Guest post by Gabriel Avila, OD, Abilene TX
My friend told me, “I can tell everything I need to know about a practice and the doctor the minute I walk into an office.”
My friend, who also happens to be a pharmaceutical representative, routinely visits dozens of offices, so I believe him when he says it only takes a minute to evaluate an optometry office. Actually, research shows that patients will generate a lasting impression in less than 10 seconds!
We all want to make a fantastic first impression. But to get there, really, we have to start somewhere else. Staff management and the resulting patient perception are really by-products of something else: how you lead your practice. I know, you’ve heard that before. And yet, it is an inevitable, absolute truth we can’t escape.
Do you want to have a fantastic staff and “wow” new patients? Take a look at the four most common models of leadership. See if you can identify yourself, and perhaps find areas where you can improve in order to create that extraordinary practice experience we all desire.
1. “DO THIS” leadership
I like to call this “instruction manual” leadership. Everything and everyone has a function because the doctor manages by the book. She or he simply tells everyone what to do. This style assumes logic and reason are the factors that determine behavior, and relationships are of little value. The problem here is the head can’t lead if the body doesn’t feel connected.
2. “DO THIS OR ELSE” leadership
This type of leadership is of the “RoboCop” flavor–Do this or I’ll fire you. A boss motivates employees by keeping them at proverbial gunpoint. There are two benefits to this style: Number one, staff are task-oriented and the jobs gets done. Number two, you get to meet a lot of new people because staff don’t hang around long. Staff morale is on par with prison camp.
3. “DO THIS TOGETHER” leadership
Togetherness leadership is a fairly common model found in the optometric practice. The doctor holds meetings. Staff are asked for input. There is at least some sense of teamwork and camaraderie. Relationships are valued. It works. In theory, this is not a bad way to go, especially if all ideas are valued equally. The downside is the group is often manipulated because the only ideas that get approval are the ones the doctor has preconceived. It’s not a truly open system where all suggestions are given equal currency.
4. “SELFISH TOGETHERNESS” leadership
Here the doctor has a high degree of personal and relational integrity. He or she has a strong sense of self and vision for the practice. The vision is challenging and personally compelling, and the doctor invites the staff to genuinely share and contribute to that vision. Strong relationships, trust, and openness create an environment where task is tied to purpose and inter-relational connectedness. This last model is the least common–and the most effective.
In our increasingly competitive field of vision care we are pressed to continually work harder, see more patients, and “manage” managed care. That’s why it’s important, now more than ever, to take a step back and re-evaluate your dream for your practice.
What do you desire most for your practice? What do you want the feel and look of your practice to be? Where do you see the practice in 10 years, 15 years? Discover–or rediscover–your spark. Then, during staff meetings, throughout the work day, and as your staff experiences you relating to patients, live that vision in relationship with your staff. This is a highly personal and highly relational endeavor. It is also a model of leadership where you will meet a lot of people. As they experience your practice they will begin saying, “Wow, something is really different about this place.”
That something everyone is noticing. . . is you.
