It can be hard to motivate a group of people to work hard. When it comes to working in an oral surgery practice every day, administrators and clinicians need to stay upbeat and ready to tackle the day.
Here are a few ways to encourage a team to stay positive:
1. Create a vision
Set a clear vision as to what the oral practice is attempting to achieve. Are you taking care of patients, eliminating malpractice, and eliminating pain in clients? Then write it out for everyone to know and see.
Being on the same page as a team is imperative and speaks volumes about you, your team, your oral surgery practice, and the industry.
2. Set goals
When you have something to towards, you work harder.
Do you want to see more patients?
Do you want to serve them better?
Do you want to reduce the likelihood of malpractice?
These are all good goals to work towards. Remember to use SMART goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
An example of a SMART goal: “We want to serve X amount of patients within the next 3 months.”
Then keep a tally on a board for everyone to see.
3. Review goals often and celebrate successes
Keep the goals up for everyone to see (along with the vision) to review often. Put it on the community board, have someone send an email every day, or announce it as the day starts/ends. A continuous reminder of the goal will encourage productivity and focus.
4. celebrate and Reward team
As you complete goals, celebrate! Offer a bonus, a free catered lunch, a day off, or something else that encourages motivation and hard work.
You may have to change it up to keep it fresh.
5. Give positive and constructive feedback
After a period of 3 months (or whatever time you predetermine), have one-on-one meetings with your staff to gauge how they’re doing. Tell them positive ways they’re working with the team and areas they can improve. Include more positives than negatives.
6. View “problems” as “opportunities”
It’s inevitable that you and your practice will run into issues. Encourage your team to view them as “opportunities.” This is when innovation happens.
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
-Albert Einstein
BONUS: Maintain momentum
The teams with momentum push through problems without blinking. Bad morale can’t stay around when a team is working together — and gathering momentum — to achieve a specific goal.
How to KEEP the momentum:
- Keep a shared list of positive things done in the office
- Do small acts of kindness as the boss
- Give public recognition for good things
How to KILL the momentum:
- Using the word “but…” “That’s a great idea, but…” (Try to use the word “and” instead — even though this is improper grammar)
- The leader doesn’t believe in the practice anymore
- When team members and administrators are not being developed
Keeping your team organized and efficient is a great way to maintain motivation. Consider MaxilloSoft for your oral surgery practice. Click here for a demo.