We administrators can only take so much. I was frustrated. I was tired of employees who came and left without caring about the center and the staff. Half of the employees were busting their butts, the others were doing a fraction of the work. Something had to change. Part of that change revolved around my role in the center. As the administrator, I had to change in order for the facility to move forward. Over time, I developed eight qualities of the quintessential employee, qualities that I now look for in each new person I hire.

Acts as if they own the place. See a piece of trash on the floor? Pick it up. See a problem in the OR? Own it. In most healthcare settings, there's no direct link between an employee's being careless and the bottom line. There's no direct link between an employee wasting supplies and the money lost. Not in my center. I want people to care about what they're doing and to treat the center like they own the place. We developed a plan called gain sharing to give the employees an ownership stake in the center. Thirty-three percent of every dollar made in excess of our budgeted profit is available to be shared with our employees if we meet certain performance objectives.

Has technical competence. What is technical competence? Simply put, it means that you know what you're doing and you can be counted on to know the answer or find out the answers to complex problems. If you're not technically competent today, you'll work hard to become more technically competent tomorrow; you'll ask questions of those that know more, and through observation and practice become an expert yourself. A quintessential employee will do whatever it takes to become an expert at her job.

Is looking to improve. Can you find a way to do something better? Are there less expensive supplies than what the facility is currently buying? Is there a way to prevent or reduce waste? These are all questions that leaders wrestle with. Smart leaders will create an environment that encourages fresh ideas to flow to the top. Employees on the front line know how to improve the functioning of the center. The following idea came from a quintessential employee. Her idea was to videotape discharge instructions and then play the instructions for the patients and their families before surgery so they'd spend less time in the recovery area. This also let us reinforce learning points by giving patients and family members time to think of questions before discharge.

Acts with integrity. I found an interview question that separates the quintessential employees from the others: "Give me an example of a situation where you completely screwed up and dropped the ball, and it was completely your fault." A candidate once told me, "There was a surgeon who needed an instrument tray that I was responsible for. I got distracted by other tasks and forgot. Because of my error, the surgeon had to wait an extra 20 minutes. I apologized to him and told him it was my fault and that I was sorry and that it would not happen again." That was the best answer I'd ever heard. She told the truth. She didn't try to blame others. She didn't make excuses and she accepted responsibility for her actions. That's the definition of integrity.

Does whatever it takes. When a scheduled surgery runs late, some employees feel a sense of duty, a sense of camaraderie to make sure the job gets done. They usually have other things to do but they stay and make sure things go well in the OR. A quintessential employee feels uncomfortable saying, "This is not my job."

Is willing to learn. We recently implemented optional meetings on one Saturday per quarter to go over our financial statements. Three employees attended the first meeting. Some want to learn about how the business works and others just don't care. My philosophy is that I'll gladly teach anyone who'll listen about the business of surgery because an informed employee is a better employee. The people that came to the first meeting learned a great deal. I was very disappointed by the initial turnout but it confirmed my suspicions about the level of commitment of some of the staff members.

Is a community ambassador. Some employees bash their employers to family, friends, neighbors and complete strangers. Quintessential employees don't. They also tend to be involved in their communities, active in the Rotary Club, local politics, the PTA, youth soccer and other volunteer endeavors. This is a tremendous asset to your facility's standing in the community.

Reports problems. Every organization has problems, and managers need to learn about them. Listening to your staff is more effective than hiring a consultant. The tidbits of information they provide will give you a firsthand account of the inner workings of your facility. I want my employees to come to me with issues and concerns instead of gossiping and telling all the wrong people - people that can't fix the problem. I want to hear about problems and I want to hear about the proposed solutions.

For the love of the center
Like the Olympic athlete who plays her sport with all her heart because she loves the game, the quintessential employee performs her job with the same level of enthusiasm and commitment. These people do exist. You just have to know where to look and learn to demand the best from the people who work in your facility.