Purpose has become the new currency of success in today’s workplace, and leaders who prioritize mission-driven cultures are standing out in the war for talent. To explore this important topic, we are interviewing Dr. Shadi.
Dr. Shadi Ireifej’s formal veterinary training began at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (2006, DVM) and culminated at Long Island Veterinary Specialists (LIVS, 2015) where he received his board-certification in small animal surgery (DACVS). After assuming numerous leadership roles in the veterinary field as hospital owner, department head and chief medical officer, Dr. Ireifej founded VetTriage (2019). VetTriage aims to spearhead the movement in veterinary telehealth, improve access to veterinary care for pet owners around the world regardless of the type of pet, and partner with brick and mortar facilities with the goal of improving their work culture and work-life balance.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Of course. The veterinary industry has faced numerous challenges for more than two decades. Most of these challenges are due to a poorly developed culture in the work place, which has caused enumerable negative downstream effects, from high turnover rates to an increase in suicide to early retirement and so much more.
My company, VetTriage, developed unique ways of not only providing a strong culture within the platform, but also one that attracts top veterinary professionals from the field to us. We now are over 70 veterinarians-strong, comparatively this is larger than most veterinary facilities in the world, with most of our veterinarians having been with the company for many years.
Additionally, one branch of our services, VetTriage Pro, is focused on telementoring and teleconsulting, whereby veterinary students, new veterinarian graduates and inexperienced veterinarians are able to consult on live video 24/7/365 with our seasoned VetTriage veterinarians. These consultations further improve not only their own medical abilities but also improve the culture within their brick and mortar veterinary facility.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began working in leadership, culture building, or purpose-driven organizations?
I would say the most interesting story that happened to me since I began working in the veterinary telehealth industry from the perspective of culture-building is the antagonistic nature of our veterinary professionals. What I mean by that is, our colleagues in brick and mortar practices recognize that they are struggling with a multitude of challenges that are best described as downstream complications of poor work culture and poor work-life balance. However, they also seem to be highly hesitant to exploring innovative and novel solutions to help solve these problems.
VetTriage and VetTriage Pro aim to tackle these cultural challenges in novel ways. The former focuses on giving their clients veterinary triage, veterinary advice and, overall, peace of mind. This is especially valuable during times a hospital reaches capacity or is closed after hours. The latter, VetTriage Pro, strengthens the confidence of their new veterinary graduates and inexperienced veterinarians, such that their medical skills improve and their client experience is optimized. Both of these platforms result in drastic improvements not just in culture-building and maintenance, but also result in increased hospital revenue, indirectly and directly.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
There are, of course, numerous character traits that are vital to becoming a successful leader, and despite any of our best efforts, I doubt there is any leader who would declare that they have completely figured out how to be perfectly successful in this role. It is also important to understand that this role evolves overtime, not only as the leader evolves, but as their company and team evolves as well. That being said, the three character traits that I would consider instrumental to my success include a diligent work ethic, being accessible to the team for any and all concerns they have, and a willingness to be the “guinea pig” for any new protocols within the company.
I’d be happy to share an example for each.
Having a diligent work ethic is mandatory for obvious reasons. It is no secret that starting a business and bringing it to a successful level requires an absolute dedication to it. Our business is especially challenging because we were the first veterinary telehealth platform to exist in the veterinary industry. So we not only had the challenges that are typical of a new business, but also the added challenge of launching a brand new service within the veterinary space. I managed all of the medical protocols and partnerships with our clinics as well as provided the telehealth sessions with pet owners on a 24/7 basis globally for most of our existence until we were able to hire a sufficient number of veterinarians to manage the sessions, allowing me to focus on growing the company. Meanwhile, my business partner ran the business management efforts, marketing, and technology on a 24/7 basis until we were able to hire a support team to manage some of these responsibilities.
