The VETT Method Sanjay Mangabhai

Do you want to build a better culture and make veterinary practice a happy place for both humans and animals to be in?
Have you always wanted to know how to thrive in veterinary medicine rather than barely making it through the day and just really surviving it?
If your answer is yes, then you’re in for an awesome treat today! Join us as we hear what Randy Hall has to say when it comes to creating a different kind of culture at work, coupled with a fully engaged team!
Randy Hall serves as a consultant, coach, and facilitator to help veterinary practices create a culture that engages employees, dramatically improves results, and sustains growth.
In this episode, Randy discusses things that hinder organizations – especially hospitals – when it comes to building a better and positive culture at work with a fully engaged team. Also, he explains how knowing their definition of success leads to such a workplace.
 
What you will learn from this episode:
Why going for policies and punishments don’t really work well on creating a different but positive culture in the veterinary practice;
How knowing and understanding the team or the organization’s definition of success helps people work towards achieving that goal;
Why team engagement plays a huge role on changing the culture, from just surviving the practice to actually thriving in it
 
“Top tip will be defining success for your practice or your team or your group of people. When we are moving toward something as a group of people, it starts to change the game a little bit. And when we're focused on those things, we start to change the way we approach our work.”
– Randy Hall
 
Topics Covered:
01:20 – Randy describes his ideal client: Anyone who wants to build a better culture and a happier practice
02:26 – Problem he solves for his clients: The feeling that they're surviving veterinary medicine instead of thriving in it, and wanting to make positive changes without struggle but not knowing how and where to start
03:30 – The typical symptoms / pain points: The inefficiency, poor communication, increased number of mistakes, and the drama. Symptoms for individuals are burnout, additional stress, and symptoms for organizations is that retention rates go down
05:17 – The mistakes: “They start to double down on things like policies or compliance or punishments or even instructions and micromanagement.”
10:01 – Randy’s Valuable Free Action: “Define success for your practice or your team or your group of people.”
13:04 – Randy’s Valuable Free Resource: Visit VetLead’s website and Facebook page and take advantage of the resources they have to help you build a fully engaged team.
14:17 – Q: How do we teach leadership to veterinary professionals? A: “Leadership is a set of processes. We don't have to guess about it anymore. We know about the neuroscience. We know how humans respond to feedback. We know what kind of coaching works in an environment to help people perform at a higher level, just because there's been enough research done on it. There are new processes, approaches, models, systems, tools and habits we can build as leaders that will help us get the results we really want rather than just the ones our impulses will kind of lead us to or our most comfortable style will lead us to, because it’s not the thing.”
 
Key Takeaways:
“Disengaged people just don't do work well.” – Randy Hall
“Policies really don't work. Increased consequences really don't work. There may be a human or two inside our practice that we need to have a different kind of conversation with, and consequences are part of that; that's fine. But let's not change the entire infrastructure and feeling in our business just because we've got a couple of people that aren't doing the right things.” – Randy Hall
“Our brains are so much better at moving toward something than away from something. When we're moving away from something, it's a stressful survival k

Do you find it hard doing business in the practice around this time where everything is becoming more digital? Are you getting so busy, trying to survive in your day-to-day, that you now have little to no time to attend to the roots of all the problems?
Marketing plays a key role in the success of a practice, but more often than not, people have become so used to just doing the work without experiencing it from the client’s perspective.
Learn from this episode as our guest talks about our modern marketing needs, helping us not turn blind to how our practice is operating!
Justin Phillips is a Veterinary Practice Marketing & Business Consultant and provides proven, industry-leading marketing and veterinary business advice to vet practices around the world. Justin loves making things better, growing practices, creating great workspaces, and extending pets’ lives by removing barriers to care. He is passionate about coaching and inspiring others to raise the standard of marketing across the veterinary industry. I guess you could say that he’s a Marketing Nerd, and he is also a Crazy Cat guy!
In this episode, Justin discusses the critical value of both marketing and health plans in veterinary practice, especially in this digital world.
 
