A practice is as successful as each of its members is interested in contributing to its success. An individual is as successful as he or she actually contributes to the success of his or her group. Therefore, we can safely assume that in order to expand, succeed and thrive in today’s crazy, overly competitive environment, we all need to abide by agreed upon principles of GROUP ATTITUDE.
These principles are contained in a “code of conduct” for a practice.
“Code of conduct: A set of conventional principles and expectations that are considered binding on any person who is a member of a particular group.” (from: dictionary.com).
A Code of Conduct for the practice is a written document that describes the practice’s rules, principles, values, and expectations of group members’ behavior. A Code of Conduct should definitely be included in your Practice Policy Manual and should be reviewed from time to time with the team at your weekly or monthly meetings.
Team members will agree with it because they see that it helps obtain optimal solutions to problems or challenges that they face – individually and as part of a group. Compliance with this Code by all is a matter of survival for the practice.
Here are some excerpts from our full Code of Conduct:
Code of Conduct for Our Practice
- Honesty. The first quality required of all in our practice is honesty.There is nothing that can hurt a group and its members more than dishonesty. Lies, false reports and improper interpretation of actual facts can be extremely damaging to any practice. It is expected that everyone in our group be honest, straightforward, and accountable. Only then can we have fun and get things done.
- Basic concept of relationship. Definition of Golden Rule: “A general rule for how to behave that says you should treat people the way you would like other people to treat you.”(From Merriam-Webster dictionary). It is thus expected that everyone in our group applies this Golden Rule.
- Office Politics. Our group holds a “zero tolerance” policy regarding office politics. If you hear anyone saying negative or derogatory things about a fellow group member, you should remind that person of this code of conduct and invite her/him to directly talk with the concerned group member.
- Negativism. There is no room in our group for negativism – negative comments, negative attitude, etc. There is enough negativism outside; let the competition deal with it. We deal with positivism – positive comments, positive suggestions, good news, etc. It might seem childish, but only positivism guarantees a bright future. When you see or hear someone being negative about things, remind her of this code of conduct. And do something positive about it.
- Inspiration. Everyone needs inspiration. In our group, we reward it. Each group member can be a source of inspiration for all others and should never be prevented from being it. Do not hesitate to give your viewpoint on things, to share your ideas and opinions on how things can be improved. Innovation is always nurtured by inspiration. We constantly welcome new ideas, even if challenging, provided they are positive challenges – not blunt or damaging criticism.
- Responsibility. Everyone in the group is responsible for the success of the group. This might sometimes mean that if you observe any illegal or damaging activity in the group, you should be able to require correction of it and, if not successful, to report it to your Management. One should not be afraid of hurting another to protect his/her group.
- Make it go right. Similarly, you are fully responsible for your job and your area. “Make it go right” is the norm for all of us. When something goes wrong, see what you can do to make it go right – do not wait for someone else to handle it. Don’t blame others for any difficulties you may face on the job. If it is your job you should be able to handle it. Request help only when you have tried first.
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If you would like a free copy of the whole code that we have prepared for our clients, click the button below or call us at 416-466-6217
Note also that you and your team may add even more agreements to the code for your practice. Put this into practice and have fun with it.
