Getting your team excited about practice growth

As the leader of your practice, positioning your business for future success is your responsibility–but without the help of your team, achieving your goals will be an uphill battle. Here’s are some ideas for getting your staff excited about realizing your practice vision.

Step one: Identify practice strengths as a team

Employees want to feel their input is both welcome and valued. The more involved you get your team in strategic planning, the more motivated they will be to see the plan through. Schedule a roundtable meeting to discuss what makes your practice special and unique. Pinpoint what brings new patients into your office and what makes them stay. Identify each of your strengths and then brainstorm ideas for building upon them.

Step two: Relate identified strengths to your business plan

Next, share your business plan for the coming year with your team and work together to match the growth ideas from step one with the goals outlined in the business plan. Determine how the opportunities for improvement identified by your team can be best applied to support your plan.

Step three: Fill in the gaps

Ask team members to pair up or work in small groups to make a list of additional resources that may be required to accomplish all the goals outlined in your plan. Resources could be new equipment, additional staff, an increased marketing budget or improvements to the office. Come back as a group to share and discuss. Rank which investments and tools will be most helpful in achieving growth initiatives.

Step four: Set targets and deadlines together

As a group, decide on a target date for the completion of each practice-wide goal laid out in your plan. Appoint a goal leader to be personally responsible for making sure every necessary task is completed to achieve that goal. Set the date for follow-up meetings where you will get back together to discuss progress and revise tasks and strategies as necessary.

Step five: Post it in writing

Once the plan is complete, be sure to print and post physical copies of your practice vision, goal targets and necessary tasks. A visible reference to the results of your meetings is important for keeping everyone on the same page.

Step six: Provide praise along the way

Make a concerted effort to recognize both individual and team successes along the way. The more staff feel their actions are noticed and appreciated, the more they will continue to be motivated. Celebrating your wins sets the stage for future excitement over setting new targets and goals.