Your team needs to have access to you, the leader, at all times. One of the downfalls I see in brick and mortar veterinary facilities, especially those facilities that grow to over 100 team members, is that the leadership loses their connection with their team. That disconnect is typically replaced with middle management, but middle management will never be able to replace the leaders of that facility. Nobody in a company setting can replace the leaders; the leaders at the very top are the visionaries, setting the tone for not only the team, but also for the company as a whole. In order for myself as a leader to understand what my team needs from me, I need to not only be directly accessible to them, but also be able to address any concerns they may have in a timely fashion. This shows the team that I am here to support them, and we are all in the thick of it. This accessibility also conveys empathy, as I am sacrificing my own work-life balance to address their concerns as quickly as possible.
Lastly, I would never impose a new protocol on my team without first having experienced it myself. You cannot expect others to adhere to a new protocol without you as a leader having first tried it yourself. That allows you to find the inadequacies with that new protocol and repair them, while also being able to anticipate any potential challenges your team may experience in the future as soon as this new protocol is rolled out. As the leader who is implementing these new guidelines in the company, you are expected to know these new guidelines better than anybody else within the team. The only way to accomplish all of this is by being your own “guinea pig”. Undoubtedly this aspect of leadership that I consider very important is highly time-consuming, filled with reworks and rewrites. But I assure you, it will save you on heartaches and even more time spent on it downstream. It is easier to prevent fires than extinguish them.
Let’s now jump into the focus of our interview. What does a “purpose-driven culture” mean to you personally, and why do you think it’s critical for attracting top talent?
A purpose-driven culture implies, very simply, a culture that is driven by the overall mission of the company. I would argue that the veterinary field is unique, and that the members of the veterinary field are highly empathetic and sensitive individuals; a group of individuals who need to believe in the overall mission in order to find fulfillment in what the company is trying to achieve. This is no different than other companies of course, but because the veterinary field has the welfare of animals at the forefront of its mind, it is especially of importance to veterinary professionals. With VetTriage relying exclusively on veterinarians and veterinary support staff to operate effectively and efficiently, the culture built requires that all team members believe in the overarching goal of the platform. So in my opinion, it may be very difficult or even impossible to cultivate and maintain a positive culture if the team inherently does not believe in what the company is trying to achieve. That purpose is what is going to drive the culture. If they do not perceive a purpose of the company that is in alignment with themselves both professionally and personally, then no other means of improving and maintaining a healthy culture will be successful.
How did you identify and define the mission or purpose for your organization? Was it inspired by a particular event, challenge, or insight?
This is an easy question for me because I have been a veterinarian since 2006 so I understand what is needed from our company both from the perspective of the veterinarian as well as the perspective of the pet owner. Identifying and defining the mission of VetTriage was the easiest part. It is a service that has been sorely needed for decades in the veterinary field, so through my training and clinical experiences I was able to substantiate the overall purpose and goals of VetTriage. It was not a matter of why or what but of when.
Therefore, it was not necessarily inspired by any particular event, but a series of observations and personal experiences throughout the field. If I had to list insights that inspired this, I would say that repeatedly hearing veterinarians (especially newly graduated veterinarians) refuse to encourage and even discourage interested young people form joining the field. This was one of many pivotal realizations that inspired VetTriage Pro. Giving newly graduated veterinarians an easy and efficient means of accessing seasoned veterinarians anytime, we can give them the confidence and assurance they need, both professionally and personally, to not only provide the best medical care they can for their client and patient, but to reignite their love for this profession that they worked so hard to achieve. In doing that, their positive perspective of the field will translate to their clients, their patients, their team, their colleagues, and will keep them in the profession for a longer period of time, while also inspiring young people to join the profession. This in-turn not only helps with the veterinary shortage, but also brings into the profession a host of new ideas and perspectives to further improve the veterinary field.
What are the key steps leaders can take to embed purpose into the day-to-day operations and decision-making of their companies?
This is a great but complex question to answer. So I will mention one or two steps that I believe are important for leaders to embed purpose into the operations and decision-making of their companies. I think that it’s very important to continue to both renew current operations as well as establish new and innovative service offerings or job functions. For example, for those team members that have been with the company for years, the day-to-day operations could eventually become stale or repetitive. Finding ways to rejuvenate the foundational elements of the company so that your team does not become bored or lose the spark of the overall purpose is vital to keeping their interest alive.
