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Veterinary Practice News Editorial Blog:
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
It’s Lonely at the Top
By Katherine Dobbs, RVT, CVPM, PHR
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To be a manager, or not to be a manager; this is the question. Before you answer, though, you need to know one thing—it’s lonely at the top. Really, you’re not at “the top,” and that’s part of the loneliness.
Whether your position title is practice manager, hospital administrator or any number of management type titles, you act under the direction of the practice owner(s). You’ve been entrusted to run whatever part of the business they have given you authority over. You have the responsibility to protect their interests, and represent the practice.
You want them to see you as a responsible, mature, efficient individual, capable of filling the big shoes of a manager. So where do you go when you are exhausted by the daily grind, or need to vent about all the fires you must put out every week? Where can you simply let off some steam when the heat is particularly high? It’s a problem, because often you can’t or shouldn’t go up, but you most definitely cannot go down.
As a manager, in whatever capacity, you are an authority figure for those who report to you. This certainly includes the support staff, and any other middle managers or supervisors who report to you as well. It is not appropriate for you to appear frazzled or bending under the weight of your responsibilities. You must push your emotions aside and present a solid rock foundation for the practice to build on.
So, when you’re just tired and need to lean on someone’s shoulder, there is often nowhere in the practice to go.
Perhaps you can find solace in the company of other managers at your level at other practices. You have things in common, and can provide each other support. No one knows the tough job of management better than another manager—you wear the same size shoes!
This is what makes manager groups such as the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) so valuable. You can bounce ideas off each other and obtain opinions, and most importantly you can simply get support from individuals who understand the stress you face very day.
If you manage an emergency or specialty practice you may have an even more difficult situation, because many of your manager colleagues are part of your referring community. You have a client relationship with their practice, so you must resist the temptation to divulge inappropriate information to them about your practice or appear that you are not capable of managing the referral hospital.
There are support groups for you, too; you may just have to look harder—or form your own alliances. One such national group is the Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Practice Association (VESPA).
Everyone needs someone to talk to at times, so find a place where you can use your voice in an appropriate way. Don’t let the loneliness of management obstruct your view from the top—or middle—of the mountain.
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