Now Hiring: Ideal Team Players
Nothing hurts quite as much as having a valued employee submit a resignation. From the data that we have collected, the average employee turnover in a chiropractic office is approximately 18 months. Employee turnover can become one of the most costly expenses for your practice. Replacing a single employee can be financially devastating for a clinic, and losing more than one, well…
It’s not just a matter of the finances but also an issue of diminished productivity. You also run the risk of compliance concerns when tasks are overlooked due to being shorthanded, or lack of experience when bringing new employees on board. It can very quickly stop the most productive office in its tracks. A new employee may take months to a year to reach the same level of productivity as an existing employee. It can hurt the overall morale of your team, and what does it say to the patients you serve if every time they walk into your office, they are greeted by a new face?
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The reality is that some employee turnover is just part of running a business. The key is understanding your turnover rate. How many employees have left in the past 2-3 years? Why are they no longer working in your office? Conducting exit interviews with your employees is an excellent opportunity to get feedback about their time in your practice. Don’t take it personally. Be open to the idea that some changes may need to be made to prevent future employees from leaving. (Boyer, 2018)
When it comes to hiring new employees, it is essential to take your time in selecting the right candidate for your office. I used to place a lot of stock in hiring employees with the right skills, but after 34 years in practice, I learned that skills could be taught, but having the right attitude and personality, not so much! Now I hire based on character, not on skills alone. The book The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni (a favorite author in our office) discusses the three virtues that make some people better team players than others. It provides tools for identifying, hiring, and developing team players for any business. His website even offers free tools and resources for interviewing new employees based on these virtues, evaluating your current employees, and how to mentor your team in areas where they may be lacking. (The Table Group, 2016)
The three virtues for the ideal team player are:
Humble
Ideal team players lack excessive ego or concerns about status. They quickly point out the contributions of others, share credit, and emphasize team over self.
Hungry
Ideal team players are always looking for more: more to do, more to learn, more responsibility. They never have to be pushed to work harder and are self-motivated and diligent. They are always thinking ahead to the next step and next opportunity.
Smart
Ideal team players have common sense when it comes to people. They tend to know what is happening in a group situation and know how to deal with others effectively. They have good judgment and intuition and understand the impact of their words and actions.
The combination of these attributes will improve your ability to develop a highly productive team for your practice. But let me caution you: the lack of even one attribute in a candidate can make teamwork difficult or eliminate it altogether. In my opinion, a lack of teamwork in my office is worse than being short-staffed. Establishing a culture of teamwork in your office won’t eliminate turnover in your practice, but it will help you to retain employees longer and avoid potential problems when employees leave the practice. If you discover during your exit interviews that there are issues that need to be addressed, don’t sweep them under the rug. Resolving them quickly can help to reduce additional employee turnover in the future. Even if employee turnover in your office is not currently an issue, I encourage you to pick up this book. Having a staff of team players, cultivating and maintaining the team mindset is critical to your practice success and sanity.
Dr. Ray Foxworth is a certified Medical Compliance Specialist and President of ChiroHealthUSA. A practicing Chiropractor, he remains “in the trenches” facing challenges with billing, coding, documentation, and compliance. He has served as president of the Mississippi Chiropractic Association, former Staff Chiropractor at the G.V. Sonny Montgomery VA Medical Center and is a Fellow of the International College of Chiropractic. You can contact Dr. Foxworth at 1-888-719-9990, info@chirohealthusa.com or visit the ChiroHealthUSA website at www.chirohealthusa.com. Join us for a free webinar that will give you all the details about how a DMPO can help you practice with more peace of mind. Go to www.chirohealthusa.com to register today.
