“This webinar, presented by two of the professions most highly respected thought leaders in mental wellness, really delivered on providing invaluable tools to implement positive change around the well-being of veterinary teams. This critical ‘teams’ approach will form a major component of the foundation of our AVA Wellness strategy currently under development”, Dr Warwick Vale, AVA President.
“What a timely and beautifully presented webinar. I learnt so much, and left the webinar feeling motivated and hopeful, pages and pages of notes and actions to implement. From all of these notes however, one phrase really resonated, reminding myself not just to stop and ask myself how I am at this moment, but checking in to ask myself how others are experiencing me in this moment. That’s pretty powerful stuff! Huge thank you to Sue, Rosie, the AVA and Covetrus”, Andy Readdy, Area Manager, VetLove
If you have only one hour to spare doing something to ‘fill your tank’ this week, make sure you spend it listening to the AVA RUOK day Wellness Webinar – ‘Better Together: Your clinic, your team, your veterinary family and community’. The webinar, sponsored by Provet, and presented by Rosie Overfield and Sue Crampton of Crampton Consulting Group, provides a wealth of information and advice on strategies to take care of ourselves, and our teams, in a profession full of challenges, and during a time of much uncertainty.
Put on your own oxygen mask first
Rosie highlights the importance of practicing self-compassion during these times, “recognising that this change is something we never asked for, and something that we don’t fully understand”. As humans, and as veterinarians, in this pandemic affected world, we are tired”, she explains. We’ve been in a hypervigilant state for a long time now, and as a result, many of us are now in a stage of hypoarousal – feeling detached, numb and in some ways hopeless.
So, how do we manage the impact of change on individuals and our teams? Rosie says “it all starts with you. It comes down to self-awareness, self-management and self-care”.
“The best leaders are the ones that show up for themselves first”.
Veterinarians are notoriously bad at putting themselves first. Rosie explains the importance of finding a balance between supporting others and filling your own tank, and encourages individuals to review how they are showing up for themselves on a regular basis.
If you are reading this and thinking, ‘yes, but I’m not a practice owner, I’m not making the decisions, I’m not a leader’ – then think again. In describing the term ‘leadership’ and who makes a ‘leader’, Rosie rightfully points out that:
“We are all leaders. We all show up for each other”.
Rosie speaks about the value in leaders encouraging the rest of the team to be leaders – “to come together, to collaborate and to model the behaviours around team values and culture together, as a team.”
So how can we effectively lead and communicate to our teams during change?
Sue Crampton explains that this all starts with creating a healthy terrain as we step through the practice door - establishing clear priorities and direction. She acknowledges that in these times of uncertainty, it’s difficult to plan ahead for the next 12 months, so rather than trying to see this far into the future, Sue encourages leaders to implement change in ‘bite sized’ chunks.
“Make sure you have some key priorities and give your team that focus, strength and hope they need – knowing that they can actually achieve and move forward, and you’ve got their back. Everybody’s got each other’s backs. That’s critical”, says Sue.
‘Making things happen’ is vital for leadership to be effective. “Get your priorities and direction clear with your team”, says Sue. “Make sure you carry through with implementation, otherwise frustration can occur. Make sure you set achievable, bite sized priorities.”
Sue takes us through the ABC of change leadership and shares four critical practice and team plans including a communication plan and schedule, a staff wellness plan, a training plan and a coaching plan. She also encourages practice owners and managers to create a budget for CPD on things that their team say cause them the most stress, such as interpersonal relationships, talking about money and aggressive clients.
“We need to alleviate these pressures that occur in the workplace”, says Sue. “We need to mitigate the psychosocial hazards.”
Uplifting team morale and building confidence and trust in the team
Sue talks about the high rate of burnout in the profession and how, in the context of COVID, workplace issues have been amplified. It highlights the importance of celebrating the small wins with teams.
“All of us need to be the spark plug. Celebrate and applaud the small wins and achievements.”
Sue acknowledges that there has been a general positive shift in our workplaces in recent times, and that “collectively, as a team, we are having conversations around what is positive, and what works. We are starting to normalize supporting each other in bad times and creating positive behaviours.”
“Be vulnerable as a leader”, says Sue. “No-one has a playbook for the COVID crisis. Consistently seek input from the team and be clear in your messaging”.
Watch the full AVA RUOK 'Better Together' webinar below: