I recently read an article from SHRM – the Society for Human Resource Management. In it, Alex Alonso, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, chief data & insights officer at SHRM, offered this piece of advice. Hire for skills and not just educational degrees. Not that he discounted education, but that by looking beyond the degree, we will find team members who will bring more diverse experience to our company and a different perspective, which is valuable in today’s rapidly shifting market. SHRM CHRO Jim Link, SHRM-SCP, called these Power skills “such as decision-making, collaboration, negotiation, innovation, and persuasion.”
I often see veterinary practices advertising for CSRs. Instead of looking for someone with great client service skills and the ability to persuade people to come to the hospital, they opt for someone with prior veterinary experience, even if it was working in the kennel.
Ignoring skills for experience in vet med is a mistake for all departments, but especially for the front desk. In my practice, I hired someone who was a former airline stewardess, someone who managed a dry cleaner and was a minister’s wife (a skill I highly admired, as no one gets more scrutiny), a restaurant server, a shoe department salesclerk, and someone who worked retail. This team had the skills to handle the public when they walked in the door – then I taught them the medicine. Thanks to this, we rarely had an upset client, and if someone started to get agitated, the entire team had the experience to de-escalate the situation.
Their skills in persuasion, active listening, and calm under pressure enabled them to convert those inquiry phone calls into appointments. They were exceptionally talented at building relationships with our clients. So much so that one of our clients came to share her impending divorce- at her husband’s request- with our front office team. She found empathy and a hug – just as she expected, because these folks had built a powerful relationship she knew she could count on for support in trying times.
They were also used to having “money discussions” because of their former employment. Sharing costs, working out financial plans, and gaining acceptance of the doctor’s recommendations were all in a day’s work for this team. Many even had sales training, which is incredibly helpful when you are selling someone a preventive medication for their Great Dane!
Do not get me wrong – education matters. It is just not ALL that matters. We have all been subjected to the “A” student who had the knowledge but couldn’t persuade the client to let them do the work. The doctor who was technically brilliant but alienated all the staff because of poor people skills. The toxic RVT who knows their stuff but makes life miserable for all around them.
Hiring for Power Skills will be the dominant smart move shaping the future of business. We are moving from the information age to the age of emotional understanding.
According to Brene Brown – “The Future belongs to those who passionately seek understanding and learning – and who enjoy it.”
What did you learn today?
