April 4, 2019

#1: Welcome to the Vet Vault - Gerardo and Hubert

#1: Welcome to the Vet Vault - Gerardo and Hubert
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Season 1

In our first episode we take 30 minutes to talk to each other so you can get to know your hosts a bit better and find out what our podcast is all about.

Good evening.Ladies and gentlemen, this is Gerardo Poli. and this sorry one of the best bits of advice I've ever received was to find good mentors and to learn from them trusted people who have already done what you're trying to do.
Now.I've been fortunate throughout my career to have some fantastic mentors to help guide me, but I realize that they'd be hard to find and also hard to commit the time to 1.This is why we've gathered some of the best Minds from the veterinary world and squeeze them for their wisdom so that you don't have to learn the hard way with the help of our guests.
We flipped the Betty profession on its back and explore its soft underbelly to find the tips tools and inspiration that you'll need to build the career that you've always wanted.I'm Gerardo Poli.I'm Hubert him strapped and this is the vent valve to kick things off for today for our first episode.
We thought that we'd interview each other so you can get to know us a little bit better.So I'm going to start I wonder if I'd love to find out bit more about Gerardo and I'm sure so with our listeners so many of the listeners will be well-acquainted with with your name from the wildly successful mini red guide if anybody doesn't know what that is, you really should find out you're missing out but unlike the rest of the world being from a from a different country when I met this young enthusiastic and created the area Congress.
I had no idea what the mini-vac guide was or who Jurado Polly was that I had no idea that it was actually Bit of a household name in t in the wedding industry for the benefit of any listeners who don't know who you are.I start off with with your official bio.
So did that dr.Girard Polly is an emergency veterinarian and the director at animal emergency service in Brisbane Australia and the author and creator of them innovate guide to companion animal medicine and Clinical Pathology flashcards.He's passionate about mentoring coaching and inspiring the future generation of its throughout the world so that unit I shall but I'd like to know but more so tomorrow when you meet somebody and they ask you what do you do for a living?
What do you say are you are you have it?Are you know there are you teacher who are you?It's a really good question.I often get asked questions the ones where I can't answer straight away.I find it the really good ones.
Yeah.You wanted to give me 30 seconds.They're humans to formulate a reply to that one.She could be all three of you.I'd say give you all three so like it maybe maybe bit of a backstory which might add a bit of perspective there is that I first and foremost I consider myself a veterinarian.
Hmm and but my career has shifted over the last 10 years and to various different roles and and I find myself now sometimes questioning sort of the the focus of Like Korea.So for two years, I was a small animal practitioner and my focus there was actually just being the best that I could be in solidifying the the knowledge that I learned at Uni and feeling comfortable with my skills as a veterinarian and learning how to how to communicate with clients to get to Great outcomes for pets.
Then I transitioned to emergency and that was actually because of a financial situation I found myself in where I couldn't afford my house and in my Job as a veterinarian in a general practice.I didn't have the earning capacity there so actually shifted into denied shift to to try in order to try and keep my house and I was incredibly stressful time for me.
Yeah, because that coincided with the breakup with in a long-term relationship 12 years.So a lot of soul-searching there and a lot of of time spent considering sort of what I thought was.
My suppose vision of where I wanted to head with in this profession and I thought I'd be a general practitioner in general practitioner owner.So then a transition emergency then then I tried to be just the best emergency clinician.I could be and that took about four years of continuing study in education and not saying they're the kind of imply that I'm they're definitely not nobody's ever their rank exactly.
But then what happened was I stepped.It up into management roles and then management roles led to leadership roles and Leadership roles, then led to the possibility for business ownership.So couple years back.I became a director of an emergency service and that then is sort of guided my career choices moving forward in terms of my professional development and and the things that I look at and the vision I see for for our team at an emergency service.
Enter a team and also the vet nurse team and client represented team.So the whole entire team now a lot more a lot of my focus now is about building wanting to build leaders build leaders within our industry and with in a profession first starting with actually trying to build a leadership team or leadership capabilities in those that are wanting to step up into responsibility.
