It was a pleasure to be a part of your staff conference.

Have a beginner’s mind and be curious.  Keep learning, applying and growing!

Self awareness is a critical skill.  It is important to build awareness of your behavioural style, how you learn, your strengths and weaknesses.  Learn more about self awareness from Gary Vaynerchuk in the following video: click here.

The staff conference was focussed on helping you become more aware of challenges in practice i.e.  why clients decline your recommendations, difficult clients and what causes you stress in practice.  Use the information to understand clients and yourself.  You can then understand client’s fears and frustrations and why they behave the way they do.  This made a dramatic difference for me as instead of being judgemental, I would be curious and focussed on how I could help clients.

The key principles from the conference are:

• Become self aware to understand yourself.  See Daniel Goleman’s work on EQ, research DISC to give you an understanding of behavioural styles.  Do the Representational System exercise in the workbook.
• Have a growth mindset.  See Carol Dweck’s work on Mindset
• Learn to understand how clients think and their fears & frustrations.  See the books below.
• Being an effective communicator is essential for career success.
• Go the extra mile for clients.  Clients may not understand the difference between veterinary clinics so focus on providing value and giving a great client experience.
• Become aware of your stressors.  Determine what depletes you and focus on reducing these stressors or changing your mindset to reduce your stress.
• Find activities that replenish you. You will encounter stress during your workday.  Ensure you find activities to reduce your stress and increase your sense of calm.  Aim for 8 hours sleep every night, exercise daily, eat well and aim to spend time outside, away from artificial light.
• Focus on activities that strengthen you.  This gives you extra psychological resources to cope in times of stress and challenge.
• Finally, look at your mindset.  Do you focus on the negative and problems with clients, your team, the practice and your self?  Change your focus to what is right with yourself, your team and the practice and seek to understand clients.  See Martin Seligman’s Learned Optimism book & Shawn Achor’s books.

Listed below are further resources:

• A video on Dealing with Stress that I recorded for the Brisbane and Gold Coast Vets.
• Articles
• TED talks
• Books I recommend reading

I have many articles in the blog section on clients, stress and wellness.

 

Dealing with Stress

Articles:

• How to Listen When Your Communication Styles Don’t Match
• Happiness Isn’t the Absence of Negative Feelings
• How to Reduce Stress by Learning the Science Behind What’s Causing It
• The Powerful Effect of Noticing Good Things at Work
  
• Make Yourself Immune to Secondhand stress

Veterinary Specific Articles:

• Understanding your veterinary clients
• Are you asking your veterinary clients the right question?
• What if I don’t like or enjoy dentistry?
• To make your veterinary dental program work – your team must believe.
• DMV360 & Dr Andy Roark, has many great articles

TED Talks:

• Carol Dweck: The power of believing that you can improve
• Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work
• Dan Ariely: What makes us feel good about our work?
• Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are
• Martin Seligman: The new era of positive psychology
• Angela Duckworth: The key to success? Grit

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Books:

Client Communication & The Client Experience

• Harry Beckwith: What Clients Love
• Jonathan Silverman and Suzanne Kurtz: Skills for Communicating with Patients
• Gill Hasson: How to Deal with Difficult People
• Gary Vaynerchuk: The Thank You Economy

Wellness & Positive Psychology

• Dr Martin Seligman: Flourish
• Dr Shawn Achor: The Happiness Advantage
• Dr John Ratey: Spark: How Exercise will improve the performance of your brain
• Dr Daniel Goleman: Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ
• Michelle Gielan: Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Igniting and Sustaining Positive Change
• Tom Rath: Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements
• Carol Dweck: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
• Dr Martin Seligman: Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life

Stress Management

• Kelly McGonigal: The Upside Of Stress: Why stress is good for you
• Dr Steve Ilardi: The Depression Cure
• Dr David Posen: The Little Book of Stress Relief

To keep learning, sign up for my free video and e-course Success Strategy series.  You will also receive my newsletter which has tips and strategies to accelerated your career success.  Sign up here or in the box at the bottom of the page.

Keep in touch & connect with me on social media via the buttons below! I love hearing how you apply what you have learned in your life and the difference it has made.  

Dr Natasha Wilks BVSc DipCoaching