Sympathy harms your practice

Your vet tech was 45 minutes late.

She looks stressed as she explains that she woke up late.

You feel for her—after all, life happens.

But this isn’t the first time.

She’s missed three morning shifts this month, which means someone else is covering her duties, patients are delayed, and your team is frustrated.

As a leader, you care deeply about your team, but there’s a line between being empathetic and being a pushover.

I define empathy as understanding someone’s situation.

Sympathy, for me, is letting that situation dictate how you manage your practice.

If you don’t set clear boundaries, your practice—and your patients—suffer.

Here’s how to find balance:

Set clear expectations.

Acknowledge challenges without enabling.

Follow through on accountability.

When you lead with empathy—not sympathy—you create a culture of accountability and mutual respect.

Watch my video, Empathetic, Not Sympathetic, to learn more.

P.S. Visit my full video library to discover more strategies to lead your practice with confidence and care.

FAQs

How does letting repeated performance issues slide out of "sympathy" impact the rest of the team?

When you repeatedly excuse a team member's issues—like chronic lateness—the negative ripple effect hits your entire practice. Other staff members are forced to scramble and cover the extra duties, patient schedules get delayed, and team morale plummets. Tolerating one person's lack of reliability ultimately breeds frustration and resentment among your hardest-working employees.

How can I maintain a culture of accountability without looking heartless?

Holding people accountable does not mean you do not care, and you can find the right balance by using a strategic three-step approach. First, you must set clear expectations so your team knows exactly what is required of them from the start. Second, you should acknowledge their challenges without enabling them, letting them know you understand their stress without lowering your practice standards. Finally, you must follow through on accountability by consistently enforcing your boundaries, which ultimately creates a predictable, respectful, and safe environment for the whole team.

Shirley Lockhart