How to Re-Invest in Your Staff and Increase Motivation
One of the most common attributes of high functioning offices is that the entire staff is brought into the practice philosophy and all members are using the same terms and criteria.
This is no accident.
by Dr. Eric Farmer
Why Should We Learn to Communicate Better?
These practices have leadership in the form of a doctor who invests time in the continual training of their team.
At a typical practice, the doctor goes away and learns new things. They come back Monday, physically tired from traveling, mentally tired from learning, and yet excited about what they’ve learned.
The challenge is to find the time to communicate these things in easily digestible bites.
The Active Approach to Focusing and Motivating Your Staff
As doctors focused and motivated to improve ourselves and our team we need to actively listen and make notes in our manuals on things we really want our staff to learn. Then we need to go back to the office and communicate these things.
Make it a priority to have monthly lunches and learn to communicate with your staff. Schedule, for example, the second Tuesday of every month to spend the lunch hour on a specific topic.
“One Thing”: What You Bring Back to Your Team
When I am working a CMS course I learn something new every trip. This spring, an attendee told me a term he uses every morning in his daily huddle: “One Thing.”
He gives his staff “one thing” every day to concentrate on. I loved this idea! It really was my learning highlight of the year. (I get too excited and want to do twenty things.)
But this “one thing” philosophy is probably much more effective in emphasizing individual steps than really providing the motivation for meaningful skills and knowledge development.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” -Lao Tzu
Leadership and time investment in your team is the beginning of that journey. For a long time CMS has had many requests for a team course to get them on board with what CMS educators have learned and what has made such a great difference for us. That time is now and the team courses are being scheduled.
What a great opportunity to help your team achieve greater alignment!
What are your favorite methods for engaging your team? We’d love to hear from you!
Read more of our classic staff-centric blogs, like this one from Dr. Lee Ann Brady on team conversations that stick.