Secondly the company needs to continuously progress in order to stay competitive in its market. This also rejuvenates the team members because they see that leadership is focused on the future with this company. These newer services or functionalities to the company are of primary interest to the leaders. This shows longevity to the company and it shows the long-term commitment the leaders have to the company. It also shows that the leaders are not afraid of taking risks or pushing the boundaries in order to make the company even better than what it has been and what it is currently. This will, both directly and indirectly, inspire the team and reinforce their dedication to what the company is aiming to achieve.
What role does leadership play in championing and modeling a purpose-driven culture? Can you share an example of how you or another leader helped reinforce your organization’s purpose?
I would argue that there is no world in which championing and modeling a purpose of a culture can occur without the leader. Therefore, the role of the leader is to literally create the purpose of the organization and thereby create the culture that is needed to not only support the purpose of the company, but to also attract talent to the company through that purpose-driven culture. So the role that leadership plays with this is firstly, creating the mission and then from there, creating the culture that is needed to support that, and then finally, creating a system where that culture is not only cultivated, but also evolves as the company continues to evolve. In fact, these stipulations will also be constantly reevaluated, reworked, and re-implemented as time goes on, because purpose and culture, like many things in life, are not stagnant or static affairs, they are volatile, fluctuating, and in constant need of nutrition to stay alive and grow.
There are several examples I can give with how VetTriage helped reinforce the organization’s purpose, in no particular order.
We have twice a year meetings with our entire staff on live video conferencing where we not only share the progress we’ve made over the prior six months, but also share what exciting future plans in-store. In addition, this allows everyone a safe space to discuss any concerns, ideas or thoughts related to the platform that they want to share. They also have the opportunity to share those thoughts privately to me if they feel more comfortable with that.
We continuously upload daily videos on our YouTube channel to help educate our team members on the most recent developments in veterinary medicine, packaged in a succinct manner. We also use that channel to educate our team on the newest developments in veterinary telehealth specifically.
We receive positive reviews from our clients and share those positive testimonials with our team on a shared group chat as well, so we can celebrate their accomplishments and give light to the positive changes they have contributed to the lives of concerned pet owners all around the world.
Perhaps most influentially, we contribute to the purpose of and culture by providing feedback to our team. It is important to us and to them that they feel and know that they are doing the best work they possibly can within the confines of what the platform is designed to do. Regular feedback not only highlights their successes, but also challenges their mistakes; the opportunity to grow professionally in our platform stems from this. This feedback is not only appreciated by the team, but even sought after by them.
In these ways and more, we as leaders help reinforce the organizations purpose.
How do you handle skepticism or resistance from team members or stakeholders who may not immediately understand the value of focusing on purpose?
It is not realistic, nor effective, to force individuals to believe as you believe. They have to be shown this both indirectly and directly by the actions we take as an organization. The individuals who are intent on contributing their best to our platform will relieve themselves of their skepticism overtime. All of the positive contributions to a purpose-driven culture that we discussed above will also contribute to removing skepticism. However, we also must not dismiss the reality that not every individual is the ideal team member for your platform; in fact most are not fit to be on the team.
It is a fallacy that maintaining a toxic individual on your team in order to “fill a spot” is better than waiting to fill that vacancy with a truly credentialed person, while in the meantime, the rest of the team shares an increased workload. In essence, perhaps despite your best efforts in relieving an individual’s skepticism (through positive means such as continuously progressing the company, moving the company forward, providing educational materials in their craft, sharing with them feedback intended on improving their professional growth, meeting the team individually and in groups, and so forth), those whom are skeptical or resistant from the beginning, and who have no intention of growing or adapting to the workplace, will invariably find reasons why your methods are in effective and they can and will choose to find their happiness elsewhere.
Ok, let’s talk strategy. Based on your experience, can you share “5 Steps to Build a Purpose-Driven Culture That Attracts Top Talent”? If possible, please include examples or stories for each.
