“No company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.”
Jack Welch, former CEO Boeing
There is a direct relationship between motivation, skill, and the outcomes achieved in your practice.
One doctor we work with told me that, after being in practice for over 30 years, he is now getting better results than ever before. I have watched him continue to train, study, and practice his skills over the years. As a result, he feels he is on a whole new level of expertise. He has discontinued most of his external marketing efforts. He routinely sees 100 visits per day and has brought in another doctor to help.
But you, as the doctor, are only ½ of the equation. The other half is your staff. Even if you are the best in your state, if your team is not equally as skilled and motivated in their areas, the quality and quantity of your services will be impacted.
You want everyone on your team to be professionals on the road to becoming experts.
They may not know that this is what is expected. Perhaps they consider their job is, well, just a job. Some doctors refer to their staff members as secretaries or girls. I know! The early 1960’s still lingers.
A Big Shift from Employee to Expert
Make a shift in how your employees view themselves and how you view them as well.
I have been recommending to doctors that when they interview potential employees, they let them know that in 1 year, they are expected to give part of the lay lecture to patients on health care.
I also recommend that staff study and report what they learned at staff meetings. This lets them know that they ARE professionals, should be knowledgeable and need to take responsibility for what they know.
Also, teaching is another approach to learning, as in the adage: “To teach is to learn twice.”
To stress the importance of training, I sometimes ask a staff member to answer some basic questions about chiropractic when I am at a team meeting. For example, I might ask them to define “subluxation,” or “what are the effects of a subluxation,” or what does “pain is the last to show and the first to go” mean? Often, the staff member stumbles or can’t answer. After a tense moment, I lower my head and look at the doctor. Then, I help the staff member with the answer so they don’t feel bad.
I teach a specialized exercise program part-time. Have for years. I have learned that the student’s performance is directly linked to how well I have taught them.
Your Employees are Your Students
Your employees are your students. This is often overlooked by clinic owners and here is why: they are focused on just 2 roles — doctor and owner/entrepreneur.
However, there is a 3rd role most doctors are reluctant to fulfill, which is the manager or CEO.
As CEO, you are responsible for the training and coaching of your team and hence, their performance. This is a style of management sometimes called Servant Leadership or Servant Management.
You want and really need an expert support team. A team of experts support the doctors will greatly improve the quality and quantity of services and make your life much easier. To achieve this, you’ll need to take on the CEO role. At first, this may seem to add extra work to your already busy week. But in time, things improve.
Done right, you will have a Goal Driven Practice driven by a Goal Driven Team. Still, there are real barriers to becoming a Practice CEO and creating a support team of Goal Driven experts.
Look for our new program in 2023 where I will teach the Fast Flow CEO System as part of several Goal Driven trainings for next year.
And if you haven’t purchased The Goal Driven Business yet, do so. Required reading!
Seize your Future,
Ed
If you are interested in being part of a limited number of offices trained in Goal Driven Management and the Fast Flow CEO System, click here for updates in the months to come.[ special email category]