Finding more time in a day in today’s busy world and retaining dynamic team members are two important issues facing medical practices today. Role clarity, technology and process improvement can all help make both issues less daunting. Consider the climate you are creating and the way you lead and empower others.
As a Nebraska-based company, MedLaunch Solutions is fortunate to have grown up with Gallup in our backyard. They have studied strengths for decades and the power of leveraging peoples’ strengths. By following Gallup’s theory, not only are people happier and more productive, but they are healthier, less stressed and able to manage their emotions better both at work and at home.
“Gallup’s data show that simply learning their strengths makes employees 7.8% more productive, and teams that focus on strengths every day have 12.5% greater productivity. Investing in and focusing on employees’ talents boosts employee and customer engagement, according to Gallup’s research, leading to higher levels of performance, profitability, productivity, and greater earnings per share for businesses.” (Gallup Business Journal, 2/20/2014)
The more a manager focuses on leveraging their employees’ natural strengths, such as assigning tasks based on what they naturally enjoy doing, talking to them about what gives them energy and realizing what tasks they complete fast, the more a person excels and the more the employee feels valued.
The strengths-based focus also applies to the manager. If they have good self-awareness and look at the critical functions of their role, they can see where it makes the most sense to spend their time. If there are things that don’t align with his or her strengths, they too can apply this strengths model by delegating to a team member tasks for their development or that they may enjoy, thus freeing up the manager to do other important tasks, maximizing the time in a day.
So, what are you good at? What are your team members good at? It sounds easy but not many people like analyzing themselves or really know how to describe what they excel at professionally. People know what they “do” but ask your team what their talent is and you may be met with silence. Don’t fret, there are several types of tools out there to help identify a team member’s strengths including Gallup’s Strengthsfinder Assessment.
Talking about the results of each other’s assessments can be a great way for you to get to know your staff better, yourself better and improve office dynamics. It can also help you realize that you may have some gaps of skills and abilities that you need to keep in mind next time you make hiring decisions. Strong practices have a diverse set of talents and strengths. Lastly, it also gives you a common language to use with each other when having performance talks, meetings or when you are looking at who needs to be assigned particular tasks and projects.
Think about it – don’t you want a happier, heathier more engaged staff to help you grow your practice? Don’t you want to have your patients interact with staff that is positive and proud to be a part of your team?
Having a strong practice with engaged employees makes it fun and easy for us to market. If you want to learn more, contact MedLaunch Solutions and for more resources, check out the Gallup website at: https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com/Home/en-US/CliftonStrengths-Resources-Learning
