The culture of a practice determines almost everything about the enterprise. It establishes how people are treated, both employees and customers. Culture guides the quality of medicine and the level of attention paid to customer service. This invisible quality, called culture, sets the rules for which clients you attract, and those you do not.
So, what is culture, and who is responsible for it? Culture is the established normals for a business. It determines everything about a business. It sets the rules, both written and unwritten, about your approach to veterinary medicine, your methods in working as a team, and in serving your customers. If your work environment is clean, fun, dedicated, and punctual, those are qualities that were likely set in writing or in example, by the leadership of your practice.
Leadership determines the culture! It results from both written and unwritten rules, habits, and actions that everyone can see from their leadership. If leadership is messy, or always late, then that will be the culture of the practice. If leadership is grouchy and unfriendly, then that will be the culture of the practice. On the contrary, if leadership is empowering, uplifting, positive, honest, and generous, then that will be the culture of the practice.
The bottom line: Leadership owns the culture. They establish it by their words and example. And the culture determines the success or failure of the practice.
