Does your team consider you a good boss? Do they like your leadership style? Being a good boss is more than just being friendly with everyone. But a team is far more likely to follow someone they like. You may have the best management style in the world but that won’t mean much if your entire team dislikes you.
A great practice requires a great team. And every team needs a leader. Experts have spent decades of research trying to unearth the secrets of good leadership. But who has time to read thousands of scientific papers to find out? Turns out that being a good boss is not so complicated after all. It just takes a bit of common sense. Try the following tips on being a good boss and see the difference it can make.
Be Nice to Everyone
Following this piece of advice is harder than it appears. Anyone can be nice when things are going well or when everyone is happy. Can you be nice when handling problems in the middle of a hectic day? How do you handle an employee who has just made a crucial mistake? Few people like being criticized, especially in front of their peers and colleagues. Treat such issues as an opportunity for the employee to learn and grow, rather than placing blame on their shoulders.
Don’t criticize them in front of the entire office, when tempers are running high. Focus on correcting the error for the moment. Later on during the day, you can spend an hour or so with them about possible solutions and work on not making the same mistake again. This gives everyone some time to process the incident and think over what happened.
Delegate Some Responsibilities
Being a good boss doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. As a person, you have your own strengths and weaknesses. Suppose you don’t have good customer service or social skills. Delegate that part of the job to someone else who does. This will free up your time to focus on other areas. It will give your employees more responsibilities at work. Everyone should be doing the job they’re good at, this will benefit the entire practice.
Talk to Your Team and Listen to Them As Well
Conduct daily or weekly team meetings to make sure everyone is on the same page. Use this time to hash out problems – issues with the processes at work or people. Brainstorm ideas on how to improve the practice. Ask your team on what they need to do their jobs more effectively. It can be a new tool, technology or even something as simple as a few extra minutes to spend with a patient during their exam. Your employees know what they need, so listen to them when they discuss any problems they are facing at work.
Be Generous with Compensation and Benefits
You’re never going to be able to retain the best employees if you don’t offer a competitive compensation and benefits package. Not everyone values their compensation the same way – some like having a bigger paycheck while others appreciate vacation time or health benefits. So make sure to balance their needs with industry standards and what your practice can afford.
Education is key to improving the skills of your staff. Offer them time off for training or pursuing other learning opportunities. If it is directly relevant to their job, you can even pay for it since it will benefit your clinic in the future.
Take a step back from the daily running of your practice to implement these steps. If you’re not already a good boss, you will soon be one!
