By Heather Gunn McQuillan
Why trust, communication, and motivation—not just talent—are the real drivers of workplace success
Veterinary teams don’t struggle because they lack skill. They struggle because they are human.
Even in the most purposeful workplaces, conflict appears due to communication styles, decision-making, workload, priorities, and the hundred unseen pressures of life in practice. And while conflict is inevitable, toxicity is not. When teams learn how to understand themselves and each other—what motivates them, what triggers them, and how they show up under stress—everything changes:
✔ teamwork becomes easier
✔ communication becomes clearer
✔ morale climbs
✔ turnover decreases
✔ patient care improves
One of the most effective tools for creating this transformation is the Strength Deployment Inventory® (SDI)—a globally-recognized, research-supported assessment that measures an individual’s motivational system both in collaboration and in conflict.
And when veterinary teams learn the SDI with someone who understands their world… the results are extraordinary.
The Moment Everything Changed — A Story of Team Transformation
When I stepped into the role of Teaching Hospital Director in 2015, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital was bracing for a tidal wave of change. We were preparing to move from a fully paper-based system to a new digital medical record system — a monumental shift for a hospital already operating at high capacity. At the same time, we were up for accreditation, and the collective agreement was due for negotiation and tensions were high. Stress wasn’t an occasional visitor; it had fully taken up residence.
Little cracks began to show. Communication was strained. Conflict surfaced more quickly and resolved more slowly. Everyone was working hard, but the team was no longer thriving — we were surviving.
That was the moment I realized we needed help. Not another policy. Not another meeting. Something deeper.
We decided to bring in a facilitator to administer the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI). I didn’t know it then, but that decision would fundamentally reshape the culture of our hospital.
Nearly 100 staff members — technicians, clinicians, assistants, and receptionists — took the SDI and participated in the two days of training. We actually shut the hospital down so that everyone could participate. And unanimously, every single participant reported that it was valuable for them. The transformation was powerful.
For many, the SDI illuminated how they preferred to communicate, what drove them, and why conflict felt so personal. People started recognizing that disagreements weren’t rooted in malice — they were rooted in motivation. We began to see each other with new understanding, curiosity, and compassion.
For me, the experience was humbling and profoundly eye-opening.
As Hospital Director, I discovered I was wired differently than almost everyone that I was leading. The intention behind my communication wasn’t what people were receiving. I wasn’t connecting the way I thought I was. And I could suddenly see it — with startling clarity.
The SDI gave me the insight that I desperately needed:
If I wanted to lead effectively, I needed to shift my approach. I needed to speak to the motivations of my team, not simply rely on the motivation within myself. I needed to listen differently. I needed to use empathy more intentionally. I needed to connect before I directed.
So I changed.
And those small changes sparked big results:
- Communication became easier, even during difficult conversations.
- Conflict became something we could navigate, not avoid.
- People felt valued, not tolerated.
- The hospital didn’t just survive that period of change — we thrived through it.
The SDI didn’t just give us a tool.
It gave us a shared language.
It gave us understanding.
It gave us the ability to see — and appreciate — the best in one another.
That experience reshaped how I lead, how I collaborate, and how I show up in a team setting to this day. And it is why I am so passionate about bringing the power of SDI to veterinary teams everywhere. I became an SDI facilitator in 2018 and we embedded the SDI in the pre-clinical curriculum from 2019 until 2024 at AVC. I know the SDI works and is a powerful tool for supporting workplace culture and teamwork.
Why the SDI Works
The SDI, rooted in Relationship Awareness Theory, goes beyond personality labels. It identifies:
🔹 What drives you when things are going well (your Motivational Value System)
🔹 What drives you when you’re under stress (your Conflict Sequence)
🔹 How strengths become over-done strengths in conflict
🔹 How your behaviour is perceived—versus what you intended
This insight helps build empathy, communication fluency, and deep psychological safety—the foundation of high-performing teams.
Rather than teaching generic conflict management skills, the SDI teaches individuals how to tailor communication to the motivational needs of the person across from them.
Teams learn how to speak the language of people, performance, process, or perspective—depending on what matters most to the listener.
Where the SDI transforms veterinary teams
In veterinary hospitals and teaching environments, the SDI hits the heart of real-world challenges, including:
🐾 friction between staff or with clients
🐾 leadership breakdowns in busy ER and GP settings
🐾 resentment around workload or “fairness”
🐾 stress as new grads develop autonomy
🐾 miscommunication during patient hand-offs
🐾 performance conversations and coaching
🐾 generational differences and training philosophies
When teams understand their own motivations and the motivations of others, they stop assuming, stop judging—and start collaborating.
Why Dr. Heather Gunn McQuillan is the facilitator veterinary teams ask for
Many people can teach the SDI. Very few can translate it into the realities of veterinary medicine.
Dr. Heather Gunn McQuillan is a veterinarian, educator, conflict-communication specialist, mindfulness practitioner, and Certified SDI Facilitator.
Her approach is practical, relational, trauma-informed, and deeply grounded in veterinary culture.
Heather combines:
🔹 clinical and leadership experience across multiple veterinary sectors
🔹 advanced conflict-mediation and communication training
🔹 more than a decade of supporting veterinarians and teams in wellbeing and collaboration
🔹 a facilitation style that is warm, engaging, and non-judgmental
She has delivered the SDI to over 500 people. Participants consistently report that Heather’s facilitation not only expands self-awareness but immediately improves daily interactions with colleagues, clients, and learners.
What an SDI workshop with AwareVet looks like
A highly engaging, interactive day-long workshop designed to elevate the entire team—not just individuals.
Workshops can be delivered in-person or virtual and are tailored to your team’s needs. Programs commonly include:
💠 Completion of the SDI assessment and personalized CoreStrengths digital report
💠 A structured debrief exploring motivations, conflict responses, and communication styles
💠 Team mapping—visually showing how individuals fit together
💠 Practical conflict-resolution strategies grounded in emotional intelligence
💠 Skills for giving and receiving feedback without defensiveness
💠 Tools to maintain trust and psychological safety long-term
The result?
A shared language for understanding, talking, and working through difficult moments—together.
What teams say after an SDI workshop with Heather
- “Our team finally understood why conflict kept repeating—and we stopped taking things personally.”
- “I’ve never seen a group get this vulnerable this quickly—and in a way that felt safe.”
- “We use the SDI language every day now. It has changed how we talk to each other.”
- “I didn’t know I could feel this connected to my team again.”
If you’re looking for a culture shift that sticks—this is it.
High-performing teams don’t happen by accident. They happen when we intentionally build:
✨ self-awareness
✨ appreciation of others
✨ clarity of communication
✨ respect during conflict
The SDI plants the seeds.
Heather helps teams turn them into lasting change.
And, the SDI is simple and sticky. More than a decade later, Heather still remembers not only her own SDI profile, but the profile of nearly every singly person who took the instrument.
Ready to bring the SDI to your workplace?
Whether you’re a veterinary hospital, academic institution, animal health organization, or corporate group, Heather can tailor a session to match your goals and challenges.
Invest in your people.
Nurture your culture.
Create the team your patients—and your staff—deserve.
AwareVet 
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