Vet Clinic Employer of Choice: VetsOne - Hawke's Bay NZ - Dr Mike Newell - Veterinarian + Director | ep.1012

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Meet Dr Mike Newell, one of VetsOne's three working director-owners and a large animal veterinarian who's spent over 25 years building relationships with Hawke's Bay farming clients.

In this conversation, you'll hear: 

• What it's like being both a practice owner and a working veterinarian
• Why the three directors can make decisions without corporate clunkiness
• How attitude matters far more than skills when building the right team
• Why Dr Mike describes himself as "the one that breaks himself the most" through his mountain biking adventures
• What separates a workplace from a home - and how VetsOne has become the latter

Key Quote: "Skills you can certainly teach people - it's more around that attitude. Hiring and knowing what traits we're looking for in respect of their attitude is the most important thing."

Episode Highlights

On Being an Owner-Operator: Dr Mike explains the unique challenge of wearing two hats - making strategic decisions as a director while still getting out into the field doing the veterinary work he loves.

On Team Culture: "The biggest thing is actually getting along with other people, being able to talk to your peers about certain cases and challenges. We all help each other out and that team culture is really, really important."

On What Makes VetsOne Different: Three directors who came from - and still work within - the practice on a daily basis. Decisions come from them entirely, without corporate layers or clunky processes.

On Hiring Philosophy: VetsOne learned through experience that getting the right people means prioritizing attitude over technical skills. Some team members who weren't aligned with the culture have moved on, and the practice is stronger for it.

On Supporting Team Ideas: The directors listen to staff ideas, give them scope to develop plans, and support initiatives like weight loss clinics and palliative care programs that originated from the team.

Why This Matters for Your Clinic

If you're building or rebuilding your clinic culture, Dr Mike's insights about:

• Hiring for attitude over skills alone
• Creating genuine team accountability without hierarchy
• Supporting diverse clinical interests
• Making decisions quickly without corporate bureaucracy

...offer a masterclass in how owner-operators can build something genuinely special.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs