Debbie Gair, CVPM

Stressed about who to hire? Here's a guide to ensuring your new team member will be a great fit in your practice, courtesy of Debbie Allaben Gair, CVPM, president of Bridging the Gap in Sparta, Mich.

Learn the first step toward understanding and valuing the differences among team members.

Here are three ways to help your team work together more cohesively.

Stop thinking of employees outside your group as rivals. When you break down these barriers, you'll reap the rewards.

If your practice faces rivalries between doctors and staff and older and younger generations, read this.

If you?re managing a divided team, try this rivalry-specific advice for ending the practice standoffs.

When a problem happens over and over, step back and determine where the issue lies. Here's how.

Pinpoint-and help-the real trouble team members in your practice.

When a bunch of different folks form a team, conflict arises. Stop hunting and pecking for a solution. Here's the key to working together: Identify what pushes your co-workers' buttons.

Is there one type of client who's harder to please?

Which people belong in your practice toolbox? Consider your current team and how a new employee with a different approach might offer fresh tools for your practice.

How to work together more effectively with a new employee, on a team, in conflict, and with a tough boss.

Q. How do I inspire an uninspired team member?

Hosting special events for team members and their families can build better working relationships and strengthen the support system in your practice, says Debbie Allaben Gair, CVPM, a Firstline Editorial Advisory Board member and president of Bridging the Gap in Sparta, Mich.

Q When I ask my co-workers for help, they seem receptive but never follow through. What should I do?

Q. Who determines veterinary team members' pay increases-the practice manager or the owner?

You're fabulous, of course, but are you doing enough to really shine?

Feeling prickly about the new associate? You play a part in her success, so try to make her feel welcome.

Looking for a new team member? Asking the right questions during an interview will help you pick the right fit for your practice. Review these five questions to get started:

Tired of reseeding with new hires every year? It's time to cultivate perennials.

Use these tips to stay cool as a cucumber when clients get hot under the collar.