September 2014

Engaging Success Part III!

This month we will cover the final three strategies to help you get your team engaged and bridge the gap between potential and performance! Just in case you missed the last two newsletters… here are the statistics to support why getting your team engaged is not fluff stuff! It’s how I help teams nationwide create a happy, healthy and high performing culture!

2013 Gallup Polls show 70% of Americans are not engaged at work! Which equals about 2/3rds of the team in an average dental practice. The downfall of not engaging your team:

•  22% Loss of Profitability
• 21% Loss of Productivity
• 45% More Turnover
• 48% More Team Safety Incidents
• 37% More Absenteeism
• 41% More Patient Safety Incidents
• 41% Less Quality of Care

Open to Opinions

We encourage open communication to allow everyone to voice their opinions pertaining to the patients and the practice.   Doctors, managers and team members are often surprised when a co-worker who never participates starts speaking up at our workshop.  I have often found that when a team member doesn’t speak up it’s because they feel they have been shot down in the past.  They believe their opinion didn’t count so they stopped sharing.  When team members feel their opinion is welcomed and valuable they become more engaged.

Everyone on the team has the right to express their opinion and be heard without being criticized or made to feel stupid.  Instead share constructive feedback with the team member why you feel it may or may not work.  Being open to opinions means we at least consider the idea.  Considering a team member’s input can often lead to better decision-making.  This is because the team members are often the ones directly doing the task, process or service and understand the limitations as well as the possibilities.  When team members feel they are involved in decisions, they take greater ownership for the outcomes.  Ownership is a sign they are engaged!       

Constructive Feedback

We actually schedule feedback time with team members. If we don’t schedule the time chances are it won’t happen. Many offices schedule annual employee performance reviews. Meeting and discussing progress, achievements and goals on an annual basis is not enough to get engagement. How engaged or involved would you be in a relationship where you only had a deeper conversation once a year?

What works well is a quick (5 to 10 minute) monthly or quarterly Checkup with the manager or doctor touching base on their progress, achievements and goals. Questions to ask are:

• What where your goals for this period?
• What accomplishments would you like to celebrate?
• What are your goals or projects for the next period?
• How can I best support you?

We also establish an open door meeting policy where team members can request to schedule time as needed.  Scheduling time helps avoid constant interruptions and creates a more focused agenda.  Giving timely constructive feedback will help keep your team engaged.

Opportunity for Personal and Professional Growth

We create opportunities for every team member to continue to challenge themselves to learn and grow both in their personal and professional life.  We ask them to create a list of topics they would like to learn more about in the next year at their annual review.  The doctor/manager also add topics to the list based on what they feel will benefit the team member most.  Together the team member and doctor/manager prioritize the list and agree on completion dates.  The progress is reviewed at their monthly or quarterly Checkup meeting.     

We also start a monthly book club in the practice focused on personal growth.  Everyone on the team is asked to participate in suggesting books.  Great books for team meeting discussions are the Simple Truths books at www.simpletruths.com.  Or my book Rise & Shine and soon my next book Ta-Dah, www.practicesolutionsinc.net/book.html!  The book is discussed at the team meeting.  Lengthier books can be discussed in chapters.  There is open dialogue on the benefits and how it can be applied in the practice as well as their personal life.  Creating the opportunity to learn and grow will help to keep your team excited and engaged.

Engage your team by being open to opinions, giving timely constructive feedback and creating an opportunity to learn and grow!

Contact Judy Kay today if you would like to learn more about how she can help you get your team ENGAGED and WORKING together to build a happy healthy and high performing culture!