Brad Swift, DVM, offers advice to help you make 2008 your best and most on purpose year yet, including how to move from simply setting goals to planning purpose projects.

Q A lot of negative tension flows through our practice, and it's undermining our work. How can I help our staff members come together as a team and stop criticizing each other?

Debt, relationship problems, illness--it can be hard to cope with the issues life throws at you. And sometimes pesky problems cling so tightly that they follow you to work. Here's how to shake loose.

The veterinarian I work for has anger-control problems. He can be verbally abusive to staff members and sometimes clients. What can I do?

The practice owner won't invest in a piece of new equipment that I think we really need. How can I convince her to buy?

My doctor doesn't like to change. How can I make him more open to new ideas and approaches?

Every practice loses some clients. Here's how to find out if your client losses add up to a drop in the bucket or a hemorrhaging wound to your client base--and how to staunch the flow of pet owners leaving your hospital.