“I hope she filed that tax return on time.” “Surely she will remember to lock the back door on the way out.” “I wonder if he will remember to call that patient who was upset this morning?” “I’m fairly sure that she will remember to do inventory and place the order today while I’m away, right?” “I know I’m second guessing him, but I really hope he remembers to make the bank deposit and pay the HST payment today.” “The appointment book is not full; should I assume she has done all she should do to fill it up?”
As a boss, your head can be full of these thoughts and worries. Assuming that these things were actually done without any evidence is one side of the pendulum swing, but smothering your team’s initiative and responsibility by micro-managing is the other side. Where is the middle ground?
How can you handle these concerns without seeming to doubt your team members and second guess them all the time? Is micro-managing the answer?
The 4 Pillars for Security and Trust
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Policy manuals, job descriptions and written up protocols.
These are the key foundations upon which a practice is built. They are your “go to” reference when something is not done right, or you don’t know how to do it.
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Training.
You became a good doctor by studying and learning the laws of the universe regarding your profession. Likewise, your staff have training and education. On the job training is also vital to be in tune with what is expected in YOUR practice. Refer to the materials in #1 above.
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Written Orders.
Many a dispute has resulted between boss and team member because he says/she says can be the product of verbally issued orders that didn’t get done or were not the outcome expected. If orders are clearly and explicitly written and include a time frame for completion, they are more likely to result in exactly what you wanted and on time.
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Compliance Reports.
You gave the order in writing, the staff member did it, and …? Did they let you know? Often they didn’t. To finish an action fully, one must report back to the order issuer as to what was done exactly. This is one of the most frequently forgotten steps that will avoid the worry and doubt in the boss and prevent making the staff feel like you are always checking up on them. If they do report back to you consistently, you will not feel that need to micromanage.
Use these 4 Pillars to improve the relationships between you and your team.
You might also like: “Good Boss, Bad Boss”
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