What you will learn from this episode:
Why we need to tell better, more compelling and authentic stories when it comes to recruiting new medical professionals to join the practice;
Why it’s advisable that vet practitioners look outside of the practice and reach out to people who can be of help in solving modern day problems; and
Why people in the practice should look at the business and experience it through the eyes of a pet owner
 
“I would encourage people to look outside of their practice, look outside their bubble, and see who they can call on to help them with it. Listen to those people and expand your knowledge. Rather than trying to do it all yourself, how can you augment your skills and your services that your practice has to solve those problems faster?”
– Justin Phillips
 
Topics Covered:
03:13 – Justin describes his ideal client: Independent veterinary practices in the UK who needs help in solving marketing problems
04:20 – Problem he solves for his clients: Taking progress on their digital journey -- getting their website to do more stuff, and engaging and retaining their team, helping them be the best they can be, while improving skills, sharing better stories to be able to recruit new medical professionals in the practice
07:23 – The typical symptoms/pain points: “They maybe do what they've always done so they get what they've always got, but I think those practices are just so busy getting through the day to day and surviving that they don't have time to step back on the luxury to spend the time telling an authentic story in terms of recruitment or researching which technologies out there will help them with a specific problem.”
10:14 – The mistakes: Trying to solve all those problems themselves and try and take on too much of an overload on their already busy schedule.
11:47 – Justin’s Valuable Free Action: “Look at your business and experience your practice through the eyes of a pet owner.”
13:32 – Justin’s Valuable Free Resource: Visit https://www.practicemadepurrfect.com to learn more about veterinary practice.
15:15 – Q: What percentage of clients can a practice realistically move on to a health plan, and where is the limit? A: “I think, in practice, we have a glass ceiling, which is based on our own experiences in that particular practice. So, if that's the question, the answer is I don't know. But I'm intrigued to see how far we can take this by removing barriers to care, by removing our own preconceptions around what is that glass ceiling and seeing how far we can push it. I think 70% is achievable if we look at each element of the health plan from how we joined, how we retain people to the bundle of products and services in a h

How do you communicate with people as you go on with your daily life? Marketing is something veterinarians find hard to get their head around. We used to be all about medicine, but marketing has already become a necessity in any practice there is in life. It isn’t what we’re good at, but at some point, we’re also aware that we need it to move forward. So with the digital market continuously growing in today’s time, how do you find a marketing company that speaks the language of your mind? Remember that marketing is conversations and perceptions that can affect all aspects of the practice you’re so passionate about. Join us in this episode as we learn why being educated is the key to finding the right marketing guy. Kelly Baltzell is the President and CEO of Beyond Indigo Pets which she founded in 1997. Under her leadership, Beyond Indigo Pets has developed all types of veterinary websites and marketing that now reaches millions of people each year in multiple countries. Since 2015, Beyond Indigo has been a certified Google AdWords Partner. Additionally, since 2011, Kelly has been a monthly columnist for the American Animal Hospital Association’s Marketlink. She has also spoken and been published in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. Kelly graduated from George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs and Economics and received her master’s degree in Counselling and Psychology from St. Mary’s. In this episode, Kelly talks about marketing as well as the importance of being educated about it. Here, she shares why you should be aware of what it is that you truly want in order for you to be able to find the right marketing company that resonates best with your needs.  What you will learn from this episode:
How it is that Google and other platforms such as Facebook are also your customers;
The importance of taking the time to take note of your internal needs – what it is that you actually want – as you weigh whether you and the marketing company are a good fit;
Why it’s a must for you to be an educated consumer in order to keep yourself updated on marketing
 “Partly, the lack and the franticness around marketing in the veterinary space is the lack of knowledge. You don’t have to be an expert in marketing, but you need to be an educated consumer. You need to know what’s going on out there so you can have conversations. Please take the moment and learn.” – Kelly Baltzell  Topics Covered: 01:45 – Kelly describes her ideal client: A person or a practice who wants to embrace marketing, who cannot keep up with change, and wants to go out of their comfort zone 05:22 – Problem she solves for her clients: The lack of knowledge about marketing 08:33 – The typical symptoms/pain points: The amount of overload that they cannot handle anymore: getting overwhelmed, not knowing where to start, poor running of websites and pages 09:58 – The mistakes: Franticness, going to a convention and finding the first marketing booth that you find without thinking if it’s a good fit and style 15:11 – Kelly’s Valuable Free Action: “First of all, take a deep breath. Get your favorite beverage, adult or otherwise. Take a little bit of time, and just stop, and write down what your absolute needs are, the internal needs that you need from a marketing company. Then you go find companies and research them.” 17:57 – Kelly’s Valuable Free Resource: Visit Beyond Indigo Pets’ website, sign up, and get a free consult, as you try out their free website checker coupled with a report afterward 19:03 – Q: What can people do for themselves to keep themselves updated on marketing? A: “Partly, the lack and the franticness around marketing in the veterinary space is the lack of knowledge. You don’t have to be an expert in marketing, but you need to be an educated consumer. You need to know what’s going on out there so you can have conversations. Please take the moment

