.

3) Lead by example: "Not my job" is a dangerous phrase in veterinary teams all the way to the top. It means a lot for your team to see you getting into the trenches with them.

Practice owners and managers: Please reach out to me to find out how becoming an AVP practice can help you hire, retain, and lead the best possible team at your practice.