Having perfect staff is a dream that most practice owners have. But dream on! There may come a day when people are all perfect (and even bosses might get there too one day) but we’re not there yet. However, how close we can get to perfection in the whole team becomes the game and the challenge.
Purpose of the Practice
The bottom line with a practice is that one of its main purposes for existing is to give ideal care to every patient or client who walks in the door. Starting with that premise, we can then look at our actions inside the practice and see if they align with that ideal.
Let’s start off by assuming that the ideal staff would care very much about achieving the above purpose and would want to do their best. When they first joined the team they were probably full of interest and excitement and desire to do well.
Creating Ideal Team Days
If the boss comes in to work grumpy or irritated, that can bring the whole team down and set a bad tone for the whole day. If, instead, he or she would stop outside the door of the practice and causatively take a deep breath and decide that today is going to be a great day and put on their game face and then enter the practice cheerfully, that could create an ideal day.
Actors can do this when they have a migraine and have to go on stage and do a comedy routine and make you laugh. Therefore anyone and everyone on the team can do that and needs to for the sake of not bringing the other team members down and for the sake of the patients or clients more specifically
Mutual Cooperation and Inspiration
Attitude toward new ideas and changes that could improve the practice by the whole team can forward the progress or slow everything down to the dark ages. There are staff who actually refuse to comply to direct orders from the practice owner, such as to get to know their computer system tools better (as an actual example). Likewise, there are bosses who close their ears to suggestions and sometimes really excellent ideas from staff who truly care about the practice and want it to grow.
Avoiding Drudgery
Whether a boss or a staff member, showing up for work everyday with no overall game plan or excitement can become a drudgery and you can all start to feel like the walking dead. Coping day in and day out with no hope for things getting better can eventually pull the whole team down and may even tear it apart. Make a game plan with a reward at the end of it. Get everyone on board with it and work toward it day by day. Discuss progress and possible revisions and any wins at least once a week at the staff meeting.
Create some fun, put your game faces on and inspire your patients or clients by your positive, winning attitudes.
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