So emerging leaders within the hour emergency service itself.So yeah, so like I'm still a veterinarian I still see primary cases and weekends and still love getting in there and really seeing the positive impacts from from the actions I take and and from the interaction.
I have a client but a lot of my focus these days is sharing knowledge and sharing information, but also trying to actually be the best I can in terms of Empowering people and creating a environment which is conducive for development of leadership.
Okay.I like that.I like that.It's a it wasn't a path that you had planned out and you following it to the T you you might have some sort of idea that life happens and you adapt and do what you need to do to stay alive and do it well and then good things come of it.
That's a A story actually, I really really like that and what about the mini-vac guide?How does it happen that a student writes a runaway success clinical guide?How did that come about?Yeah, so that in itself was quite a lot of work in progress and it started small after I graduated from uni, and it was basically a collection of notes that started at something like 80 Pages or something now, it's like Seriously, did you make the did you make that for yourself or on was it always intended to be to be shared it was intended for myself to be honest because it was too hard to carry textbooks around and also the stuff that was in textbooks was very just not very concise very in cumbersome.
So so really kind of put together the things that I thought was not the stuff that I couldn't remember and the stuff that I felt that I needed to draw upon frequently and regularly.Yeah, okay, so did started small and then as I went through my masters and as I went through my memberships and as a done attending conferences and things sort of added to that and sort of created my own little home of info that I referred to quite frequently so that yeah things I think are That is quite common.
And that there we see everyday.You one second, but I just got to let my dog out.Okay, she says she's heard the story before she's bored.She wants to go ahead Jeff.
That's exactly right.There's like a diesel my doggy he's deaf actually so he's deaf from hearing that story.I said, that's not not the fluffy white though, right?I've seen your family, right - yeah, I decided what is this?
Diesel is a border.Collie.Yeah, he's actually yeah, I'm I never grew up with pets.So I decided in veterinary science because of the the the the common thought that I wouldn't have to communicate with clients.
So I would just come and do some an erroneous thought that everybody yeah, if he has I don't like people and then they start talking about this thing at Uni which was the human-animal bond and almost Like what is that?So then was in second year and I thought actually maybe I should buy a dog.
So I bought a dog people in my class grew up with dogs and I just talking about their experience with the dogs.Yeah.I'm just like hmm.Maybe I should actually experienced that so I bought a dog and yeah, and actually I put it to sleep about about a month ago actually.
Oh really?Yeah, let's be sad.She had seizures and how old was she that that sounds like a long time to help 14 13 14 years old that tells us how long you've been in the profession for that.You've actually just skipped away to skip the head to anyway.
Next question says what what was your motivation to become a vet?What what?Why did you choose the veteran a bath?She's a veteran Pathways of the science.Okay, so I'd like it's not the set like I've I when I graduated I didn't know what I wanted to do.
Where'd you get it from when I finished high school?I didn't know what I wanted to do.So I left the day after I finished high school left home and travelled to Melbourne live in Brisbane and worked in miscellaneous jobs in cafes and things and trying to Soul search and find myself and came back to Brisbane and I I actually started working at libraries actually was a librarian assistant and quickly figured out that it's probably not what I wanted to do long-term eight years actually a really great job and it's had all the way through uni actually and I got quite a crap for it for bigger librarian for being boring an outside.
But yeah, that's right, but I did but it's all being key skills in in terms of client communication.So yeah.Yeah.So especially with a I would say a population subset that I don't generally engage with so older older people, you know, I was only 19 20 so really had to sort of pick up my game in terms of be in professional also being engaged and listening and those things.
So that's really helped me out in terms of my career as a veterinarian, but essentially I got into science I got into science because I really love science.And started in human Medicine Science and then transitioned into veterinary medicine.Actually I didn't do so well in high school.
So I had to upgrade my scores my uni marks and then I took me two years to get the vet science and there was and then all of a sudden I realized I didn't understand anything about pets so they bought a dog and then and then I became a pet owner and then start to understand the bond that everyone refers to and and in order for me to be a success.