Have you been experiencing a lack of confidence when making decisions about medicines because of not having all the relevant information you need in the practice? Do you feel the continuously growing population of free resources everywhere, thus resulting in confusion about what’s of help and what isn’t? Medicines are an integral part of everyone’s day in veterinary practice. It’s of great importance that we become not only confident, but also competent in handling, prescribing, and dispensing it as we communicate with clients.   With that, be in for a treat today as we learn about efficient medicines management that will save time and money, is focused on client welfare and safety, and will help protect the environment that we’re all living in! Andrea Tarr is a registered pharmacist and medicines information specialist, and is the Founder and Director of Veterinary Prescriber, an online independent reference and learning resource on veterinary medicines for veterinary professionals. In this episode, Andrea educates us about the importance of independent, evidence-based, and practical information on all aspects of veterinary medicines as she discusses the consequences of having no access to such in the practice.  What you will learn from this episode:
How a large number of scattered resources in the practice lead to a lack of confidence in prescribing medicines in vet med;
Why you shouldn’t rely on single resources, pharmaceutical company information, and forums when looking for information about medicines; and
The importance of independent, evidence-based, and practical information on all aspects of veterinary medicines
 “There’s a lot of free information out there. A lot of people produce free information. But I think people should ask themselves if the information is free, who is paying for it and why? Because information is often used in order to sell something else. And it takes a lot of time and effort to produce high-quality information.” – Andrea Tarr Topics Covered: 01:37 – Andrea describes her ideal client: Anyone who wants to use medicines in the best interest of their patients, clients, and the environment / all vets in vet practices 02:20 – Problem she solves for her clients: Bringing together and making sense of all the scattered information about veterinary medicine everywhere. 07:02 – The typical symptoms/pain points: Not knowing where to look for information on medicines, and lack of confidence in decision-making and communication with clients 08:28 – The mistakes: Relying on single resources which might not be of help, relying on pharmaceutical company information, and asking people in forums 10:38 – Andrea’s Valuable Free Action: “Find out the quantity and value of medicines that are thrown away, because that will be a really good starting point for making changes and finding out where you can make savings.” 11:38 – Andrea’s Valuable Free Resource: Visit Veterinary Prescriber’s website and blog page to be updated about medicine news 13:04 – Q: Why is it important to be independent? A: “We’re funded by subscription, by the people who want to use the information. We don’t take any sponsorship or advertising. What that means is we can produce information that’s completely objective, trustworthy, and reliable.”  Key Takeaways: “Keeping up to date on medicines is a professional necessity for people working in veterinary practice.” – Andrea Tarr “Companies want to point out the benefits of their products, obviously, and not mention the disadvantages. If you’re trying to compare products by asking all the different companies, you’re gonna end up confused because they will all tell you that theirs is the best.” – Andrea Tarr “Forums can be used for all kinds of things, but it's an inherently unreliable thing to do if you’re looking for information about medicines.” – Andrea Tarr “Find out the quantity and value o

Euthanasia could be the most common procedure people from the veterinary practice do. Almost every day, there’s one pet going through euthanasia after another. However, talking about it has always been taboo, thus leading to the lack of education vet med people have with regards to the positive way of euthanizing animals that need to undergo the procedure. With euthanasia being a time of high emotions and vulnerability, it is with no doubt that we, as professionals, need to be able to manage the emotions both our clients and ourselves go through. But the question is, how can we actually do the practice as we deal with the emotional guilt of letting one’s life go, a move even more painful than divorce?
Join us today as we answer that question with Celine Leheurteux, the mind behind EUTHABAG. Celine Leheurteux has been in small animal practice since 1999. She developed EUTHABAG, a pet body bag that impacted millions of people in critical moments of their life or career. It is now used in 25 countries by thousands of practices.
In this episode, Celine educates us about euthanasia as she puts emphasis on how people in the practice of veterinary medicine can honor the bond between the vet team, the pet, and the family in tears as they proceed on doing the euthanasia process.
What you will learn from this episode:
Understand how the lack of education in euthanasia affects veterinary professionals’ euthanasia practice and protocols;
Discover what EUTHABAG is and how much of great help it is in educating people with regards to euthanasia, especially on the details of how to properly do it; and
Find out all the resources you’ll need in learning about euthanasia and having a better practice of veterinary medicine through books, handouts, and other materials from EUTHABAG
“Now, the difference is I know how to provide a positive euthanasia experience that people will forever remember and be grateful for. I’m making a difference. The euthanasia I’m going to lead is not gonna be the same as the one on the other side of the street. This is going to be different.” – Celine Leheurteux
Topics Covered:
01:20 – Celine talks about the first time EUTHABAG came into the market, as well as the inspiration that led to the birth of EUTHABAG
03:36 – Celine describes her ideal client: Any veterinary professional, from the receptionist to the veterinarian; those who provide compassion and who face euthanasia in the practice almost every day
04:15 – Problem she solves for her clients: Decreasing the level of stress around euthanasia and feeling compassion satisfaction by giving the best end-of-life care
05:36 – The typical symptoms/pain points: Unnecessary stress, cognitive disruption, impostor syndrome, compassion fatigue/burnout
08:55 – The mistakes: Not having enough training about euthanasia and providing vague guidelines/descriptions
12:27 – Celine’s Valuable Free Action: “Have your staff take our free CPD. There are so many tips in it. There are so many members in our teams now, it’s getting bigger and bigger, and there are so many things to talk about around euthanasia. I think everybody needs to have the same training so we can hope that any client that comes to our practice has the same kind of experience, some kind of standard.”
17:53 – Celine’s Valuable Free Resource: Go to EUTHABAG’s website – https://www.euthabag.com/ – to learn more about euthanasia and dealing with your pet’s death
24:58 – Q: What’s a tip I would like to share? A: “The biggest game-changer for me was to provide deep, profound sedation to the pet prior to euthanasia. It calms the animal, the family, and then us – the veterinary team. Everybody feels better, and there’s no more anticipation of a reaction from the pet.”
Key Takeaways:
“Veterinary professionals, because of lack of education, just don’t feel they’re bringing the best. We’re all perfectionists. We need to be on top of things. We need to f

