One of the best hires I ever made asked me:

One of the best hires I ever made asked me:

"Are you a good doctor?"

I was interviewing candidates for a new coordinator position. Standard process—reviewing resumes, asking about experience, checking references.

Then Judy walked in.

After I'd asked her the usual questions, she stopped and said, "Can I ask you something?"

I said sure.

She looked at me directly and asked, "Are you a good doctor?"

I told her confidently that yes, I was.

She smiled and said, "𝗢𝗸𝗮𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁—𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆?"

We both laughed. She had a point—surgeons do have fragile egos sometimes.

But I hired her on the spot.

That one question told me everything I needed to know. She wasn't intimidated by authority. She understood personalities. She could handle the pressure of working with someone who demanded excellence.

Judy became one of my closest colleagues and helped build our program from the ground up.

The best candidates interview you as much as you interview them.

They ask tough questions because they're evaluating whether you're worth their time and talent. Most people hire for skills and experience. I now hire for 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁.

You can teach systems and processes.

You can't teach someone to think strategically or handle pressure. The right hire doesn't just fill a position—they multiply your capabilities.

This is one of the frameworks I teach physicians who want to scale beyond just seeing more patients. Building the right team isn't optional—𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.