Your team needs you as much as you need them
Dr. Casey Risinger is a veterinarian. But he is also a manager of people. Until now, Dr. Risinger had never given a review to any of his team members. He didn't know how much he, his staff and business needed it.
"I've been told by other people, yes, you need to do this, but I had put it off and put it off," said Dr. Risinger, of Risinger Veterinary Hospital in Terrell, Texas. "I just think everybody knows what's going on and what to do. I know what I expect and surely everybody reads my mind. But I realize they don't."
Learning how to communicate in new ways with staff helped him see how much he could support his team. "The reviews really helped me have a better understanding of what was expected of me and what they thought I was expecting out of them," Dr. Risinger said. "They want to know how they can get better, where I think they can get better, and then they want to be able to express what I can do to help them."
It even made him aware of issues he had never considered before. "I would realize there was a problem, but I really didn't understand where it was coming from," he said. "I never thought about that, and I think that was one of the key things, is just understanding where people are at and where I can help them. Now I've got the tools to do that."
The only way your business gets bigger and better is through your ability to manage people, he continued. "I have to change first," Dr. Risinger said. "The better I get, the better I should be able to help staff, help new employees, help existing people find out the needs they have. I can help the staff, and the more they know, and the more they've been trained, the more they can help the customer. "Encouragement is always the best motivator, and when clients give comments and feedback, this gets everybody excited about trying to do a better job."
In this video, hear more from Dr. Risinger about how you can learn to help your team. For help identifying ways to build a better team and veterinary clinic, operation or business, contact your local Zoetis representative or visit GrowPeopleFirst.com.
About Zoetis Zoetis (z?-EH-tis) is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 60 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products and genetic tests and supported by a range of services. In 2013, the company generated annual revenues of $4.6 billion. With approximately 9,800 employees worldwide at the beginning of 2014, Zoetis has a local presence in approximately 70 countries, including 27 manufacturing facilities in 10 countries. Its products serve veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals in 120 countries. For more information, visit www.zoetisUS.com.
Zoetis is the proud sponsor, with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, of the mobile educational exhibit Animal Connections: Our Journey Together. Families visiting the exhibit will explore the vast bonds between people and animals and learn about the important role veterinarians play in protecting animal and human health. For more information, visit http://www.zoetis.com/animal-connections-tour/.
9.30.2014