Key Takeaways:

• Policies don’t shape culture—behaviors do.
• Culture isn’t dictated; it’s built through teamwork.
• Sustainable change starts with daily actions.

Veterinary practices are full of dedicated professionals who want to provide the best care possible. But even the most skilled teams can struggle if the workplace culture isn’t right. Culture affects everything—how people communicate, how they handle challenges, and how engaged they feel in their work.

Yet, many veterinary teams remain stuck in cultures that don’t serve them well. Why? Because of common culture myths—misconceptions about what actually shapes a team’s environment. When practices buy into these myths, they waste time on ineffective solutions and miss real opportunities for change.

Why Your Veterinary Team’s Culture Won’t Change on Its Own

If you’ve ever wondered why your team’s culture isn’t improving despite new policies, leadership directives, or well-intentioned initiatives, you may be up against one of these myths. Let’s break them down.

Myth #1: Policies Change Culture

Many practices try to fix cultural problems by creating new policies. It sounds logical—if gossip is hurting team morale, write a policy against gossip. If people aren’t showing up on time, establish a rule with consequences. But here’s the truth: policies don’t change behavior, they just push it out of sight.

Take gossip, for example. A practice struggling with negativity and back-channel conversations decides to create a policy: “No gossip allowed. If you’re caught gossiping, there will be consequences.” What happens next? Gossip doesn’t stop—it just becomes more discreet. Instead of discussing frustrations openly (where they could potentially be addressed), people move those conversations to private settings. The negativity remains, but now it’s harder to recognize and resolve.

Policies do serve an important role in setting expectations, but they don’t create engagement or trust. A handbook rule won’t stop workplace tension if the team doesn’t feel safe, supported, and connected. Real culture change happens through daily behaviors, not documents.

Myth #2: Authority Shapes Culture

Another common belief is that culture is a leadership responsibility—something that managers, practice owners, or medical directors dictate. While leadership plays a role, culture isn’t created through authority; it’s built through daily actions.

Think about what truly defines a practice’s culture. It’s not the mission statement on the website or the list of core values in the break room. It’s the behaviors that happen every single day:

• Do team members communicate openly, or do they avoid difficult conversations?
• Do people feel supported, or do they feel like they’re constantly under scrutiny?
• When something goes wrong, do team members focus on solutions, or do they point fingers?

Culture is a collection of habits, and every team member has influence—not just those with a leadership title. The way you show up, the conversations you have, and the choices you make daily all shape the culture around you.

When a practice waits for leadership to “fix” the culture, it misses a key truth: everyone contributes to it, whether intentionally or not. If you’re part of the team, you’re part of the culture, and that means you have power to improve it.

What Actually Drives Cultural Change?

If policies and authority don’t create a thriving practice culture, what does? The answer comes down to consistent behaviors, shared accountability, and alignment around a clear vision.

To build the culture your practice wants, start with these key drivers:

1. Decide What Kind of Culture You Want

If a practice doesn’t define its ideal culture, it defaults to whatever behaviors happen most often. Some teams build cultures of teamwork and trust, while others fall into patterns of gossip and disengagement—simply because that’s the path of least resistance.

To shift your culture, first ask:

• What do we want to be known for?
• How should our team interact and support each other?
• What behaviors reflect our best work?

These questions help create a clear, shared vision—a target that everyone can work toward together.

2. Focus on Behavior, Not Just Ideas

It’s easy to say, “We want a positive, engaged team.” But culture doesn’t change through wishful thinking—it changes through repeated actions.

Once you define the culture you want, identify specific behaviors that will help get you there. For example:

• If you want a culture of accountability, team members need to practice direct communication instead of avoiding difficult conversations.
• If you want a culture of learning, leaders need to ask for input and encourage team members to share ideas.
• If you want a culture of efficiency, huddles and structured check-ins need to become daily habits, not just occasional meetings.

Every culture is built on behaviors, not slogans. The more a team practices certain behaviors, the more natural they become.

3. Support Each Other Through the Process

Cultural change isn’t a one-time event—it’s an ongoing process that requires support and reinforcement. A team that tries something new and struggles isn’t failing; they’re learning.

Veterinary professionals are busy, and real change takes time. That’s why leaders and teams must support each other instead of expecting overnight transformation. Consider:

• Regular check-ins: Make space to discuss how cultural changes are going. Where is the team succeeding? Where do they need more guidance?
• Encouraging feedback: When someone contributes to positive culture shifts, acknowledge it. Reinforcement makes new behaviors stick.
• Adjusting along the way: No plan is perfect from day one. Be willing to refine your approach based on what’s working and what isn’t.

When a practice builds a culture of continuous improvement, small shifts compound into lasting change.

Culture Is a Choice

The strongest veterinary teams don’t have great cultures by accident—they build them through conscious decisions and daily habits.

If your team is feeling stuck, start by challenging the myths that might be holding you back:

• Policies alone won’t fix culture—daily behaviors will.
• Leadership sets the tone, but everyone influences the culture.
• Lasting change happens when teams align around a shared vision and commit to new habits.

Culture isn’t something your practice “has”—it’s something your team creates every day. The question is: What kind of culture do you want to build?