A Practice Owner’s Greatest Leadership Responsibility

Medical Practice Leadership: Hiring

The greatest responsibility a practice owner and manager has is to hire the best. Once hired the responsibility shifts to training, development, and accountability for adhering to what they’ve learned.

You can argue that business development, marketing, and client relations are as important, if not more important, than hiring. However, great people doing great work, and in a manner that reflects the values and priorities of the practice will become the reason your practice grows.

Great people will develop relationships with clients, treat them as you expect, and elicit their loyalty. They will be the reason your clients refer friends, family, and coworkers. Because of the work your team does, the services you offer, and the products you recommend, your clients will be a walking billboard for your business.

Researchers tell us that most of our employee’s talents and abilities are not utilized to their fullest potential. Therefore, they are not fully engaged at work. Many do not feel as if they are involved in challenging and meaningful work.

We know that the most productive employees are those that are the most engaged. These employees are passionate about the work they do and the organization’s purpose. Truth be told, we all seek that kind of relationship with our work. We all want to wake up excited about the work we do and feel as if we are making a difference. None of us want to be stuck in a dead-end job that causes us stress and anxiety on Sunday night because we are dreading Monday morning.

If we know that the happiest and most productive employees are those that are doing meaningful work, why are most people working in jobs that are the exact opposite? We know business is about profit, but business should also be about helping our team become better people through the work they do.

I equate the concept of doing good for our people to what we've all heard from flight attendants a million times when they run through their instructions before takeoff. When the oxygen mask falls you need to first take care of yourself before you take care of anyone else. The same is true in business. If employers don't first take care to ensure their people are engaged in meaningful work that they find truly motivating the business will ultimately struggle to achieve its goals and realize its purpose.

If you want to grow your practice focus first on the hiring process. Be sure you know how to find, interview, and hire the best. Build compensation programs around each employee’s interests and motivators. Train and develop each employee so that they can perform as expected. Then grow them.

It is also up to you to know their aspirations. Know the position they hope to achieve within the practice and help them reach that goal. Hold them accountable. Hold candid conversations with multiple opportunities and channels to obtain feedback. Reward and recognize for work that goes above and beyond.

Do these things and you just might find that your practice grows more rapidly than ever before. You might also find that managing the business becomes a lot easier and complaints from clients much fewer.

Randy Stepp is a principal with Renaissance Leadership Group. RLG is a full-service business development company driven by Purpose, Passion, and Strategy and the goal of helping entrepreneurs realize their vision for their business.

Visit Renaissance Leadership Group at www.renaissanceleadershipgroup.com to learn more.