A reminder for anyone who wants to break the monotony and re-engage their team
I’m going to admit it right here: I’m a pumpkin spice guy. Even more, I’m a Fall Season Guy. I love the changing leaves, the outdoor activities in crisp air, and the warm clothes I get to wear after the humid South Carolina Summer. It makes me happy to smell cinnamon and sandalwood when I walk into stores, to drink apple cider and to get pumpkin pie for dessert. I just love all of that… but you know what I love most? A limited-time break from the established norm.
Let me be honest for a second. I don’t REALLY care about apple cider. Cinnamon flavored coffee is fine, but I wouldn’t drink it every morning. If I had crisp weather for a few consecutive months, I’d be more than ready to escape to a warmer climate whenever I got the chance. You get the point.
I love the fall theme because it brings new experiences, it’s only around for a limited time, and it has distinct activities tied to it that I enjoy (even if only in small doses). I think this is important because one of the greatest challenges we face in the marathon that is modern veterinary medicine is keeping ourselves and our teams engaged.
If you’ve been leading in vet medicine for more than a year, your team has already heard your pep talks. They know your passion, purpose and your “why.” They know what standard of care is expected and they have shown up day after day after day and delivered it. So now, when their motivation is flagging, how can you get them to re-engage and look at the work we do with fresh eyes?
I think we can draw some inspiration from those of us who love the fall.
Sometimes the best way to breathe new life into something well known is to switch up its theme. Just think, how many stores, products, books, streaming shows, escape rooms, putt-putt courses, and magazines change their look and feel for different seasons? How many stores throw down to decorate for Christmas? How many restaurants, coffee shops and breweries change up menu items for pumpkin time? Even Crossfit gyms and spin classes roll out special workouts just for holidays! Why? Because themes (seasonal, holiday or other) are fun ways to get people to re-engage. The fact that fall will soon be over makes me more excited to try fall flavors and do fall activities because the stakes are low (e.g. if I don’t like pumpkin bagels, they won’t be taking up space on the grocery shelf for very long) and scarcity is high (I might LOVE pumpkin bagels so I better get them before they are gone!).
So what do themes look like in veterinary clinics? Simple. They have the fun parts of whatever theme you are injecting tied firmly to the educational piece you want to re-prioritize. Think of Halloween with a focus on (black) cat health, fall with a focus on senior pets, spring with puppy love, Valentines with heart health (I’m serious! Think heartworms!).
Changing up themes in your practice can be fun. It can shake up the appearance of the clinic where you and your team spend a good chunk of your life. It can give your staff meetings a new focus and provide opportunities to try new educational and therapeutic programs. Most of all, it’s a way to break the grind that so many teams find themselves in.
Don’t do themes in your clinic for the clients (although they will appreciate them), do them for your team. Do them for mental stimulation, to break monotony, to make things fresh, and to give people a different daily experience. Inject some pumpkin spice into your clinic, or some Halloween horror, or some peppermint and wintergreen… Keep practice fun, and keep it changing with the seasons.
