Not everyone is a natural-born business leader, but leadership is a skill that can be developed. Following are five strategies from Michael Edgley, business consultant and facilitator at HPWP Consulting, that can help you hone your skills and lead your team to better patient care and improved practice growth.
1. Focus on development, not tasks. Leaders at all levels tend to spend the majority of their time completing and “checking the boxes” of their administrative tasks. But you must also focus on training, developing and inspiring your team members to perform at their very best. When you focus on developing employees’ skills, the result is improvement in every metric.
2. Engage and involve team members. Do you ever think or say things like “I wish the team were more engaged”? The question high performance leaders ask is, “How can I involve the team to make our business better”? When problems arise, turn to your staff to find solutions. When you involve people in decision making and problem solving, they become committed to the success of the project versus just compliant.
3. Communicate more openly. If you want to be a better leader, start with how you communicate and share information. Leaders who are open and direct about the challenges facing the business often see their employees step up to help solve problems.
4. Set high expectations. People are capable of far more than we expect of them and, when challenged, they will do more. If you consistently challenge your employees and convey your heartfelt belief in their abilities, they will rise to the occasion.
5. Get to know your team. There is nothing that devalues a person more than feeling like they are just a number. If you want to be a more impactful leader and create a more positive environment, invest some time in getting to know your team. Start by having one-on-one meetings where you ask team members to share what is on their minds. This is an opportunity to listen, ask questions and get to know people on a deeper level, creating bonds of trust.
