She's a loyal, dedicated team member. He has strong technical skills. She works well with others. He's book smart and always
gets the job done. She's analytical and detail-oriented. He always pleases clients and takes the next step to make everyone's
day run more smoothly.
There's no single formula for what makes a great team member. The traits one boss loves may not be the same skills another
employer values. So a big part of being great is asking what your boss expects, then doing more.
Debbie Allaben Gair, CVPM
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Do you know what your boss expects? It starts with a job description and a hospital policy manual. If your practice doesn't
have these tools, you may need to volunteer to help create them. After all, when you're great, you'll find—or create—an environment
that encourages everyone to be great and explore their greatness.
For example, you might approach your boss with a request that speaks to his or her priorities. If your manager places high
value on creating a team that works together happily, you might say, "I know you like our team to work well together, and
I think we could be happier if we understood your expectations. Could I help you develop job descriptions for each of our
roles?" 
My recipe for a great employee
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Of course, if you work in a great practice, it's much easier to be great. And a great team needs a variety of great team members.
We can't all be the starring role, but if we're good at supporting other team members, that's a version of excellent. Let's
take a look at the traits that make team members great—and not so great.
Skills aren't enough
We've all probably known at least one technically skilled team member with a bad attitude. Simply put, you may be a topnotch
scheduler, a whiz at placing catheters, or the queen of inventory. But without the right attitude, all of those skills don't
add up to great. Consider these examples:
3 tips to hire great
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• Great skills, poor attitude and teamwork. Jenny thinks she's indispensable, and because she's worked at the practice for a long time, Dr. Smith thinks so, too. Dr.
Smith is convinced his practice can't survive without Jenny's skills. What he doesn't know: Jenny holds other team members
back. In fact, Jenny drives away truly great employees because they know they can't thrive at this practice. Jenny can become a great employee, but she needs to be motivated to change. Her manager can create a motivating environment
with performance reviews, employee support and education, and progressive discipline, but Jenny must make the choice to change.
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