I haven't posted Ed Horrell's newsletter in a while, but here's one to think about the next time you're hiring:
Let
me ask you a tough question. Would you trust your employees to watch
your company while you left town for a month? Would they make
decisions in the best interest of your customers and your company?
Or would you be so worried about what was going to that you would hurry to get back to be in charge?
If the second answer is the one you selected, you may have a
problem. The best companies empower their employees to make decisions
because they trust them. This is when empowerment works.
Empowered employees are trusted and actually save money for the
company. They make good decisions without having to check with their
managers.
When you are next hiring, make sure you get the employee with the
best attitude, the one you can trust. You'll get better employees, and
you'll own your customers.
Ed
What would your answer be? Can you trust your staff when you're not there? I think you know the answer somewhere inside. A lot of times dentists just close the office when they're not there, but some realize that there is a lot the staff can do in the absence of the dentists and patients. This is a great time to audit the patients and see who can be reactivated and who is truly inactive. It's also a great time to really get into the operatories and do some maintenance and cleaning that you don't have time for during patient hours. We will even meet for some of the time and brainstorm ideas for patient care and service so that we can present our thoughts at the next staff meeting. We usually bring in breakfast and have some fun while we're doing it, but often these meetings are very productive. I remember a practice that was quite the opposite. I was rotating through this practice for school. The dentist was a young woman who inherited the staff when she bought the practice. They were all older than her and didn't give her the respect she deserved. She was a wonderful person so I just didn't understand that. One day, during my rotation, she was going to be away for the afternoon, but asked the staff to stay and work on maintenance and cleaning. They basically sat in the kitchen and ate and drank the snacks she provided and laughed about the fact that she thought they would actually do any work. I remember feeling like I was in a very odd situation. I didn't work there, but I knew that she expected me to do as she asked. Here was her staff, goofing off and laughing about it. What was I to do? I tried to quietly slip away and stock rooms and clean out drawers, but it wasn't long before one of them would find me and laugh about what I was doing. Once it started to get a little hostile, I gave in a sat with them. I felt guilty when I left and realized that I had let others, with poor work ethics, affect what I chose to do. I decided right then that I would never let my moral compass be set by others again. That was a decision I've had to rely on a few times and it has always served me well. It's OK to let new employees know that you will expect them to work hard and do the right thing. Ask character questions at the interview. People with good character and integrity will be intrigued and be much more interested in working with you. The one's who object or are uncomfortable discussing integrity and character are the one's you should avoid hiring anyway.
I haven't posted Ed Horrell's newsletter in a while, but here's one to think about the next time you're hiring:
Let me ask you a tough question. Would you trust your employees to watch your company while you left town for a month? Would they make decisions in the best interest of your customers and your company?
Or would you be so worried about what was going to that you would hurry to get back to be in charge?
If the second answer is the one you selected, you may have a problem. The best companies empower their employees to make decisions because they trust them. This is when empowerment works.
Empowered employees are trusted and actually save money for the company. They make good decisions without having to check with their managers.
When you are next hiring, make sure you get the employee with the best attitude, the one you can trust. You'll get better employees, and you'll own your customers.
Ed
What would your answer be? Can you trust your staff when you're not there? I think you know the answer somewhere inside. A lot of times dentists just close the office when they're not there, but some realize that there is a lot the staff can do in the absence of the dentists and patients. This is a great time to audit the patients and see who can be reactivated and who is truly inactive. It's also a great time to really get into the operatories and do some maintenance and cleaning that you don't have time for during patient hours. We will even meet for some of the time and brainstorm ideas for patient care and service so that we can present our thoughts at the next staff meeting. We usually bring in breakfast and have some fun while we're doing it, but often these meetings are very productive.
I remember a practice that was quite the opposite. I was rotating through this practice for school. The dentist was a young woman who inherited the staff when she bought the practice. They were all older than her and didn't give her the respect she deserved. She was a wonderful person so I just didn't understand that. One day, during my rotation, she was going to be away for the afternoon, but asked the staff to stay and work on maintenance and cleaning. They basically sat in the kitchen and ate and drank the snacks she provided and laughed about the fact that she thought they would actually do any work. I remember feeling like I was in a very odd situation. I didn't work there, but I knew that she expected me to do as she asked. Here was her staff, goofing off and laughing about it. What was I to do? I tried to quietly slip away and stock rooms and clean out drawers, but it wasn't long before one of them would find me and laugh about what I was doing. Once it started to get a little hostile, I gave in a sat with them. I felt guilty when I left and realized that I had let others, with poor work ethics, affect what I chose to do. I decided right then that I would never let my moral compass be set by others again. That was a decision I've had to rely on a few times and it has always served me well.
It's OK to let new employees know that you will expect them to work hard and do the right thing. Ask character questions at the interview. People with good character and integrity will be intrigued and be much more interested in working with you. The one's who object or are uncomfortable discussing integrity and character are the one's you should avoid hiring anyway.