September 2024

In this VETgirl online veterinary continuing education blog, guest blogger Randy Hall, Leadership Coach, Founder & CEO of VetLead, discusses how change is inevitable in veterinary practices. Whether it’s new technology, shifting client expectations, or evolving industry standards, adapting to change is essential for long-term success. But there’s more to change than simply managing it—true success comes from leading change, implementing it effectively, and ensuring it is sustainable. We’ll explore three aspects of change in your veterinary practice. These include leading change, steps for achieving successful change, and creating sustainable change, with each section offering three actionable insights.

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Leading Change in Your Veterinary Practice

By Randy Hall, Leadership Coach, Founder & CEO of VetLead

Change management is often associated with logistics—sending emails, adjusting workflows, and checking tasks off lists. But leading change goes beyond these actions. It’s about inspiring your team to embrace new visions and helping them engage with the changes in a meaningful way. Managing change focuses on execution, but leading it requires vision and emotional buy-in from your team.

In my work with veterinary practices, I’ve noticed that while many practices excel at managing the logistics of change, they often overlook the human element. Leading change effectively means creating an environment where your team feels personally connected to the change. It’s about empowering them to be active participants rather than passive recipients of new processes.

Here are three lessons that can help veterinary practices lead change effectively:

1. Change is Personal, Not Just Professional

For change to take root, it must resonate on a personal level with each team member. While processes are essential, it’s the individuals within your practice who must change their behaviors, mindsets, and habits. By fostering a culture of coaching, support, and personal goal-setting, you can encourage your team to take ownership of the changes.

2. Change Takes Time: Set Realistic Expectations

Change doesn’t happen overnight. While there’s often an initial surge of enthusiasm, setbacks and resistance are inevitable. Leaders need to set realistic expectations and give their teams time to adapt. Patience and empathy are key to ensuring long-term success and avoiding burnout or frustration.

3. Leaders Have to Go First

If you expect your team to adopt new practices, you must lead by example. Change starts at the top. When you demonstrate adaptability and a willingness to evolve, your team will be more likely to follow your lead. Showing commitment to the process is one of the most powerful ways to inspire change within your veterinary practice.

Steps to Successful Change

Once your team is on board with the idea of change, the next step is ensuring that it is implemented effectively. Achieving successful change requires more than just a desire to improve—it involves a structured process that starts with clear goals and progresses through building consistent habits and practicing them until they become second nature.

In veterinary practices, many changes—whether introducing new software or improving patient care protocols—fail because the process isn’t followed through to completion. Teams often start strong, with well-intentioned goals, but lose momentum as they encounter obstacles. This is why a clear process is important: to ensure that changes stick and lead to the desired outcomes.

1. Set Clear Goals

Start by envisioning the future you want for your practice. Write down the specific goals you want to achieve, focusing on why they matter. Avoid getting caught up in negative thinking or self-doubt. Instead, commit to your vision, and focus on what’s possible rather than what might hold you back.

2. Build Small Habits

Once you’ve set your goals, focus on the small, manageable habits that will get you there. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the big picture, so break it down into small steps. For example, if you want to improve client communication, start with one simple habit, like setting aside time each day to review follow-up protocols. The key is to make these habits so easy to implement that resistance is minimal.

3. Practice and Persevere

Sustained change happens when you practice consistently, even when it feels challenging. Your brain will often resist new habits, but by focusing on small, daily actions, you can build momentum. Keep your efforts manageable, and prioritize repetition over perfection. The more ingrained these practices become, the easier it will be to scale them for lasting success.

Creating Sustainable Change

While achieving short-term success in change is important, the ultimate goal is to make those changes last. Sustainable change is about ensuring that the adjustments you implement in your practice become a natural part of the workflow, rather than something temporary. For change to be sustainable, it needs to be understood, embraced, and collaboratively developed by your team.

In veterinary practices, it’s common to see changes imposed from the top without fully considering how the team will respond or how it will affect daily routines. Sustainable change happens when your team is engaged in the process, and the goals align with their values and motivations.

1. Sustainable Change Happens at the Speed of Understanding

Change can’t be rushed. Teams need time to process and understand what’s expected of them before they can fully commit. Take time to discuss the reasons for change, and ensure your team grasps the benefits and challenges. Once they understand the “why” behind the change, they are more likely to support it.

2. Sustainable Change is Done Collaboratively

The most lasting changes come from collaboration, not top-down mandates. Involve your team in the decision-making process. By engaging them in designing new workflows or adopting new tools, you make the change something they own. Collaborative change is far more likely to stick because your team has a vested interest in its success.

3. The Goals of Sustainable Change Belong to Everyone

When your team shares ownership of the change, they’re more committed to its success. Ask your team members what they believe the goals of the change are and why it matters to them. When your team can articulate their personal stake in the process, the change becomes more meaningful and sustainable.

Achieving Lasting Change in Your Veterinary Practice

Change in veterinary practice isn’t just about adjusting to new circumstances—it’s about leading your team through the process, taking small steps toward success, and ensuring that change sticks. By leading change, focusing on small, achievable habits, and fostering collaboration, you can create lasting, meaningful change in your practice. Embrace these three aspects of change, and you’ll be well on your way to a future-ready veterinary team.

Randy Hall VetLead

Author Bio:
Randy Hall, Founder & CEO, VetLead
Randy spent over 15 years of his career in the animal health industry. Since founding his consulting business in 2009, he has worked with thousands of veterinary hospital leaders and staff members to help them capture their full potential of their own veterinary practices.

This VETgirl online veterinary continuing education blog is written by VetLead. Please note the opinions in this blog are the expressed opinion of the author(s), and not directly endorsed by VETgirl.

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