Things Practice Managers Secretly Think During Meetings
Staff meetings in vet med are meant to be productive, collaborative, and informative.
And they are.
But they are also…an experience.
Because while practice managers are leading discussions, reviewing updates, and trying to keep everyone aligned – there is an entire second conversation happening internally.
Here’s a completely humorous and honest look at what PMs are actually thinking during staff meetings.
“We talked about this last meeting.”
And the meeting before that.
And the one before that.
And yet here we are, revisiting it like it’s brand new information.
“Please don’t all start talking at once.”
You asked for feedback.
You got feedback.
You got all the feedback.
At the same time.
“This could have been an email…but no one would have read it.”
So now we’re here.
“I can physically see who is not listening.”
The blank stares.
The slow blinking.
The aggressive note-taking that is definitely not notes.
“We are not turning this into a 45-minute side quest.”
We were talking about scheduling.
Here we are now discussing:
- Breakroom snacks
- Printer issues
- Something that happened in 2019
“I need to keep this moving.”
But also:
- Make everyone feel heard
- Avoid shutting people down
- Stay on track
- Somehow end on time
A delicate balance.
“We cannot keep solving the same problem every month.”
At some point, this stops being a discussion and starts being a pattern.
“That is not how that policy works.”
And yet…here we are.
“Please don’t make me say it again.”
Spoiler: you will say it again.
You will always say it again.
“I know exactly how this is going to go.”
You’ve seen this meeting before.
Different day.
Same energy.
“We are spiraling.”
There was a structure.
There was an agenda.
Now there is chaos.
“I appreciate the honesty…but wow.”
You asked for transparency.
You received transparency.
Be careful what you wish for.
“We are running out of time.”
You still have:
- 3 agenda items
- 1 sensitive topic
- And a room full of opinions
Good luck.
“Please let this land the way I intended.”
You explained it clearly.
You gave context.
You were calm.
Now you wait.
“Okay…how do I wrap this up without making it weird?”
The hardest part of any meeting.
Final Thoughts
Practice managers lead meetings while:
- Managing personalities
- Balance priorities
- Maintaining structure
- And quietly translating chaos into something usable
And while the internal dialogue may be…colorful..the goal is always the same:
Clear communication.
Stronger teams.
A clinic that runs a little bit smoother.
Even if it takes a few meetings (and a lot of deep breaths) to get there.
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