1. Contagious excitement. For example, when interviewing a candidate for a position in your company, you will be discussing the goals of the company. This of course includes the vision and future paths. As a leader, you ought to be displaying an obvious and contagious sense of excitement for what the company is attempting to achieve. That excitement should be palpable to the candidate. In that way, you have inspired them to share your vision, and these are the individuals who will contribute to a purpose-driven culture in the company
2. Larger than life goals. We are unique with VetTriage in that we have sought out to tackle challenges that are endemic in the veterinary field, and to do so in a novel way. It is insufficient to propose goals of the company that are expected or already known within the public sphere. You need to create goals that are beyond the scope of what the talent you are bringing to the company has known or can even envision. This contributes to taking on individuals who will share your vision and contribute to a purpose-driven culture in the company.
3. Internal collaboration. It does not make sense to employ incredible talent on your team and then not afford them the ability to collaborate and communicate amongst themselves to discuss anything they desire to discuss. This collaboration could occur publicly between all the individuals in the company or privately between individuals, unbeknownst to the leaders. This provides a means for moving the company forward by identifying problems that the team has recognized but that leadership may not be aware of. Promoting constant conversation between your team members provides an internal barometer for what the culture is currently like and gives you the opportunity to identify and tackle novel problems, in novel ways.
4. Keep the team informed. Your team needs to be exposed to the efforts that the leaders are pursuing. For example, our team is aware of and is kept up-to-date on any conferences we attend, any in-person or virtual lectures we give, and any new partnerships that develop. It is important that they see this influence outside of the “walls” of the company, metaphorically speaking, because it shows that leadership believes in what we are trying to do, and we are going to great lengths to share our visions with others in the field.
5. Tangibles. The previous four steps are action items for leadership and are also somewhat metaphysical in nature. Those four steps are only as good as the actions that are then taken to support those four steps with concrete procedures and protocols. For example, we have an internal document hub that contains all of our protocols that explain in detail our operations and expectations. As dry and rudimentary as it may seem, those individuals that share your purpose-driven culture and vision of the company will ingest these protocols with excitatory anticipation. Other examples include, providing an efficient means of communication between team members, a means of easy access for team members to the leaders, and a system of checks and balances. The latter is not only between leadership and the team, but between the team and leadership and even between themselves. These concrete measures are taken so that the core visions of what makeup the company can be executed.
Can you share a specific example of how embracing a purpose-driven culture helped your company attract exceptional talent or achieve a significant business goal?
Embracing a purpose-driven culture actually created a positive feedback loop. We began with the solid foundation of what the goals and visions of the company are. This attracted exceptional talent to us, which then helped us build the company even further and attain a more widespread reach within the field of veterinary medicine, which further attracted additional exceptional talent to it, and the cycle continued. In fact, we have rarely actively sought out exceptional talent, or even partnership with brick and mortar veterinary facilities. Instead they have actively approached us to join our team because of our exceptional credibility and positive influence we hold within the field of veterinary medicine.
What advice would you give to leaders of smaller companies or startups who want to build a purpose-driven culture but don’t know where to start?
It all begins with the foundation of the company. That foundation is the vision. What is it that you are trying to achieve, what is your why? From there you can create a handful of goals, some of which are immediate short-term goals, some of which are in the longer term, while others are incredibly lofty. From those goals, you can then create a structure that can help get the company there and also support the company once you arrive at those goals. These would include things like communication between team members, avenues to provide feedback to each other, procedures that help train new personnel, and a system of checks and balances, which ultimately creates a self-running machine, procedurally speaking. These tangible items will give structure to the culture created at the company’s foundation, and that culture will be supported by the vision and by these tangibles.
What are some common mistakes leaders make when trying to create a purpose-driven culture, and how can they avoid them?
It may be that a very common detrimental mistake that leaders make when trying to create a purpose-driven culture is to not sufficiently solidify their foundation. It seems that the primary focus is on revenue and hitting those big numbers, and they build their purpose, and therefore their culture, from that vantage point. I would argue that if you begin with the foundation that explains your purpose and then create and cultivate a culture that further reinforces that purpose, the revenue will come naturally through diligent and dedicated work.
How do you ensure that your organization’s purpose evolves and remains relevant as your company grows and the world changes?
If you are the leader of an organization, then you are fully aware of the competition that exists. As a leader, you are also able to project what competition could exist in the future. Those things should motivate you to figure out not only where your own weaknesses are as a company, but also where the field you are in is going to go. We are fortunate with VetTriage because we have been spearheading this movement since day one as the only platform operating in this manner. VetTriage was seen as the leader of veterinary telehealth at launch and we have continued to hold that title 6 years later.
What is also interesting is that the leaders are not the only ones who have their pulse on the market. Your dedicated team, assuming you have been successful in creating a team that is dedicated to your organization through purpose-driven culture, will actually alert the leaders to any news they encounter that may have any direct or indirect implications to the organization now, or into the future. This may be one of the highest compliments one can receive as a leader because it shows that not only are your teammates invested in events that occur outside of the organization, but are also keen on keeping your organization successful for the future.
What trends or shifts are you seeing in the workplace regarding purpose, and how do you think these will shape the future of business?
It is becoming increasingly clear that not only do veterinary professionals desire to achieve a stable work-life balance but they are also seeking multiple streams of revenue within the veterinary field. This is important because it outlines that the purpose of your company is not only what the goals of the organization are, but also in what are the goals of your individual team members. Their vision is in alignment with that of the company, if you’ve been successful in establishing a purpose-driven culture. But you have to recognize that they have their own visions for what they want their own lives to be outside of the organization. So it is important, if possible, to modify the requirements of your team within your organization to better fit what they are looking for as these trends continue to change over time. This will not only reinforce their dedication to the organization, but also further attract exceptional talent to you.
In your opinion, how does having a purpose-driven culture impact not just employees, but customers, clients, and the broader community?
Now with the internet and the ability to connect people via social media and other media are commonplace, a company culture and reputation spreads through these avenues quite rapidly. Although it is assumed that social media posts that entice a negative feeling to viewers tends to spread faster, it seems pretty clear from my point of view that positive messaging and feedback, at least in professional settings, carry way more weight, spread rapidly, and maintain a consistent longevity online. So the broader veterinary and pet- owning community are exposed to the results from the perspective of your current clients and team members of our purpose-driven culture in real-time and the downstream effects of that are, needless to say, quite powerful.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people by building purpose-driven workplaces, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Businesses as a whole need culture consultants who understand their field and challenges, but also leaders need to be able to draw upon an array of experience in other facets business operations. In the veterinary field, “consultants” do exist, although most of these individuals come from other non-veterinary backgrounds and have a lack of understanding of the challenges the field faces. We may already be seeing it, but veterinarians who also have studied or have formal degrees in business, communications, marketing, management, and so forth would have a large niche to fill in the veterinary space. Veterinarians need assistance in more than one plane.
VetTriage and VetTriage Pro are potent examples of that, but we also need to complement our efforts with boots on the ground. Veterinary consultants visiting brick and mortar veterinary facilities, as well as providing resources or education via talks and webinars would be incredibly valuable in my opinion. Those who are providing this role currently are fine at it, but I believe if we were to see an uptick of veterinarians taking on this role, it would add an immense value to such consultation services and their impact would resonate deeply.
How can our readers further follow you online?
VetTriage and myself have social media platforms on YouTube, Instagram, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn. If any of your readers are owners or practice managers of veterinary facilities or universities, shelters, boarding, facilities, and clinic/hospitals, they are encouraged to reach out to us and we would be happy to set up a video call with them to discuss what a partnership would look like with a special focus on what problems they are trying to solve within their own operations.
Those who are reading this who are veterinary students, new graduates, or doctors who foresee needing additional support in their clinical practice, should reach out to us with their employers or on their own accord to discuss how. VetTriage pro can drastically improve their professional enjoyment and case management.
This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us.
Thank you so much for the opportunity. This was great and I hope to be a part of your movement of culture change and any future articles to share with your readers.
