What Is Coaching & How Does It Work in Veterinary Practice?

What is coaching, what do coaches do, and who needs one?

One-on-one coaching is rated the most effective method for developing management and leadership skills, according to a recent survey by the American Management Association.¹ However, for the most part, veterinary professionals have not added this approach of professional development to their standard operating procedures.

In working with individuals and teams in veterinary practices, coaching has resulted in such improvements as enhanced communication, better collaboration, and increased team member satisfaction. But how many people understand coaching in a veterinary context?

If the word coach conjures images of running laps, doing drills, and being yelled at by a jock with a whistle around his neck, one would be justified for being hesitant to explore this proven method for delivering desired results. Let’s examine what it means to be coached in a veterinary practice and redefine coaching as it applies to learning and development for teams today.

Ask yourself:

1.    Do I want to improve some aspect of my life or work performance?

2.    Am I open to feedback and willing to create positive change?

If both of your answers were yes, hiring a coach may be a valuable option to help you achieve your goals and produce fulfilling results in your personal and professional life.

Coaching is often a catch-all word for skills training, instruction, and daily guidance; however, it is none of these things. Similarly, coaching is not the same as traditional consulting. Consultants are hired for their expertise; they are educators, not coaches, who teach their clients how to approach their business and personal issues.  

Coaching is an art of discovery more than a science of delivery. The coach begins from a position of humility and curiosity, not authority and knowledge. He or she uses questions and conversation to help you come up with your own answers, which conveys respect for your expertise and a belief that real growth comes from within, not from any external source.

Coaching through inquiry helps you tap into natural strengths and talents to make desired changes. It helps you develop flexibility and adaptability, create awareness of shortcomings, and build commitment to self-development and achievement. With coaching, you’ll set better goals, take more action, and make better decisions.

A coach is a confidante, sounding board, and trusted thinking partner. A good coach can:

• Help you clarify challenges and discover aspirations

• Encourage self-discovery and reflection

• Challenge and encourage you to expand your horizons

• Help you generate solutions and strategies

• Hold you accountable for your commitments

The coaching process consists of a series of confidential meetings that focus on your specific agenda.

Consider hiring a coach if:

1. You are transitioning into a new role in your practice (eg, you’ve just been promoted or assigned a supervisory role).

2. You are an owner who wants to develop, articulate, and create team alignment around a vision for your practice.

3. You are an associate veterinarian who is considering buying a practice or becoming a partner and you need the people skills required for success.

4. You are a technically competent team member but want to become more adept at influencing others and understanding team dynamics and practice culture.

5. You want to learn new, more effective ways of leading or managing.

6. You need more skill in a specific area (eg, interpersonal communication, client service, or conflict management).

7. After attending a conference or workshop, you are aware of changes you’d like to see in yourself or the practice, and want to take action.

In every case, coaching can provide the structure and accountability you need to make important changes or achieve specific goals.

Benefits of Coaching

The individualized process is one huge benefit. Many aspects of coaching―a strong diagnostic component, one-on-one interaction, and working in-depth―allow individuals to develop in deeper ways that ultimately lead to more significant, sustainable growth.

Coaching can also provide:

• On-the-job development. Coaching develops people in the context of their current job, without removing them from their day-to-day responsibilities.

• Time-efficient, effective results. Even though growth and positive change is realized over time, coaching is probably the most time-efficient, effective way for busy people to experience professional development that sticks.

• A much-needed opportunity for self-reflection. Our 24/7, fast-paced lifestyles have created a breed of people who suffer from an imbalance―a lot of action with little or no reflection. We're chasing what works, but we’re disconnected and displaced from what matters. Coaching can provide a space for reflection.

• An accelerated post-training application of learning. Ask anyone what's broken in the current learning and development process, and most will tell you it's the lack of serious post-training follow-through. Coaching can improves the application of learning from 20% -80%.¹

So, who needs a coach?

If you want to grow personally and professionally, you need a coach! Who wouldn’t want someone on their side to discuss challenges, brainstorm creative solutions, and help realize desired, sustainable change?

As the authors of Co-Active Coaching say, “People come to coaching for lots of different reasons, but the bottom line is change. They no longer want things to stay the same and they see that coaching can make that change happen.”²