You can't write your veterinary clinic's success story without a hospital full of the sharpest, to-the-point team members around. And with state unemployment rates hitting 10 percent or higher, now is the time to look at this job market as an opportunity to boost the quality of your team by letting go of underperforming team members and hiring overachievers. This may sound a little mercenary and opportunistic—and maybe it is—but it's also a reality that can benefit your practice.

Not long ago we had an employee market, and it was hard for practice owners and managers to find qualified applicants. Now the pendulum has swung the other way: Lots of people with college degrees are flipping burgers. Post a job listing on the Web today, and you'll be overrun by highly qualified applicants. The time is right to improve your team. I'm not suggesting you terminate your entire staff and hire a brand-new one, but it may be time to consider some strategic upscaling.

SCORE PERFECT 10S

According to the law of "10s," you can turn an "8" or a "9" employee into a "10," but you'll never make a "5," a "6," or a "7" into a top performer—let alone someone at the bottom of the scale. Trying to turn a poor employee into a "10" is like fitting a square peg into a round hole. It won't happen. Instead of managing your team members, you'll spend all your time trying to "fix" them.

With the job market being what it is, maybe it's time to lose those "1s," "2s," and "3s" and upscale your team with "8s," "9s," and—hopefully—"10s."

DON'T FEAR ATTRITION

Many practice owners and managers worry about replacing employees in a down market. When the job market swings back, won't these high-performing new hires leave the practice? Won't they find a job that pays better, fits into their earlier line of work, or offers better benefits?

Well, my crystal ball is just as good as yours, and none of us can predict the future with any certainty. But I do know that this isn't happening in practices that have upscaled their teams. These practices have found individuals who've always wanted to work in a veterinary hospital but weren't able to for one reason or another. They're discovering great receptionists, assistants, and even managers who are thrilled about working in the veterinary industry. And as for pay, well, wages and salaries only get better at hospitals with highly competent team members. They know what they're doing, leverage doctors well, and charge appropriately for services. Upscaled team members allow a practice to be more profitable.

I think fear of attrition is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you spend your time thinking team members are going to leave, they probably will. On the other hand, if a new employee comes into a practice that's supportive and challenging, treats team members well, and provides a reasonable salary and benefits, why should that person ever want to leave?

Another interesting fact: "10" employees want to work with other "10s." High-performing team members don't enjoy putting up with lazy and unmotivated coworkers, and they'll come to resent a practice owner or manager who lets that happen. A team will often sink to the lowest common denominator, whether through lots of quitting or loss of morale. So there's another great reason to upscale: Good workers breed more good workers.