What is the difference between one practice that has over-stressed employees and the practice that runs smoothly with a happy staff? The answer is: Leadership.
Leadership begins with you, the doctor/owner. Your staff wants to do a great job. They want to wake up in the morning and feel good about going to work. They rely on you to give them the knowledge they need in order to take charge of their position. The bottom line, they need direction.
Direction starts with training. Most offices do not spend enough time training their staff. Training shows your team how you want things done and eliminates the guessing game. No one can read your mind. Many doctors get frustrated with their staff because they don’t do things the way you want them done. Your frustration leads to a disgruntled team, which leads to a stressed-out staff.
Training requires a guide, a manual, or a complete job description of the position’s daily requirements. This is not a to do list, but rather a step-by-step cookbook on how to do every aspect of one’s job.
For example, complete written out phone scenarios that helps a team member answer the most common questions a patient may ask when calling the office. It includes everything everyone does in the entire office. However, most importantly, the guide includes the practice’s philosophy, also known as the mission statement. This tells the staff how you want your patients to be treated by every team member.
Training is only one part, though a huge part, of the team management process. It also includes:
- Proper communication between you and your staff.
- Goal setting and setting up incentives to achieve these goals.
- Effective team meetings to keep your staff focused.
- Building your team’s spirit with trust and growth through continuing education programs and promotions.
Whatever your office goals are, you need great staff, and you need to lead this staff. The most productive use of your time will be encouraging and motivating staff. Top Practices provides the resources to make you a great leader. Leaders are not born, they are made.
~Coach Peter