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PRACTICE TIPS & TRICKS Go-Getters vs Gunna's: How to Hire and Hang Out With Go-Getters

By: Neil Baum, MD, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana | Posted on: 15 Jan 2025

Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.

Attributed to Salvador Dalí

There are 2 types of people: the go-getters and the gunna’s. The go-getters are those who have a clear vision of setting out to do something, giving it their all, and accomplishing it. They are the first to arrive for a meeting or at work and the last to leave at the end of the day. They are the ones when given a task who declare that they will do it and not going to try to get it done. The go-getters are the ones you want to hire and have on your team or in your practice.

On the other hand, the gun­na’s are the ones who are gunna get around to doing what is asked of them. They are the ones who have excuses and reasons why they didn’t do what is asked of them. They are the ones who declare that they will try and do what is asked or expected of them.

Who do you want on your team, the go-getters or the gunna’s? This blog will provide you with sugges­tions for identifying the go-getters and how to include them in your practice or on your team.

Go-Getters Think Big

They have visions of themselves making great accomplishments. They have lofty goals, and they genuinely believe that they can achieve them. When interview­ing a potential go-getter, ask him/ her where they want to be 5 and 10 years after they are accepted as an employee. Ask them how many goals they have already achieved.

Go-Getters Are Visible From First Thing in the Morning and at the End of the Day

Arriving before everyone else and leaving after the others have departed is not a pithy adage. It marks the behavior of a go-getter. Ask a potential employee about their last job and what was their typical day like; when did they start the day and when did their day end? When doing a reference check, ask previous employers about the arrival and departure of the employee. This one character attribute will tell you about the dis­cipline of the potential hire.

Go-Getters Keep Score and Reward Themselves

Yes, it would be nice if your em­ployees received daily or regular accolades about their performance. But this is not likely to happen. Consequently, it is go-getters who recognize their own accomplish­ments and give themselves a pat on the back and not wait for others to acknowledge their success and achievements.

There’s a story about Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Con­nor who had a sign in her cham­bers that said, “If you want a pat on the back, lean here!” I am sure that is why Sandra Day O’Connor was surrounded by go-getters not wait­ing for verbal compliments.

Go-Getters Have Passion and Fire in Their Bellies

Very little can be accomplished if there is a lack of excitement about the job or the project. It is helpful when trying to identify a go-getter to ask what they are passionate about. If there is no re­sponse, you may be interviewing a gunna! Go-getters are passionate about what they do and are excit­ed to work on something they care about.

Go-Getters Are Curious

At the end of the interview, ask the interviewee if they have any questions. If the answer is no that they don’t have any further ques­tions, this is an indicator that they have little curiosity and are proba­bly going to be a gunna and do the minimum amount of work. If, how­ever, they have done their home­work, did some research about the practice on Google, looked at the walls of the office manager or the doctor where the interview takes place and ask questions about one of the diplomas, the artwork, or even the mounted deer head on the wall, then you have learned about the level of curiosity of the poten­tial new employee.

Go-Getters Are Appreciative

If you receive a thank you note in a timely fashion from the in­terviewer, especially if it is hand­written, you are likely to identify an employee who will be nice to patients, physicians, and fellow staff members. Failure to receive a thank you note is a sign of self-im­portance and lack of appreciation, that is, you have discovered a gunna!

Bottom line: Good employees are hard to find especially in this sellers’ marketplace. Ideally, you would like to have a staff of all go-getters. By reviewing a few of these characteristics, I think you can identify the go-getters. Re­member, go-getters will get you to the top; gunna’s will give you a me­diocre practice, at best.

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