A strong team in healthcare is more than a staffing goal — it’s the foundation for delivering exceptional patient care and maintaining a thriving practice.
Dr. Michael Neal, a practicing optometrist and founder of Build My Team, knows firsthand the frustration of high turnover and the challenge of finding qualified, committed staff. After struggling with these issues in his own rural Pennsylvania practice, he developed a proven approach to hiring that draws inspiration from world-class service organizations like Disney and the Ritz-Carlton.
Although Build My Team began in eye care, Dr. Neal quickly discovered the model’s versatility. Today, the company works with more than 10 healthcare specialties in over 40 states, focusing on administrative and clerical roles that keep practices running efficiently.
“A private practice is a private practice… it doesn’t matter what profession you’re in,” he noted.
Dr. Neal joins the MGMA Insights podcast to share how healthcare leaders can rethink their hiring process to attract and retain high-performing team members who elevate both the patient experience and workplace culture.
Learning from World-Class Service Leaders
Dr. Neal’s turning point came when he began studying hiring practices at companies renowned for customer service excellence.
“They weren’t making their decisions on resumes,” Neal explains. “They would run people through the assessment process… determine if they would be fantastic at the job before talking with them, before meeting them, before looking at resumes.”
By adapting this model to healthcare, Neal found that practices could focus on core skills and behaviors — not just experience — to identify candidates who are naturally suited to thrive in patient-facing roles.
Hiring for Mindset, Strengths and Talents
One of Neal’s biggest lessons is that the right mindset is just as important as technical skills.
“Our approach is to find people based upon their mindsets, their strengths and their talents — how fast they learn, what they’re naturally bringing to the table,” he says, adding that this includes a “hardwired requirement to serve other people.” This trait, he emphasizes, is non-negotiable for healthcare positions.
Dr. Neal warns that many job seekers pursue healthcare roles for stability or benefits rather than genuine patient care, making it essential to assess motivation early in the hiring process.
Reducing Burnout Through Better Hiring
For practice leaders, staffing challenges often translate into personal burnout. Neal recalls the stress before transforming his team, recalling that “Sunday night was always tough. You go to bed nervous — what am I waking up to Monday morning?”
With a team of high performers, Dr. Neal says, the dynamic changes completely. “You do not have to babysit them… If you have a team where you are the kindergarten teacher and the cat herder, you are looking down the barrel of burnout. It is unavoidable.”
Protecting Culture by Replacing Low Performers
Dr. Neal’s advice for improving workplace culture is straightforward — and often uncomfortable.
“If you want to change the culture of your practice, you start off by letting the lowest performers go,” he says. Low performers can drive away top talent, as “an A player only wants to work with an A player.”
Dr. Neal adds that if high performers have to carry the weight of lower-performing team players, it could lead to attrition. Replacing underperformers with strong candidates not only raises productivity but also protects retention among top staff.
Relinquish Control and Think Differently for Better Outcomes
For practice owners who hesitate to delegate hiring, Dr. Neal recommends the book Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman. He highlights how entrusting capable people with responsibility is not only essential for growth, but also for freeing leaders to focus on higher-level priorities.
“So many times the leaders in the practice are in a tough situation because they don’t want to relinquish any level of control,” he says. “But you want to relinquish a level of control to people who are good at it.”
Above Dr. Neal’s desk is a sign that reads “Think About Things Differently” — with “Differently” printed upside down. He says it’s a constant reminder that new results require a new approach.
“If you continue down the path that you’re on, just know we’re here when you’re ready,” he encourages.
By reimagining hiring through assessments, mindset evaluation and culture protection, practices can build teams that reduce burnout while fostering long-term stability.
Resources:
- Visit the Build My Team website to learn more
- Connect with Dr. Michael Neal on LinkedIn
- Read Rocket Fuel: By Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters - Available on Amazon
- Read Mindset: By Carol Dweck - Available on Amazon
- MGMA Member Exclusive Staffing Playbooks