For veterinarian and to help maintain the bonds between clients and their pets really had to be quite successful in communication.And and I the the mini-vac I was actually there to help me in terms of my clinical content because I just couldn't remember anything and it was quite under unsettling for me to not have access to the stuff.
I needed to know so you basically fill despite their which was it was horrible it was Relevant, and it was concise.So that's such an interesting interesting pathway.If you look at how many how many people in the veterinary industry.
It's just a lifelong passion.They've you know, I always wanted to always wanted to do it.I've always known I wanted to be a vet.I wonder if there's any any correlation between dissatisfaction in the in the Korea and and and how you approach it.
Is that it is it a you entered it with?A few expectations of what it would be like and other people might some people might enter the industry the profession with clear views of what they think it's going to be like and if it's not exactly like that then they then they end up disappointed.
It's sort of interesting that's actually a really good point there.And it's that rare that that comes up in many areas of of Life obviously, but quite often we come across that in leadership teams and we talk about where we want to go and what we want to do as a company moving forward and and even as a leader you have an expectation about what something should look like, but then when you then move forward and work on your on your strategy and roll things out quite often does role at that way and one of the biggest things that you have to do is actually detach yourself from the outcome you want to achieve that outcome, but then you Actually have to detach yourself a water looks like otherwise if it doesn't work out that way then it can cause considerable considerable stress and and also feeling like as if you didn't succeed in what you were doing.
So yeah, absolutely.Where do I had I had somebody say once that happiness is the happiness equals the difference between expectations and reality.Hmm love that A big factor now we get a completely sidetracked though made to try to keep this episode short always happens when I change U, I think that that's why we started this because every time I teach at you and just sit and chat you for hours, but we'll try and keep it on track to try and keep that first episode concise.
We can have a long ones later on.So that's dad was your path.What is it these days what drives you what motivates you what keeps you positive about.What what you do?Mmm Yeah, so I went through a process of of kind of looking at my future and where I was going to go and and I did like do have a plan somewhat but what I find is that my particular personality typing I'm a driver and the means is is that I can swap and change and feel comfortable completely with where I'm going and then find a different direction and be engaged by that.
And there I go and so every two years or so.I find that I that I would.Progress down the slightly different path to where I thought was two years before and so having just accepted that as what I do.
I had to kind of re look at the values and what were my with my values and what was important for me and contribution and contributing to people was one of the biggest things that I find that I was important for me.Hmm.I spend quite a lot of time doing and so moving forward from there.
It's it's It's how can I serve and how can I how can I serve the team that we have around us that only a dental emergency service and how can I serve people around me close friends and professional colleagues and things so so my career pathway still there's a veterinarian and still with regards to ensuring that an emergency service continues down the vision.
It has a company but now it's I'm kind of focusing more on how can I get better myself so I can help people so it did it better in terms of increasing your own skill in mindset.
Hello clarify get better.Yeah.Yeah sure sure thing and I think ultimately my push for the last five years six years has been about getting better clinically and I think that's what everyone wants and not even one everyone wants to have a certain level of clinical expertise and clinical knowledge and they definitely need that and I'm not downplaying that but I do feel that there is a certain level or certain point where you get to where you actually maybe you feel comfortable.
Maybe you don't feel comfortable.But either way you have to start looking at actually you as a person.Yeah.Yeah.Yeah your behaviors your beliefs your values started realigning those Stop working back to those start finding your purpose and your Y and so forth and and really kind of working on the softer side of you know, the other side of clinical skills, which is as a veterinarian you need to, you know, be a empathetic and compassionate person.
Yeah, and but I'm also make sure that you are actually still. working towards something that is in line with you.Yeah, I mean when you have this disconnect between your values and what actually occurs in reality then actually causes quite a lot of stress and so yeah helping people step into their Futures I suppose but making sure that it's aligned with what's important for them.