What is it that you want your practice to look like? What is it that you are trying to achieve? There are veterinarians out there who are stuck in leadership concepts designed way old for today’s generation. Although they are smart and are fully knowledgeable about Vet Med, they lack training on how to lead a business in this modern world, hence the disappointments that come right after. Henry Ford used to say, “I’m hiring you for your hands, not your head…”But if we’ll look at it from a 21st-century perspective, that isn’t something that is still effective.
As much as it’s important to check on yourself, understanding how your employees are doing is also a key to success. Learn how you can effectively lead the world of Vet Med in the 21st century as we interview Elise Lacher today. Elise Lacher is a recovering social worker and a Certified Public Accountant who works with veterinarians to help them achieve their personal and professional goals. In this episode, Elise discusses the power vulnerability has in achieving great heights in your business. Here, she talks about the importance of having the right team in making that shift towards better leadership this time.  What you will learn from this episode:
Discover how giving the right tasks to the right people in your practice is a huge game-changer in the field;
Understand why checking how your team’s doing is just as important as taking the time to reflect on yourself for how you’ve been working; and
Find out how you can effectively lead your team in your practice in line with the trends that are happening in the 21st century.
  “Be vulnerable with your team.”– Elise Lacher  Topics Covered: 03:27 – Elise describes her ideal client: A veterinary practice owner who is disappointed with the culture in their practice and their unachieved goals 05:05 – Problem she solves for her clients: Changing the culture, being in alignment with why they wanted to become veterinarians in the first place, learning how to hire the right people                                                      09:30 – The typical symptoms/pain points: High turnover of employees in the practice 12:18 – The mistakes: Trying to do it all on their own, thinking past styles of leadership are still going to work in the 21st century 16:17 – Elise’s Valuable Free Action: “You need to be vulnerable with your team. Share with them what you want to achieve then check in on them very often and regularly to find out what is going on.” 21:58 – Elise’s Valuable Free Resource: Visit the Strategic Veterinary Consulting Inc.’s website or go to Enlightened Rebels to learn more about 21st-century business practices in a vet clinic 22:57 – Q: Does it work? A: “It does impact work in a veterinary practice. The only way it works, however, is if you start doing something.”  Key Takeaways: “When we’re in a public business, it’s really important that we have some of those soft skills which are really kind of hard skills – the communication, empathy, being able to talk with people, the emotional intelligence that we hear so much about today.” – Elise Lacher “When you get the right team in helping you with what needs to be done, you really don’t have to be there in the wee hours of the morning, doing the things that you shouldn’t be doing.” – Elise Lacher “My philosophy in running a business is kind of bordering on what Jim Collins wrote about in his book, Good to Great. You’ve got to get the right people, in the right seats, on the bus, going in the right direction.” – Elise Lacher “Just because you’ve done them in a previous practice doesn’t mean that you can get it the way we want it done in our practice.” – Elise Lacher “It does impact work in a veterinary practice. The only way it works, however, is if you start doing something.” – Elise Lacher  People / Resources Mentioned: