The Veterinary Leadership Success Show

• 127: The Biggest Vision Mistakes Practice Owners Make (And How To Fix Them)

  Most practice owners think they have a vision. A sentence written years ago. A vague idea. A gut feeling. But a real vision, one that energises your team and shapes culture, is something very different.In this episode, Oliver and I break down the most common mistakes owners make when creating their vision – why many end up with fluffy statements that change nothing, why some practices have no vision at all, and why the work isn’t finished once the document is written and alive.We explore how to structure a vision that actually works, how purpose, mission, and values fit together, and the simple tests that tell you whether yours is fit for purpose. You’ll learn why authenticity matters more than polish and how a living, breathing vision becomes rocket fuel for recruitment, retention, culture, and long term sustainability.The medicine gets you started. The vision takes you somewhere worth going. Remarkable practices are built by leaders who choose the path with purpose. Episode Outline:[00:00] – Why vision matters[01:07] – The danger of having no vision[02:14] – Vision as your X factor[06:49] – When structure goes wrong[07:51] – Why “vision, mission, values” fall short[09:46] – The purpose–mission–values model[11:54] – Vision is only useful if you use it[13:19] – The cost of abdication[15:32] – Why vets avoid vision work[18:00] – People, culture and sustainability[20:40] – The goosebumps and butterflies test[22:23] – Writing the unfiltered truth[23:52] – Turning vision into leadership fuelResources & Links MentionedNeed help with your vision? Book a chat with Oliver at the Veterinary Leadership Academy and we’ll help you assess where you are and where you’re going.Download the Leadership Actions Study – practical steps to help you lead with clarity today.Explore our leadership courses – build the skills to create a culture your team loves being part of.Follow Dr Dave Nicol for daily leadership insights and practical tools for running a thriving veterinary practice.Enjoyed this episode?Leave us a review on iTunes and share it with your colleagues in vet med. Great leadership, like great culture, grows when it’s shared.

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• 126: Does Your Team Really Care? Why Buy-In Beats Motivation Every Time

  You care deeply about your practice.The vision, the medicine, the values, the clients - it all matters to you. Maybe a bit too much sometimes.But unfortunately, just because you care, it doesn’t mean your team automatically will.So how do you get them on board? How do you turn that personal passion into something your whole team believes in and wants to be part of?In this episode, Oliver and I dig into what buy-in really looks like inside a practice - how to move from pushing people to inspiring them, why fear and control never create lasting motivation, and how clarity of purpose, mission, and values can turn a team that’s “just doing the job” into one that’s driving the vision forward.You’ll learn how to help your people see what you see, how to build belief through consistency and communication, and how to create the kind of culture where everyone cares - not because they have to, but because they want to.Because when your team believes in the vision, everything else starts to work.Episode Outline:[00:00] – What real care looks like[02:00] – Duty, patients & self care[04:10] – When care goes missing[06:50] – Why “care” isn’t enough[08:20] – The restaurant test[09:35] – Fear kills culture[10:00] – Clarity builds buy-in[11:25] – Purpose, mission, values[12:45] – Defining care for your team[14:00] – Create context, not chaos[14:45] – What truly matters to meResources & Links Mentioned:Download the Leadership Actions Study – simple, practical steps to lead better todayExplore our leadership courses – build the skills to lead your team with confidence and clarityFollow Dr. Dave Nicol for daily veterinary leadership insightsEnjoyed this episode?Leave a review on iTunes and share it with your colleagues in vet med. Because great leadership - like great care - grows when it’s shared.

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• 125: Performance or Wellbeing? With Dr. Dave Nicol

  Why do veterinarians keep burning out?In this episode of the Veterinary Leadership Success Show, I’m unpacking why so many great people in our profession are burning out, and what we can learn from elite athletes about how to fix it.Because in sport, training hard every day is a fast track to injury. Yet in vet med, we do exactly that - long hours, relentless pressure, and no real recovery. Then we wonder why everyone’s limping.I’ll walk you through how to think like a coach - setting the right dose of work, building rest into the plan, and checking in before things start to snap. We’ll talk about how to balance intensity with recovery and why emotional fuel is every bit as important as physical energy.Episode Outline:00:00 – Performance or wellbeing? (You can have both.)01:00 – Lessons from the track: what sport can teach vet med03:00 – Running slow to go fast06:00 – The four factors of performance: volume, intensity, rest, and fuel10:00 – When teams “train” too hard and start to break13:00 – Building resilience, not fatigue16:00 – Check in before they burn out18:00 – Fuel, rest, and emotional recovery20:00 – Your leadership training plan for a healthier teamWant more leadership tools in your corner?Follow me: @drdavenicolCheck out: Veterinary Leadership AcademyRun your eNPS: drdavenicol.com/get-your-enpsIf this episode hit home, leave a review or share it with a teammate.

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• 124: What Happened to Mentorship in Vet Med? with Dr. Robin Hargreaves

  This week, we’re asking the big question - what happened to mentorship in vet med?To help me figure it out, I’m joined by Dr. Robin Hargreaves - former BVA President, lifelong mixed practitioner, and a man who’s spent nearly 40 years mentoring vets, leading teams, and keeping his sense of humour intact (which, frankly, might be his greatest achievement).Robin grew up on a hill farm in the Yorkshire Dales, built and ran a four-site, 50-person independent practice, and has seen the profession evolve from handwritten records to AI tools that still can’t spell “lab retriever.” He’s known for his straight talk, northern grit, and deep care for the people coming up behind him.In this episode, we dig into how mentorship quietly disappeared, why it matters more than ever, and how we can bring it back - stronger, wiser, and a lot less formal than you’d think.So grab a brew, tune in, and let’s talk about how to keep wisdom alive in vet med.Episode Outline[00:03] – Meet Robin Hargreaves[04:14] – One broken arm, one life-long career[07:51] – Why tough years become good stories[09:55] – Where is mentorship in vet med?[12:05] – Why we MUST share wisdom[15:25] – A new kind of mentorship for today[17:30] – Three lessons every leader needs[18:23] – Stop defending. Start listening.[21:10] – When to stop leading [23:01] – Being smart isn’t everything[25:11] – How consistency builds trustConnect with Robin Hargreaves:LinkedIn: Robin Hargreaves, BVSc MRCVSInstagram (bird photography & life wisdom): @robinhargreavesFollow Dr. Dave Nicol for More Leadership Insights:Follow: @drdavenicolLearn more about Veterinary Leadership Training: Veterinary Leadership AcademyEnjoyed this episode?Leave a review on iTunes and share it with your colleagues in vet med.

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• 123: My Team Quit and It Saved My Vet Practice with Dr. Molly Husman

  What do you do when most of your team walks out? Pour a stiff drink? Hide under the desk? In this week’s Veterinary Leadership Success Show, I’m joined by Dr. Molly Husman, owner of Brinker Veterinary Hospital up in Lake Orion, Michigan, and a woman who has lived through the leadership nightmare most of us secretly dread.Within a year of buying her clinic, she made the brave decision to let someone go. It didn’t go down well. In fact, it set off a chain reaction that left her with just a handful of staff and a whole lot of self-doubt.But here’s where the story gets good. Molly didn’t crumble - she rebuilt. Brick by brick, hire by hire, dad joke by dad joke (you’ll see what I mean). She rediscovered her purpose, learned to trust again, and built a team that actually wants to be there. Today, she’s running a low-volume, high-touch, heart-led practice that’s about to move into a new purpose-built home.We talk about the fear of letting go, the power of trust, and why sometimes the most painful decisions turn out to be the best thing that could’ve happened to you.Grab your headphones, pour something strong, and settle in - this one’s a masterclass in courage, clarity, and leadership with heart.Episode Outline[00:03] – When your whole team walks out[03:20] – Buying a clinic with someone else’s culture[05:16] – The firing that changed everything[06:07] – “Stay in joy or go in peace”[08:20] – Rebuilding from scratch[09:42] – Turning fear into freedom[13:11] – What trust really looks like in a vet clinic[14:24] – Looking at your clinic differently[16:39] – Learning to step back and actually lead[18:34] – Realizing you might be the problem[20:25] – Hiring slow, building fast[22:12] – One interview question that changed everything[23:51] – Trust as the heartbeat of culture[25:18] – Building a practice that fits youConnect with Dr. Molly HusmanBrinker Veterinary HospitalConnect with Dr. Molly on LinkedinFollow Dr. Dave Nicol for More Leadership InsightsFollow: @drdavenicolLearn more about Veterinary Leadership Training: Veterinary Leadership AcademyEnjoyed this episode?Leave a review on iTunes and share it with your colleagues in vet med.

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