The following are key actions that you could take to bring about a more cohesive and productive practice:
- Communicate Your Goals
Determine the goals, purpose and mission of your practice. Communicate them to your staff. Keep them informed of the programs you intend to implement to achieve your goals. A well-informed staff will have greater understanding and will be more likely to contribute to the forward motion.
- Use Effective Communication Tools
These tools include (1) written requests or proposals, office memos and policies and (2) the use of an effective communication relay system. Your office manager can keep them in place, but you, as the senior executive, must also reinforce them. Respond to written communication swiftly. People become less willing to communicate when they don’t receive a reply within a reasonable period of time.
- Hold Staff Meetings Regularly
It is vital to hold staff meetings once per week. They are one of the most valuable opportunities you have to educate staff, set goals and targets, and handle problem areas. Staff meetings are run most effectively if you and your office manager meet prior to the staff meeting to plan and coordinate the issues to be addressed. Together, you should continually strive to effect strong coordination and leadership for the staff. Any problems or disagreements between you should always be addressed and handled outside of the staff meeting and should never be addressed in the presence of staff.
- Set Targets and Quotas
When setting targets and quotas, it is advisable to plan in advance of your staff meeting. Confront your production level from the week/month prior and how much can realistically be produced within the upcoming week/month, with expansion in mind. Realistically look at what CAN be done. Then discuss it with everyone in the staff meeting. Bring your graphs to the meeting and keep the staff informed as to how the group is doing in approaching their goals.
- Elicit Staff Member Responsibility
The more each staff member takes responsibility for the office as a whole, the better your office will perform. It is very helpful to have each staff member come to the staff meeting prepared to contribute. You should support your office manager’s efforts to show the staff the importance of this format and to gain staff compliance. Your goal as an executive should be to show the staff how to take on more responsibility and how to contribute to the creativity, growth and expansion of the practice.
- Implement Written Policy
To engender practice stability, there should be a written policy to govern each and every activity in the practice. The office manager can be very helpful in policy development but needs to know exactly what your intentions are. He/she can and should suggest areas where policy is needed. Staff should also be encouraged to propose policy via the office manager.
Questions or Comments?