Brené Brown on Daring Leadership in the Workplace Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston where she holds the Huffington Foundation - Brené Brown Endowed Chair at The Graduate College of Social Work.  She has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers.  Her TED talk – The Power of Vulnerability – is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world.  Take a look here.   Are Your Learning Programs...

As a follow-up to information distributed yesterday to VMAE members about the Hill's Pet Nutrition recall of select canned dog food, VMAE is sharing two documents provided today by Hill's: A sample letter that Hill's has sent to their veterinary clients, and Appendices A (voluntary recall products) and B (voluntary withdrawal). The letter notes that "Both Hill's and the FDA encourage clinics to contact clients who have purchased recalled products, if they have the means to do so." The letter also provides contact information for consumer inquiries.  VMAE members seeking additional information...

VMAE was contacted today by Hill's Pet Nutrition with a request to distribute this notice to VMAE members for subsequent distribution to your VMA members.  The US Food and Drug Administration will be releasing information to the public, but in an effort to be proactive Hill's informed us of information already available on their website.  Click here to review the information; if you want to use the specific URL when providing this information to your members, it is https://www.hillspet.com/productlist....

VMAE’s signature program, the Power of Ten (P10), has expanded with three additional organizations having launched (or readying to launch) their leadership development program. VMAE congratulates and commends the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, the New York State Veterinary Medical Society, and the South Dakota Veterinary Medical Association for their commitment to delivering this personal and professional development program focused on recent graduates. With the addition of these three VMAs a total of 35 organizations have launched P10 programs, demonstrating the exponential reach and impact of the P10 program. Ralph Johnson, CEO...

In his opening remarks at the 2018 AVMA Economic Summit, held October 23-24 in Rosemont, Illinois, Matt Salois, PhD and director of the AVMA Veterinary Economics Division, adroitly contrasted components of the economic ecosystem. “On one hand, the economy is growing – and growing at a very healthy rate; on the other hand, the amount of debt in the US is causing concern amongst economists. On one hand, the labor market is hot and in recovery from the 2008 recession; on the other hand, not everyone is benefitting from the...

VMAE is a Member Organization of the Pet Nutrition Alliance (PNA), which recently released its annual report to detail “new and innovative projects in 2018 to develop non-branded tools for the veterinary healthcare team that will help them and their clients make more objective decisions and nutrition recommendations for their patients.” PNA announced that its Manufacturer Information Project is well underway.  With the aid of veterinary students, PNA has requested information on key World Small Animal Veterinary Association recommendations (e.g. do they employ a nutritionist, do they have their own manufacturing...

Several resources for VMA executives have been added to the VMAE website: A one-hour webinar with Christopher O’Toole on the impactful and legal use of imagery in VMA communications – specifically, images to support your messaging about membership value. Two flyers sent by the Ontario VMA (and generously shared by their CEO, Doug Raven) instead of traditional letters, as part of their member recruitment process. These are excellent examples of tailored messaging for segmented audiences. Click on Member Recruitment Strategies for the flyers and “why they work” background. A board...

The audience for the AAVMC’s Diversity and Inclusion on Air podcast, hosted by Senior Director of Institutional Research and Diversity Dr. Lisa Greenhill, is growing dramatically. Greenhill’s goal was to double the number of “listens” for the podcast from about 250 to 500 a month. In November 2018, the show was on track to hit 800 listens, far surpassing her goal. “For a small association podcast, these are great numbers!” she said. The AAVMC launched the podcast in the fall of 2015. It features conversations about diversity, inclusion and veterinary medicine...

Here’s a collection of commentary that I’ve found thought-worthy of late, just in case your feet are up and you’re taking a few minutes for reflection: How the Member Experience Shapes the Association Space Produced by software provider MemberSuite, this webinar encourages us to think about segmentation, personalization and the member journey – in contrast to the traditional approach of member benefits.  The session was originally delivered to an overflow audience at the ASAE annual conference in August. Our Relationship with Online Video Is Changing Recent research from Pew notes that online video, particularly...

First what I learned about tractors…  or at least tractor supplies. Recently I discovered a store that is an outlier while most “brick and mortar” stores are failing. The store is the Tractor Supply Company, and they sell farm equipment, supplies, clothing, guns and even baby chicks. Their tag line is “Everything you need for a life out here.” And when they say “out here” they mean out beyond suburbia, where the grass is tall, and the tractors roam fee. Recently the Tractor Supply Company expanded to the point where they have...