Elevate Productivity and Revenue with Strong Practice Leaders

For leaders in a practice, redefining how business is done is more important than ever. There are several ways to get involved in the flow and function of daily operations, which will directly affect the team’s output.

First, a regular “floor walk” led by the practice manager is very purposeful as it creates a sense of community and provides a real-time understanding of the flow of the practice. Regular engagement with office staff allows for support and recognition to be given throughout the day, resulting in efficiencies and the creation of a positive work environment.

How do you develop and sustain advanced leadership skills? When I think about what makes a positive and impactful leader, I think about someone who tries to remain present in the moment and understands the power of their actions. Over time, strong leaders actually have the capability to affect other employees and even patients by continually mirroring positive behaviors. There is definitely a correlation between strong leaders in practices, employee retention, and revenue.

When consulting in practices, I’m often asked one of the four questions:

• What do we need to do to improve employee retention?
• How do we keep staff motivated and engaged?
• How do we compensate and incentivize staff?
• How do we increase revenue with our current resources?

To answer these questions, I could offer many tools ranging from courses and programs to models and strategies. Even with all of these tools in place, an office will fall short without a strong practice manager who has the skillset to not only talk about leadership but also embody it, has the ability to pivot plans without losing sight of the goal, proactively thinks three steps ahead of any situation, and understands non-verbal output. Practice managers who have mastered these skills will see increases to the bottom line.

You’re a Practice Manager, So Practice!

First things first: Show up, and act in the present. Get out of the back room and move throughout the practice. I recommend practice managers (and directors) do this at least every two hours for at least 15 minutes at a time (equal to one hour/day).

So, what exactly do you do in these 15 minute periods each day?

Participate. Having direct observation and participation in the events of the practice serves as a way to gauge how the patient and the employee perceive your practice. What this participation looks like can vary, but here are some “live” day-to-day examples: Ringing a patient out, wrapping up a product, answering the phone, stopping in a treatment room to thank a loyal patient, turning over a room, doing a load of laundry, introducing yourself to three patients, stopping into a consult room to credential the physician or provider, or facilitating a tour of the practice for a new patient.

A leader participating in these day-to-day activities truly defines what it is to lead by example. The value of a leader who is physically present and participating in the daily functions of the practice is often overlooked. Your involvement impacts your employees, clients, and ultimately your practice’s revenue and reputation! You can step onto the floor and increase the value of an interaction by offering eye contact, a handshake, adding product knowledge, and credentialing your employees. These are all skills of a poised, confident, and most importantly, a present leader.

Participation is key. Make note of what you see and hear. This will allow you to identify and understand frustrations and wins, have more meaningful team meetings or one-on-ones, and reward and support in the moment. These analytics will not show up in the day’s EMR reports, your P&L, or financial statements. However, observation and participation will directly show how the practice is functioning and allows you to draw conclusions to develop solutions. You will see the impact of those interactions and observations directly reflected in increased revenue and other success measuring metrics over time.

Coaching does not happen behind the door. Rather it hapens through leaders modeling best practices and employees then emulating them. While you walk through the practice, be purposeful in what you emanate—a sense of accountability, support, and positivity.

Stay Accountable. Without being involved physically, you’re not able to model or create a standard of excellence. The presence of a leader is needed to connect and communicate the individual interactions into the bigger picture. You, the leader, drive that. You are responsible for the successes and failures of the practice based on your leadership skills.

3 STRATEGY MODELS to EMPLOY WITH ALL TEAM MEMBERS

Below are three Strategy Models that I designed during my tenure as director of a plastic surgeon’s office. I employ these with practice managers, directors, and team leads to support their professional development so they may grow and lead with you on the floor of the practice. Utilizing these models will help everyone’s transition to the floor be purposeful and direct while adding value to the practice. Top practices across the country value the power of time and manage it wisely by understanding and participating on the floor with their employees.

CEM: Continuing Education Model

Defined: A model put into place to develop and support professional conversations with patients and team members. Scheduled time (I recommend 30 minutes) or during downtime, team members report out on devices/products found in the aesthetic market. They recap three main ideas or objectives and share a relevant article on the topic with the team. My team would print these articles and place them in a designated location in the break room.

Result: Team members become experts in delivering a comprehensive treatment plan based on facts and knowledge while building a strong patient/provider relationship. In addition, professional conversation between team members allows them to elevate each other’s expertise.

Provider Rotation

Defined: A provider activity put in place to support patient and provider relationships. Ideally, this would be executed when a team member has a cancelation or when a provider is looking to expand/fill their schedule.

Example: “Hi my name is Alex. I’m one of the estheticians here who does Microneedling, BBL treatments, and chemicals peels. I wanted to pop in and introduce myself and leave you with some information on X, Y, Z, a product we are featuring for the month—one that I start all my patients with. Here you go.

“Enjoy your treatment with Jamie. She just added to her expertise with a CANS certification and I can tell you, you’re going to love your results.”

Result: Expansion of the business, building the clinic’s reputation and credentials.

Glass Globe

Defined: A behavioral model centered around self-awareness and perception. Glass Globe is a code word used to increase awareness in the moment to maintain professionalism as team members multi-task, such as checking a patient in or out, or bringing a patient back to the room. The value of executing the “glass globe” is that the patient remains the focus throughout their visit.

Example: A new patient walks in the door (approaches the door or at intermittent times). A team member discreetly says “glass globe”—which is a reminder that everyone sits up straight, makes eye contact and welcomes the patient to the practice. (The word “glass globe” is used to give an auditory reminder that eyes are watching, and we are presenting ourselves in that moment leaving a lasting impression).

Result: A polished, professional practice and team that has control of the practice.