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.