Yep.Couldn't couldn't agree more which is a which is exactly why we're having this conversation.That's exactly why we why we started Started this whole project to try and try to help people to realize that they need to focus on that.The only thing I'll I'm not going to disagree with produce a people need to get clinically proficient and then start looking at I don't I think it is at the same time or even even before while you while you become a clinically provision realized that that your biggest races in in the veterinary profession is not necessarily going to be Clinic clinically.
Related it's going to be people in relationship related and II think I think personally I could have had a much better first 10 years of my of my career.If I'd if I'd realized this and were actively worked on it actively try to improve myself instead of having that Eric and arrogant attitude of yeah, I'm perfect.
I'm fine.I I've got this.I know that's so good.Couldn't agree more.I totally agree with what you're saying there and I think generally the focus is clinical, you know, generally the folk the first thing people think about I just need to get better at just knowing more and doing more and then once I get better at knowing more and doing more than I feel more confident, so then when I go and talk to clients, I'll have more certainty and Clarity in what I say, therefore the clients will believe me and then I can do what I need to do in order to save their pets.
So and I totally agree with you would you say that you had an in that it has to be At the same time as developing yourself as a professional and and working on all those things that are in the background which impact the way you are and who yeah.
Yeah.Yeah.Absolutely.It should be an interesting Journey.Okay, wait to hear what what other what other guests have just have to say about it all yet.That's actually something I'm really quite excited to that as a part of this this series and is to to hear other people and he would other people had to say, yeah and what kind of things they Come across and what they've learned along the way if we contend that that would be an incredible.
That would be incredible impact.I think that you can have a many people excellent.Well, I hope so, so that's it for now.But I'm done with you I've ever you got any anything for me.Nobody people that listen though.You nobody knows who I am.Well, maybe I maybe I should explain a little bit of Hubert from my world.
So I meant humid it is it humid is a emergency veterinarian in the south of Perth and it's always just been this really nice genuine.Good looking dude that every time I come across that he's just really engaging this big do and always come from a place of Genuine sort of Engagement, but also just also genuine sort of want and interest so it wasn't hard before I suppose.
I thought that maybe I should get to know this guy bit more and and as things occur in Veterinary land all Grand just big decisions and and Grand plans are created around lots of alcohol.
So think it was Ram at the time I want to run and we found that we had a common a common interest and and when you shared that you've had numerous actually, maybe I'll let that be the first question.
Okay?Yeah, so you would what?What sparked your interest in this in terms of you know wanting to do this series or this podcast series to get information out there?Okay.It's a I think it's probably a long long time interest longer longer than I realized at the time working as a vit for over 15 years now and working alongside people in three different continents and and seeing Young vets be dissatisfied and unhappy with it career choice or really struggling in day-to-day practice and and person is struggling I there is a long time where I thought I made a mistake.
I didn't I didn't always enjoy being awake very much at all.And then on the flipside meeting all the more successful veterinarians really seem to thrive on it to really loved it.It took the pressures and and just just really love it.I think it was always he's on my mind.
Why why why do I hate it?Why why do other people love it so much is that it as other problems and then seeing friends leave lots of my veterans lift the lift the industry try to find alternative Pathways and often wondered about what is it that you have these this group of people who obviously very passionate about something and then they work very hard to get into the into the industry and then trying to go after if I don't like it other problems inherent to the industry, or are they ways That we can better prepare ourselves and to thrive as veterinarians and then over 10 10 to 15 year.
Let's say ten year period finding my own strategies finding ways to start enjoying it and suddenly going.Hey, you know what?I actually do like it and then trying to say is what why why now, why do I like it now?What about what am I doing differently?How am I thinking differently and then subsequently as as I became more of a man Juran employer communicating with younger vets.
I found myself writing lots of emails to vets are trying to help them with difficult situations and the game realizing that most of the problems they having are not necessarily clinical.I'm helping them with relationships and people and and their own attitude and light bulb eventually when went under my head and way and I went I should be writing this down while she was maybe I should be sharing what I sharing it.
I know why the basis than just the one on one basis.So I started doing that started writing things down.I had this idea of maybe maybe doing a book about the bitterness after killed sort of a thing but then quickly realized that I am still learning and I still have a lot to learn.So instead of me waffling on about what I think thinking.
