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Great leadership and running a successful vet practice are intrinsically intertwined. Here’s why you can’t afford to drop the ball. By Tracey Porter
Thinking and acting strategically isn’t always a top priority for veterinary health professionals battling toxic work environments, poor culture and unsustainable working conditions. But it should be.
That’s the belief of UK-based veterinarian, author and podcast host Dr Dave Nicol, who works to assist veterinary practices grow by training and hiring leaders who get the job done.
Dr Nicol, more commonly referred to as Dr Dave, claims the biggest mistake animal health professionals make in their efforts to create thriving practices is myopically focusing on clinical work at the expense of leadership work. Unsurprisingly, he says, this has resulted in many clinics practising reactive leadership.
Leadership mentors needed
Leadership is a topic Dr Dave knows well. He is the founder of transformational leadership training initiative the Veterinary Leadership Academy, the owner of boutique sustainable veterinary practice Roundwood Vets, and a Great Britain Age-Group triathlon team member.
He is also the host and producer of the Blunt Dissection podcast where the best minds in veterinary medicine, business, academia, not-for-profit and politics come together to discuss the habits, routines and thought processes that make them so effective at what they do.
With his academy clients based across Australasia, North America and Europe, Dr Dave argues that underinvestment in teaching younger vets softer skills such as negotiation, managing conflict, active listening, coaching, and emotional intelligence—the very foundations for a career in practice—is common to veterinary sectors everywhere.
However, it’s much worse now as there seems to be fewer mentors around because “ownership structures driven by corporate takeovers”, gradually change the profession’s demographic.
“We urgently need to address this to help retain talent. Teaching a course is the easy bit, working to support skills development through active mentoring in clinics is the hard but utterly essential piece of the puzzle that practices are struggling to deliver.”
The company you keep
Familiar with the Australian veterinary sector having lived and worked in Sydney for seven years in the early 2000s, Dr Dave says COVID-19 proved to be a tipping point for the profession. Certain issues had been simmering for a while but when the pandemic hit practice life, everything exploded. “Mental health dipped, and generational factionalisation ramped up. People’s sense of frustration or isolation came to the fore, and things just got quite ugly for a time.”
The flip side though was recognition that we need to treat each other better and that rewards and conditions for veterinary professionals need to be improved.
The single biggest issue determining the wins I’ve enjoyed or losses I’ve suffered is not paying enough attention to the values of others, whether it’s choosing the right people or practice to work with, or a teammate to hire. My wins and losses are linked more closely to this than anything else.
Dr Dave Nicol, founder, Veterinary Leadership Academy
“Better leadership means building an environment where people feel valued and supported to grow—because when your team thrives, so does the practice.”
As a result, he now recommends that practices at all stages of growth focus on two vital metrics: the employee experience and the client experience.
Dr Dave says experience has taught him to be incredibly careful about who he chooses to spend time with. “The single biggest issue determining the wins I’ve enjoyed or losses I’ve suffered is not paying enough attention to the values of others, whether it’s choosing the right people or practice to work with, or a teammate to hire. My wins and losses are linked more closely to this than anything else.
“There’s an old saying that you will rise or fall to the level of the five or so people with whom you associate the most. In my experience, this is completely true. So guard this space closely.”
Learning from the best
Dr Casandra Fowler, a longtime member of Dr Dave’s coaching community, founded her dream practice, the Harmony Animal Hospital, just outside Washington DC in 2019.
Dr Fowler says she has heard Dr Dave speak at various conferences and his leadership advice has really resonated.
When she finally opened her own practice, the first Fear Free certified veterinary clinic in Northern Virginia, Dr Fowler says she did so with a staff of four but quickly encountered significant cultural and staffing challenges.
“One big mistake we made repeatedly was hiring the wrong people and/or keeping people far beyond when it should have been clear that they were not a good fit for us. During and after COVID it was extremely difficult to find employees. Yet as a new practice, we needed staff to support our exponential growth.
“These factors, coupled with my manager’s and my desire to see the best in everyone, and determination to make things work no matter what, led us to ignore warning signs and red flags over and over when hiring and training new staff.”
Dr Fowler says working alongside leadership specialists and attending the academy’s leadership retreats meant she was equipped with a roadmap for organising the business—one that helped define who they were, who they wanted to be, and the best and quickest way to meet their various goals.
“Since establishing that groundwork, it has helped us shape and refine our culture, attract not just any employees but the right people for us, and continue working through challenges as they inevitably arise. Sometimes it can be helpful to hear another leader in the community describing the same issues we are experiencing, to know we aren’t alone.”
Having learnt to better distil job advertisements to attract better candidates, fine-tune interview processes to better understand how potential employees will contribute to culture, and access staff members who align with her business’s core values, Dr Fowler says her practice has grown significantly.
Harmony Animal Hospital now includes four GP doctors, an acupuncturist, a massage therapist, a groomer, and 21 support staff. Revenue has also increased by 250 per cent.
“It’s not just about solving today’s problems; it’s given us a framework to tackle challenges we didn’t even know were coming. It’s a continual process of learning and growth,” Dr Fowler says.
Top leadership tips
Both Drs Dave and Fowler claim that when it comes to relationships and opportunities of any kind, they now both live by the maxim, ‘If it’s not a heck yes, then it’s a no’. “I reckon many practices would fare better if they adopted this mindset when it came to hiring too,” Dr Dave says.
In terms of advice to others who may be struggling, it is critical to remember that ideas are great, but execution is much more important, he explains.
“Try to do a smaller amount of work to a really high standard rather than take on far too many things and accomplish none of them. Also, remember to live your values. You’ll rot slowly from the inside if you don’t.”
Refusing to be drawn into the age-old debate as to whether good leaders are born or made, Dr Dave diplomatically states that he has seen many people succeed with different styles of leadership.
“I believe they are made, very slowly, very intentionally. That said, I think the things I’ve seen that appear universal are high levels of commitment to their work. An understanding of who they are and why they are doing what they are doing. High levels of self-awareness, combined with the desire to act to improve. The ability to communicate clearly, and also to get things done. They care deeply about outcomes, but also about people.
“In short, [good leaders] commit, they compete, they complete, they care.”
