Direction as a Culture Bolster

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Here we are on the third bolster of The Veterinary Compassion Fatigue Project. We have learned about love and compassion as our first two. While it is easy to find love and compassion for our animal patients, it can be extremely difficult to find and hold that same love and compassion for ourselves and others. By cultivating self-love and self-compassion, we create space to forgive ourselves and we begin to see others in a whole new light. This allows us to connect more readily in a place of camaraderie and healing. 

Direction as a bolster ain’t sexy, but it is incredibly important in the hospital setting. When we are working with others without clear direction, the result is chaos, confusion and frustration. Writing a direction manual for your employees is not exhilarating and there is nothing thrilling about referring to it constantly. Yet it is the single most important tangible thing that a business owner and hospital manager can do. 

We business owners have the blueprint in our heads. We know exactly how we want the hospital to run and what the finished concept looks like. I was under the ignorant impression that embodying my ideals and vision would be enough for the staff. Unless it is spelled out in black and white, there will be problems that lie ahead. Every single person comes to the conversation with their own opinions, their own baggage and while this is important when rounding out the culture of the hospital, it plays no role in the creation of the policy and procedure manual. 

“Without vision, you have no direction. Without direction, you have no purpose.” Steve Gilliland. 

You, the owner, have the vision. Now you have to turn that vision into a book of directions so that your staff will have a purpose. You will all be moving in the same direction for the same goals. This P and P manual is your mission statement and the path to get there.

When I began writing my own manual, I started out very loose and generic. I did not even include employee standards of appearance or behavior. I assumed that people would come to work looking and behaving ready to work. So when that was a colossal failure, I began writing a manual so detailed I went so far as to list where we stored the toilet paper. This much detail crossed over into the territory of insanity and once again the manual was cast aside. Somewhere between these two extremes, a successful manual exists. 

It should contain all the information needed to understand how the business operates and not how to use a microscope or where to put the toilet paper. It contains best practices, employee expectations, human resources policies, technology guidance, and more. It must be centrally located and typically digital so that employees can refer to it at any time. With this rulebook, so to speak, you are providing guidance that all employees can work with. It ensures that the highest level of professionalism is adhered to at all times. Don’t make the same mistake I did by combining your training manual with your P and P manual. This becomes overwhelming and not at all helpful. Training manuals are separate and broken down by station. 

 As a business owner, I encourage you to provide a mission statement at the beginning. What is your hospital vision? Have you expressed this in direct and relatable terms for your employees? Do you yourself adhere to these policies, setting an example for your staff to follow? 

By writing and utilizing the P and P manual, you are now able to remove the emotional aspect of confrontation with employees. In small clinics, we get emotionally involved with our staff. We are a family and it becomes difficult to think about reprimanding that family member even if they are jeopardizing our vision. We empathize with them and let a lot more slide than we ever should. Using the P and P manual is a gift to those who do not like confrontation. For example, you have an employee that comes to work intermittently with a bad attitude or brings in unwanted drama to the workplace. Now you can sit down with them and first ask if everything is alright. Perhaps you mention that you have seen some things that do not reflect who they are as an employee and you are concerned. Now you can reference the page in your P and P manual of employee expectations. Have a copy for them and hand it over to be reread. Let your employee know that in order to maintain the highest level of professionalism that all employees must adhere to the manual. You have given them love and respect by asking if they are ok. You have given them clear direction by resharing the manual. And you are setting expectations, the destination, for the future. All of this can be done gently but firmly. 

The manual must be written so that it is concise and thorough. But it must be utilized. If you have a manual that sits on the shelf collecting dust, you might as well not even have taken the time to write it. Maybe you take one policy each staff meeting and go over it just to keep it fresh. Open up a conversation to the staff. Do they like it? Do they think it is fair? This manual will be a malleable work that changes and grows with the practice. Therefore your hospital manager is tasked with keeping it relevant. This is the direction of the entire hospital. 

What about the direction of the individual employee? Do you sit down with each employee to understand what their direction is to recognize their purpose? Can your hospital help them achieve their own personal direction? Can you provide additional training that might help them reach their goal? Now this is how you move into creating that incredible culture of deep respect and appreciation. Evaluations are the precise time for you to speak to your employees about their direction. Skipping reviews is a huge no-no and I would make more staff members angry when I would casually say, “You’re doing great. That is your review.” It was flippant and disrespectful. It provided no clear direction and certainly not all staff members are perfect. The evaluation provides clear direction for improvement, accolades for jobs well done and ends with new goals set. Do not end an evaluation without setting new goals for that employee. Perhaps they even add in their own but they must have a renewed purpose. 

Lastly, what about the direction of the client? Do your clients understand what is expected of them? New clients sign all kinds of policies of your hospital regarding social media, photographs, etc. What about creating a policy for your clients that lets them know the hospital will always treat them with respect and courtesy as long as they also do the same for your employees? Give them the name and email of the person to report any concerns that may arise in which an employee is not treating them with respect and kindness. Now hold them to the same standards. Go so far as to have them sign it. Print a copy and send it home with them. This will never make everyone behave, but what it does now is provide you with a contract that you can refer to later if the client misbehaves. It helps to remove the emotions in difficult conversations. 

While writing about manuals is rather mundane, the importance cannot be overstated. You will not reach your dreams without direction. Your vision will not materialize without a concrete blueprint. So be confident and lay out your vision and the path to get there. If it’s the vision for the entire hospital, make that the most important book at work. And If you find you are heading in the wrong direction, just shift to change your destination. 

Maybe you don’t run a veterinary hospital, so lay out a mission statement and a vision for your own life. And ask yourself “Am I living the life I always imagined?” If not, check your direction and rewrite your path because only you can. 

Find me on The Veterinary Compassion Fatigue Project Spotify Podcast, my website, Facebook and YouTube @TVCFP. Let’s keep talking about what we face in the veterinary and animal care world and ways that we can help each other. Reach out if you have a particular topic you would love to hear about. Subscribe to hear updates on our annual restoration retreat to be launched in Spring of 2025. As always, I hope you find what you are looking for and share it with anyone who needs it.

With love and hope,

Dr. Erin Holder