Calling All Team Leaders, Practice Managers and Vet Practice Owners

Have you recently been promoted to a leadership role and are struggling with how to make it work?

Does your practice have a toxic blame culture that needs reform?

Do you feel like you are spinning ten plates and that at any second they are all going to come crashing to the ground?

Do you have big personalities and egos to deal with the make your life stressful?

Does the thought of conflict turn your guts into knots?

Are you working hard in your practice but not generating the return you deserve?

Are millennials driving you mad?

If any or all of the above questions apply, then watch the video below and read on.

Stop Herding Cats

As a manager in a hospital, you have a lot of frustrations and challenges that tear up your time and sanity. Blame culture, scheduling, dealing with conflict, finding good staff and staying sane are all everyday challenges.


If you don’t have the right leadership and management skills then you are going to spend each day feeling like you are pushing a boulder up a hill, or herding cats. In fact, studies show that teams with poor leaders experience less happiness (in fact they are generally miserable and burned out), deliver lower profits and poorer standards of clinical care. 


But, it doesn’t have to be like this. Whether you are a newly promoted manager, thrown in at the deep end, or a veteran practice owner struggling to lead millennials, VetX:Leaders will help.


In this unique program, leadership expert, Dr Dave Nicol, teaches the proven systems and shares the tools and documents that have allowed him to build multiple successful and happy veterinary businesses.

What You Get

VetX:Leaders receive the following benefits

  • Training

    There are 12 structured training sessions with quiz questions at the end to complete. These are complemented by a new training or interview with an expert each month. Dr Dave Nicol delivers or leads each of these sessions.

  • Tools & Templates

    These are the nuts and bolts that hold the system together. With each module comes a unique tool or framework for you to use. You will only be using materials that work, never reinventing the wheel from scratch.

  • Live Group Coaching

    Accountability is what many members love the most about the community. Showing up and owning your progress makes positive change inevitable. That, plus lots of encouragement and advice is what you'll get on our live sessions.

  • Accreditation

    When you complete the course and commit to building a culture where everyone thrives, you will become an accredited practice. This costs you nothing & help you stand out from the crowd in the recruitment scrum.

  • The Leaders Community Group

    The Leader's journey will not be lonely for you with our super -supportive Facebook group where your talented peers offer support, advice and share materials to help you stay on point.

  • Insane Value

    All accredited members will receive a 10% discount on any other products or services offered by VetX:International. This covers coaching, recruitment support or merchandise.

What You Will Learn

Starting with managing people, Dr Dave will teach you everything he has learned during a 15 year career in management about running high performing teams. Plus he'll share the documents, tools and templates he has created while building his practices. We'll be covering recruitment, onboarding, objective setting, creating behaviour standards, giving effective feedback, managing difficult employees, handling conflict, managing change and much, much more. But this is NOT a random walk through. This class is taught sequentially so you learn how to systematise these processes as well as learn the skills.
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Course curriculum

  • 1
    Welcome to the Developing Leaders Course
  • 2
    Managing Performance: Values, Behavior Standards & Culture
  • 3
    Managing Performance - Creating & Using Effective Work Objectives
  • 4
    Managing Performance: The Accountability Cycle & Giving Feedback
  • 5
    Managing Performance: Managing Difficult Team Mates
  • 6
    Leadership Fundamentals: 10 Principles All Good Leaders Follow
  • 7
    Leadership Fundamentals: Managing Time Effectively
  • 8
    Leadership Fundamentals: Managing Across The Generational Divide
  • 9
    Leadership Fundamentals: Avoiding Burnout & Building Resilience
  • 10
    Leadership Fundamentals: Leading Teams Through Change
  • 11
    Leadership Fundamentals: Dealing With Stress, Anxiety & Managing Fear in Times of Uncertainty
  • 12
    Leadership Fundamentals: Recognising Risk & Reducing Suicide
  • 13
    Recommended Leadership Reading List & Podcast
  • 14
    Brilliant Leaders Bonuses - Don't forget these!
  • Welcome To The Class & Learning Objectives Developing Leaders Learning Objectives READ ME FIRST - A Student Guide to The Developing Leaders Course & Community by Dr Dave Nicol Dr Dave Nicol's Veterinary Leadership Academy Values Copyright & Confidentiality Notice Group Coaching Details Your Welcome Module Assignment
  • Objectives and Description How Leaders Influence Culture Using Values & Behaviour Standard Values & Behaviours Training Exercise & Examples Values, Behaviour Standards and Culture Toolkit Values & Behaviors End of Module Quiz
  • Objectives and Description Performance Management 2 - Creating Objectives & The Right Measures Objectives and Measures Toolkit Performance Management System 2 - Creating Objectives & The Right Measures Quiz Performance Management 2 - Objectives Builder Template Org Chart Template with Objective Examples in "Big 3" Style
  • Objectives and Description Performance Management 3 - The performance cycle, feedback and making your system work Triple Loop Leadership System Toolkit Performance Management System 3 - Checkins, feedback and making your system work Quiz Performance Management 3 - Triple Loop Leadership
  • Objectives and Description Performance 4 - Managing Difficult Employees Performance 4 - Managing Difficult Employees Toolkit Performance 4 - Managing Difficult Employees Quiz Performance 4 - Your Combat Conversations Checklist
  • Objectives and Description Leadership 1: 10 Principles For The Modern Team Leader Leadership 1: Modern Leaders Scorecard Toolkit Leadership 1: 9 Principles For The Modern Team Leader Quiz
  • Objectives and Description Leadership 2: Becoming A QUALITY Time Management Master Leadership 2: Time Masters Toolkit Leadership 2: Becoming A QUALITY Time Management Master Quiz
  • Objectives and Description Leadership 3: Managing Millennials - Don't melt the snowflakes Leadership 3: Managing Millennials - Don't melt the snowflakes Quiz
  • Objectives and Description Leadership 4: Avoiding Burnout & Building Resilience As The Leader Hot Seats Session 1: Performance Management Content Breakdown Hot Seats Session 1: Performance Management Leaders 4: Your Burnout Level Questionnaire Leadership 4: Avoiding Burnout & Building Resilience As The Leader Quiz
  • Leading teams through times of change (so that performance is maintained)
  • How To Deal With Stress, Anxiety and Manage Your Fear In Times Of Great Uncertainty
  • Recognising Risk and Reducing Suicide Webinar Recognising Risk and Reducing Suicide Tip Sheet
  • The Leaders Recommended Reading List The Veterinary Leadership Success Show
  • Find Your Zone of Genius Transformational Exercise Bonus The Four Cs of Financial Folly Bonus Take Control of Your Phone Bonus - Be More Snail Part 1 Take Control of Your Phone Bonus - Be More Snail Part 2 Embracing change and fostering optimism Bonus - Dr Lori Kogan Dealing With Imposter Syndrome Bonus - Dr Lori Kogan Boundaries and Healthy Habits Bonus - Dr Lori Kogan

