Here are the top 10 toughest parts of your job, in order, with advice for solving them from our Editorial Advisory Board.
Trouble keeping good team members? Don't be afraid to fire bad ones. Faced with clients who won't comply? Build personal connections
with them. Not enough time in the day to handle business? Create your own all-star team of advisors. Every frustration you
told us about in our most recent Veterinary Economics Reader Assessment has a solution. Enjoy the answers from these top-notch practitioners and consultants.
1 Managing employees
Your top challenge in practice is dealing with your team: hiring and training them, paying and motivating them, communicating
effectively, and handling conflict. You said:"How am I supposed to raise the morale of 30-odd technicians on my own?"
Solutions: Shawn McVey, CEO of consulting firm Innovative Management Solutions, offers these team-building strategies:
> Be slow to hire and quick to fire. "Until we stop hiring anyone who's breathing and quit rewarding team members for seniority
rather than skill, teams will suffer," McVey says. Devote the time you'd spend trying to get a nonproductive team member up
to snuff in hiring a better one.
> Don't burden good employees with mediocre ones. When responsible team members have to work with others who aren't doing
a good job, it sends a message that management doesn't value quality and accountability.
Featuring Information from:
