One of the biggest challenges veterinary leaders face is finding time to develop their team.

Between consults, surgeries, client communication, staffing challenges and the endless operational demands of running a practice, structured coaching and development often slips down the priority list. Leaders know it’s important, but it rarely feels urgent enough to compete with everything else that needs their attention.

The reality is that capability isn’t built only through formal training sessions or annual performance reviews.

In our work with veterinary practices, we often see the greatest learning happen during everyday work. A quick conversation after a client interaction. A question asked instead of immediately providing the answer. A short debrief after a busy morning. A discussion about what went well after a challenging surgery.  These moments may seem insignificant on their own, but repeated consistently they build confidence, improve judgement and help people become more capable in their roles.

The most effective leaders don’t necessarily spend more time coaching. They simply become better at recognising the coaching opportunities that already exist.

Development Happens in the Work, Not Away from It

Many leaders still think of development as something that happens in a classroom or during scheduled performance discussions.  While formal learning certainly has its place, much of what people learn comes from applying knowledge in real situations.

Veterinary practices can create these opportunities every day. For example: A nurse finishes discharging a patient after surgery. The client understood the medication instructions but seemed uncertain about when to return for a recheck.

Rather than immediately explaining what should have been said differently, the leader asks:

“How do you think the client felt leaving that conversation?”

“Was there anything you might explain differently next time?”

The discussion takes less than two minutes, but it encourages reflection while the experience is still fresh. The team member leaves with greater confidence and a clearer understanding of how to improve next time.

These brief conversations often have far more impact than feedback delivered weeks later during a formal review.

Stop Solving Every Problem Yourself

Leaders naturally want to help. When a team member asks a question, the quickest response is often to provide the answer and move on. In a busy practice, that feels efficient.

The problem is that if leaders become the answer to every question, team members never fully develop the confidence to solve problems independently.

Consider a receptionist who asks how to handle a client upset about an unexpected delay.

Instead of immediately suggesting exactly what to say, the leader could ask:

“What do you think the client needs from us right now?”

“What options have you considered?”

“How would you approach this if I wasn’t here?”

The leader can still provide guidance if needed, but by encouraging the team member to think first, they’re developing judgement rather than creating dependence.

Over time, these small conversations reduce the number of routine decisions that need to be escalated because team members become more confident in their own thinking.

Coach the Thinking Behind the Decision

It’s easy to judge whether someone reached the right outcome. What’s often more valuable is understanding how they arrived there.

Imagine a veterinary nurse prioritises one hospital patient over another during a particularly busy morning. The decision may have been appropriate, or it may not.

Rather than immediately focusing on whether the decision was correct, a leader might ask:

“What information were you working with?”

“What risks were you weighing up?”

“What made you choose that approach?”

These questions reveal how the person is thinking. If their reasoning was sound, the leader can reinforce good judgement. If there were gaps in their thinking, the conversation identifies exactly where further learning is needed.

Coaching the thinking behind decisions builds stronger clinical judgement than simply correcting outcomes.

Use Everyday Situations as Learning Opportunities

Some of the most valuable coaching moments happen immediately after everyday interactions.

Following a client complaint, ask what the team member learned from the conversation. After a patient handover, discuss what information helped the next person take over confidently. When a surgery list runs behind schedule, explore what contributed to the delay and what the team could do differently next time. Following a busy Saturday morning, spend five minutes asking the team:

“What worked particularly well today?”

“Where did we lose time?”

“What could we improve next weekend?”

These conversations aren’t about criticising performance. They’re about helping people reflect while the experience is still relevant. Reflection is one of the most powerful drivers of learning, particularly when it happens close to the event itself.

Recognise Success as Often as You Correct Problems

Many leaders naturally notice what needs fixing. Fewer deliberately highlight what they want repeated. Specific recognition is one of the simplest ways to reinforce positive behaviours.

Instead of saying:

“Good job today.”

Try saying:

“I noticed you explained the estimate before beginning treatment. That gave the client confidence and prevented questions later.”

Or:

“Your patient handover was clear and well structured. It made it very easy for the next nurse to continue care.”

Specific feedback tells people exactly which behaviours contributed to a positive outcome, making them far more likely to repeat those behaviours.

Build Coaching Into Your Everyday Leadership

One of the biggest misconceptions about coaching is that it requires extra time. In reality, coaching in the flow of work is simply about making better use of conversations you’re already having.

Instead of answering every question immediately, ask one thoughtful question first. Instead of waiting for a performance review, discuss a situation while it’s still fresh. Instead of correcting mistakes without explanation, help the team member understand the thinking behind a better approach. Instead of only noticing problems, recognise the behaviours you want to see repeated.

None of these conversations need to be long. Most take only a few minutes, but over time they create a team that thinks more independently, communicates more effectively and learns continuously through everyday work.

Everyday Coaching Creates Future Leaders

One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is viewing coaching as another task to fit into an already busy schedule. In reality though, coaching is simply a different way of leading.

Every time a leader asks a thoughtful question instead of immediately providing the answer, they are helping someone build judgement. Every time they pause to reflect after a client interaction, they strengthen confidence. Every time they encourage a team member to think through a problem rather than solve it for them, they are developing future leaders instead of creating greater dependence on themselves.

These moments rarely take more than a few minutes. Yet repeated consistently, they create a team that is more capable, more confident and better equipped to solve problems independently.

Ultimately, developing your team isn’t about finding more time. It’s about making better use of the opportunities that already exist every day.

How CCG Supports Veterinary Leaders

Developing capable teams doesn’t happen by chance. It requires leaders who know how to coach, communicate and create opportunities for learning within everyday practice.

At Crampton Consulting Group, we help veterinary leaders build these practical leadership skills through consulting, leadership development programs and interactive workshops. Rather than focusing solely on formal performance management, we work with leaders to develop the confidence and capability to coach their teams through everyday conversations and real workplace situations.

By embedding coaching into normal practice operations, leaders can strengthen clinical judgement, improve communication and build more confident, capable teams without adding unnecessary complexity to their day.

If you’d like to develop stronger leaders and create a culture where learning happens every day, learn more about how CCG can support your practice at www.ProvetCCG.com.au or contact our team.

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