Well, let's get other people involved such as yourself or other successful rates and go over and just just having that realization that there must be so much knowledge and skill and thought patterns are just so much knowledge and wisdom out there.We can if we can condense it into some format that we can share with other vets that hopefully hopefully just help people this first first five five ideas of their career to find the feed find their Niche and and be a bit positive - feel is a lot of negativity in the veterinary profession and that's not how this this problems like it any like an any industry.
But but we don't have to focus on a China trying to focus on the positives and and just be happier as a And so that's that's me and then make you as I said, we said Saturn had those drinks and I told you about what I'm working on and idea and and you you were is that in fact, but when I met you, I sort of thought.
Yeah, it's a good idea.What if I if I write that nobody's going to read it.How do you get it out there?And then your interest re sparked my interest generalizing that well, there's somebody else who's passionate and who is already has a as an audience of people who are willing to listen to what he has to say, and I just thought it'd be a great a great partnership.
To try and try and spread the message that I feel passionate about you sign there I can edit.Just listen to you talk then and also reliving the and reflecting back on and discussions numerous times over now.
What would be a great outcome for you with regards to this?mmm Just people engaging engaging this conversation.If we if we if we create something where there's just this broadcast or a book or something and people just just listening and reading and and starting to think about changing changing the attitudes and saying, you know this we're actually very fortunate to be in an in an amazing profession and what I say profession.
It's like I try to not be narrow-minded about thinking just being clinical veterinarians, but just Just people being thoughtful about how they approach their everyday life how they approach the clients and total went thoughtful in the decisions of ways my career going to go and and if I if it's not going the way I want to instead of being feeling trapped and negative reconsidering going.
Look.I'm very fortunate to be to have the qualification.I have I could change deck I could just point my ship in a different direction and as you did work hard and and And make the most of it it was it was through your sharing and in our conversation that actually inspired me to become involved in this and and I suppose it's all about stories.
Right?It's all about absolutely stories and hearing people's stories and what they come through and I suppose the goal of this is is to people to come on and share their stories and share their Journeys as you said before but you mentioned just then About working in three continents as far as the audience really doesn't know that kind of background and neither do I actually yeah.
Okay.Can you share on that W awesome?Okay.Yeah, I qualified stated veteran science in in Pretoria South Africa qualified in 2002 at a short little stint in mixed practice in South Africa fairly fairly disastrous, but through no fault of my own.
It was just Chester uncorrected for it when you graduated.So so charged with with it was seven with a girl who graduated with me.It was a baptism of fire.But but it definitely wasn't a good idea.So I fled fled to the UK for a couple of months.I was already dating a another vet at the time was quite a bit younger than me, but where the quite a few years behind me and Richie science a went to the UK and then decided I missed her too much.
So came went back to South Africa and worked in early enough emergency practice their one of my one of my first love Tim jobs was in an emergency practice then wait around for her married her and the two of us popped over back to the UK spent three years working in rural Wales in mix practice, but I just did this the smallest and then decided that Australia is the place for us.
So what 10 years ago actually 10 years ago almost on the dot move to Australia and started started working in a small animal practice daytime practice and but 5 is in realizing that there was is that where I work there wasn't really a an Emergency a dedicated emergency after hours clinic and to start that up about five years ago.
And that's still that's still my baby still still there and it's still manage it still working it and and and enjoying doing so And the transition here.Is there a transition here in the future for you?Do you feel like I don't know where I am at the moment Clinic clinically or work-wise veteran.
He directly with me work-wise.I like the clinic.I think more I am transitioning to more and more management and training think similar to yourself and unfortunately doing that effectively.Lovely, let's say doing regular night shifts does not allow doing that effectively on the long-term.
So I'm doing fewer clinical shifts and more more time at the computer trying to orchestrate things and growing and building building the practice and improving the practice and then I'd enjoy the writing side of things.I think the other reason why I got involved in it is it's writing stuff.
