As a doctor, you wear many hats, but perhaps none more important than the one of team leader. You may have a practice manager or designated employees that lead specific departments, but, at the end of the day, you will determine how your team performs. Team management may truly be one of the most difficult areas of practice ownership. When do you have the time to hold meetings, resolve conflict, hire/fire employees, and develop your staff? In fact, the greatest challenge of all might be performing these tasks when you are experiencing symptoms of burnout or exhaustion. The need for more information on this topic was brought up in one of our recent advisory board meetings and we are happy to try to help. Read on to learn the two most important things you can do to build staff teamwork and unity in your practice! Tell your team where they are going
A wise person once said, "If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else." We have talked about setting goals quite a bit in these emails because they are not only important to the success of your practice, but also to your team. As residents of the Southeastern United States, this is something we should understand well. When July 15th rolls around, many of us will become less productive at the office because we will turn our focus to the SEC Media Days to hear our favorite football coaches talk about their teams and upcoming goals for the football season. Each and every year, they all say the same thing: Our goal is to win the SEC Championship. Every team in the SEC knows this is where they are headed and the same should be said for each staff member of our practices. Your team is your practice. What do you want it to achieve? The Society for Human Resource Management notes that, "High-performing teams are synergistic social entities that work toward the achievement of a common goal or goals-short-term and long-term... Each member must understand and support the meaning and value of the team's mission and vision. Clarifying the purpose and tying it to each person's role and responsibilities enhances team potential, as does the inclusion of "stretch" goals that increase the challenge necessary to motivate team members." Your overarching business goals should be broken down on the individual level and tied together so that each member of your team can clearly see how their role not only helps achieve the goals of the practice, but also affects other team members. Invest in your team both individually and professionally In our recent piece on hiring, we noted 73% of job candidates are passive-which means that they are currently employed and looking for a better offer. Statistically speaking, you probably employ at least one passive job-seeker and the danger here is that these individuals are not engaged in their role, which causes dips in both productivity and customer service. Showing potential employees that your practice is "more than a job" is important and this is also true for your current team. In order to establish teamwork and unity within the walls of your practice, you must offer more than a competitive salary or hourly wage. On the professional side, investing in your team by paying for educational opportunities, giving them more responsibility and acknowledging success in the office, celebrating the achievement of team goals and not skimping on employee benefits is a great start, but even this isn't enough. You must also care about the whole person and make sure you are helping them thrive as individuals outside of work. This means offering flexible hours, extended vacation time, and celebrating personal events in order to build a more cohesive unit. Investing in your team will create a better work environment by improving camaraderie, attracting better hires, lowering internal complaints, and raising the level of customer service offered to patients. It may seem counterintuitive, but sacrificing more for the sake of your practice's culture will also increase your revenue and profitability. Conclusion It isn't hard to come up with great ideas that will build teamwork and unity. You could probably think of 20 in addition to the ones listed above. The challenge with leadership is consistency. You have to communicate your vision for the practice each and every day and come up with innovative ways to engage your staff while simultaneously caring for patients. This isn't easy and can be exhausting, but it pales in comparison to the difficulty of trying to manage a staff that can't work together. Improving teamwork in any business starts at the top and it won't happen with one meeting with your staff. Once you establish and set your goals and implement unique ways to invest in your team, it will be time to sit down, review your progress, and start over. Building a great team within your practice is an ongoing process and requires continuous leadership from the top.
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11/6/2023 12:38:14 am
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AuthorThe staff and doctors at VisionAmerica are committed to providing relevant information for you, your patients and your practice. We hope you find the information in our blog post helpful. Archives
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