Are You Ready?

It's time to plot a new course and work on your practice, not in it! The practice and life you want starts here.

Take back control today

Meet Your Instructor

Dr Dave Nicol BVMS, CertMgmt, MRCVS

Dr. Dave Nicol is one of the veterinary industry's leading voices on leadership and practice management. He has been operating veterinary practices across the world for the past two decades and over that time has built a unique system of leadership that will bring help you create a vision, build the team and get everyone working together to make your dream come true. He is an author, prolific podcaster, and vet practice owner. He will also be your guide on your journey through the Leader's Landscape. In 2019 he was voted practice management speaker of the year at VMX, the world's largest vet conference, and has been invited to speak at events all over the planet. His personal mission is to help humans get along, so workplaces thrive.
Meet Your Instructor

You've Found Your Tribe

You've probably taken a few management courses by now, but still nothing seems to work. Leaders is the place people come when they are ready to get serious about running their practice effectively - without having a nervous breakdown.

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What People Are Saying About Leaders

Leaders is for people who are willing to do the hard work others won't to make change happen and their practices better.

  • Outstanding!

    Robert Turmel

    I was promised it would be transformational and it hasn't disappointed. This is my Ettinger for leadership!

    I was promised it would be transformational and it hasn't disappointed. This is my Ettinger for leadership!

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  • Performance Management Series on Leadership

    Cheryl Haugo

    Dr Nichol has presented a challenging and intense course which has so far been outstanding and helpful from the very start. It has not been easy nor in any w...

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    Dr Nichol has presented a challenging and intense course which has so far been outstanding and helpful from the very start. It has not been easy nor in any way reiteration of the same old stuff. Although some ideas remain foundations of leadership, there are also new and innovative ideas as well. Dave provides insight and guidance to allow us to find our own right way. I feel it has been well worth my time and energy so far and have every trust that the remainder of the course will be as well.

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  • Performance Management 3 - Performance Cycle, Feedback...

    Saye Clement

    So first off, apologies for being truant the last month or so... there's been some stuff happening and I really needed to clear out some mental acreage in m...

    Read More

    So first off, apologies for being truant the last month or so... there's been some stuff happening and I really needed to clear out some mental acreage in my brain to handle this course. It is incredibly interesting to me (and possibly a tad bit scary) that you and I have managed to implement the same feedback methods in our independent practices. I'm also realizing that I need to frame this feedback into the bigger global picture for my team. I've been hearing that comment from my middle managers and some team members for a while and haven't known how to fix it because I thought I had been clear in my goals. It's now inherently clear to me that I've skipped a pretty critical step in the process and I need to go back and communicate the foundation blocks to everyone (which of course means I have to write the damn things to start). Growth mindset point for me that that I've now actually booked myself some time each month to review my practice goals and keep them up to date for myself, so that I can roll them out to the team at appropriate time points. All that I'm going to say is that small point alone has been worth every penny of what I've spent on this course. It just crystallized that I am doing the right stuff and going back and filling in that missed step will make it so much better! With regards to liver treats - I am currently training a new sheltie puppy - very unique in that she doesn't learn by following liver treats around (like all of my previous dogs). She couldn't figure out how to sit for 3 months (and I consider myself to be a good dog trainer)... back to conscious incompetence for me... I knew she wasn't the problem, she's bloody smart. My dog trainer and I have finally realized that she learns by capturing behaviour. So basically, I'm pretty constantly armed with a clicker and treats, and whenever she inadvertently performs a behaviour that I like, I have to reward it. Debating the merits of carrying clicker and chocolate for my team at work... thanks again! Saye

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  • Leaders Core Modules

    Brenda Buchanan

    Great course

    Great course

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Let's Build aPractice You Love - Together!

Get off your hamster wheel, take control of your practice and build the team around your amazing vision. Join Leaders today.

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