I've always written for myself for no particular reason and now having this to focus on I'm really enjoying that I'm enjoying it enjoying.Writing blogs at the moment, but hopefully one day transition into doing that in a you know, in a more serious capacity.
So learning learning and growing I must admit actually when I when I read your blog's so they freaking amazing and just so well written in the continent.It's amazing and I think I'm automatic decided that if we're going to write a book together here, but you're riding it.
Well, I think that's that's not negotiable.The books are right.Anything died right has bullet points and like yeah, it's all it's all sort of sectioned out and formatted like as if it was like the supposed to, you know, be read in like 20 seconds as opposed to these are the people so eloquent language that you use for your Technique.
I think with the joint effort with might be the way to go because sometimes I can ramble on a little bit it becomes a bit poetic and it was yours concise is probably something I should work.That's just this just my nature just been yeah Bam Bam Bam Bam.
Yes.I think it's a good partnership.Then we're about to actually do you put your blog's at the stage?Do you want the actual website?It's just called The Art of archery science.The activator science.com is a virtue blog.
I have another blog that's more personal stuff more not not fit related.But if anybody's interested they can look at Add a parent the other parent site Google Google that it'll come back and put it in the show notes.Once we figure out how to do show that was your other podcasts to say that will put it in the shower so we can put it in the side.
That's one speak once we launch this so as part of the preparing for this podcast, we did a large survey and we surveyed students and go to a veterinarian's who've purchased my book or a real.Follow me on social media and we got a couple hundred responses, which is given us quite a lot of insight with regards to what we would like to cover and and and and what people are asking and looking for do you have it on top of your head some of the things that we might be covering and in the future moving forward what I said, I drew up a little Samurai.
It was very interesting reading it and it's actually actually good to go through.Probably eighty nine percent of respondents were actually vet students still rather than practicing veterinarians and it's interesting to get yourself back into the headspace.I've remembering what you're worried about and how how worried you were about to have a like that out of that stuff.
I think I think a lot of what we should address is just to assuage people's fears that that whole thing about how am I ever going to be good enough for me?We're going to do this.This is so daunting is just too.Who through conversations again through stories?I think every vet.We took two will have the same message.
I certainly think they would of saying don't stress about it so much.You are actually better equipped and more ready than you realize just just roll with it.And and and the learning will come with the the growth will come.So that's that's a general theme that I hope will come across.
This is a definite interesting stories people all want to know how you get from point A to B.How how Other people do it the people respect and look up to so I'm hoping we did you get some good stories out of out of our podcast guests and then a lot of communication.
I'm hoping that we can create some some actionable steps and guides and how do you get better with with people skills communication conflict talking about money talking about mistakes.How do you deal with mistakes?Those are those are probably the top of the list there's a lot of stuff we can talk about we can have you know, Years of podcasts just to add to get through all the questions, but the that those are the ones that I think will are the first ones.
I think we'll start addressing.Yeah.Sure.Yeah, yes'm have you got any messages that you think we should should focus on I couldn't you're thinking about the project glad you what do you hope to achieve with this?
Just the okay.I totally believe that through storage.Storytelling and people sharing their Journey there.They'll be nuggets information there that will provide insight and and also put perspective on things.
You know, the big thing is that the we have heaps of blind spots where you don't really know actually the things that are influencing our thoughts and and which impacts our actions so through sharing we will actually blind spots will open in in our audience and that's actually something that I really look forward to hearing back from the audience and the people who listen to see if you know what messages that come across through it through the people that we interview and how it impacts them.
Yeah, ultimately.Yeah, as you said they're developing resources that can help not just in a podcast kind of format, but your guides and resources that we can help.Put together that we can share that will add a bit of structure behind the lessons that and the advice that's provided in this format.
Yeah.Let's see if we can do it.Let's make a difference fucking I can't I can't close it off there to all those who are listening today.Thank you for your time.And and I hope that this first session is giving you a bit of an insight as to who we are and where we've come.
From and what we hope to achieve this podcast so moving into the future.We look forward to hearing people's stories, but also look forward to our first speaker.Thank you.Thank you everybody.That's it.
That's it.That's it.