Building Your Management Muscle
Basics of Being “The Boss” – Part 2
In the last piece, we covered these 3 MANAGEMENT factors:
- Think Team!
- It’s not all about you!
- Hire Carefully!
Let’s proceed with the process of “Building Our Management Muscle” by first pausing to consider the actual definition of “Management”. According to Webster’s it is this:
- The act or art of managing : the conducting or supervising of something (as a business)
- To direct the affairs or interests of: i.e. manage a company.
Notice some interesting key words: conduct, direct, and art. Then, answer these questions …
Do you see yourself as the “conductor” of your clinic?
Can you picture YOU being the “director” of an orchestra called your TEAM whose “music” is a high level of patient care and effective community education? Does your team all know their part like each musician in an orchestra would?
Are you able to think of your leadership and management as an “art”? Are you able to get creative and express your mission and purpose in a way that stirs your TEAM to serve at a level your community is simply not used to?
For many, those key words noted above and the related questions seem a bit odd or abstract when it comes to a topic like “business management”. Why? Because a high % of people responsible for management tend to have a limited or inaccurate view of what their role really should be (or could be) in order to maximize their effectiveness and impact.
With those key words and interesting questions in mind, let’s touch more on building some management muscle. Here are points #4-7:
- Be a Picture Painter! Leaders inspire. To lead a championship team, we must always be giving inspiration – not just information. Solid procedures and goals are a must. So is consistent monitoring of stats. However, if the numbers are the ONLY focus and are continually crammed down a team’s throat with no meaning or vision associated, your team will get bored with, sick of, and maybe even spiteful of them. When that happens, you may find yourself struggling with hitting any goal.
Jack Welch was the chairman and CEO of General Electric from 1981 and 2001. During his tenure at GE, the company’s value rose 4,000%. Not surprisingly, Welch became widely known as a management “guru”. Consider the parts of this frequently use quote by him regarding recognized management:
“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”
– Jack Welch
If you’re the practice owner – or manager at any level – can your team see the picture of what the business is about and where it is going? Has it been expressed in a way they can get on board, own it and be passionate about it? Or, are they only seeing numbers?
- “Personality” vs. “Systems” Driven? Through the years, this question has certainly been the cause for debate. We definitely realize the value of systems – they are the strength of any legitimate and reproducible business model … including that of Activate DNA Weight Loss. We are serious about system design and implementation.
Naturally, many in the wellness care world tend to be so focused on the relational and care-giving aspect of things that they fail to grasp the fact that delivering quality care in a predictable and profitable way really does require systems. At the same time, there must be “A” leader (a “personality” if you will) to orchestrate that team that is put together to carry out the systems of service.
So, when considering the concept of personality versus systems driven, could it be that it’s not an “either-or” thing? We think so! You must have both! Which does your practice possess? Which is lacking? How can we help?
- Who’s really in Charge? We see it all the time: Doctors, practice owners or supposed managers get “bulled over” by an employee. Maybe the individual is not even that strong of a personality. It’s just that the doctor/owner/manager lacks leadership so badly that a team member has no choice but to take charge. Seems like we use this phrase taught to us long ago by one of our early mentors:
Your practice is waiting on its leader to show up!
As the one who is to be THE manager, it must be recognized and communicated (by your leadership … not necessarily just by words) that your business is not a “democratic” organization. We are not fans of taking “votes” on every decision needing to be made. Sure, get some input. Even delegate some of final decisions when you feel someone else is fully capable. Yet, in the end, each team member must know who “the” authority is, who is ultimately in charge, and where the buck stops!
- PIP-CIP: To build a safe and trusting environment, always “praise in public and criticize in private” (PIP-CIP). Never criticize an employee in front of the rest of the team and especially not in front of patients. That should happen somewhere like your personal office. Yet, when a team member does well, make it a big deal in front of as many people as you can. Recognize them and like any good parent, pet trainer and boss does “reward the behavior you want”.
Finally, bear in mind that “The Golden Rule” never fails. Treat others as you would want to be treated. As you do that, along with the other basics discussed here (and in the last piece) you can and will be a great manager … and enjoy the benefits of a Championship Wellness Team!
Feeling weak in the area of management? Having a “Management Muscle” challenge? It’s NOT unusual for wellness providers. So, we invite you to connect with us to talk about some solutions. Ask about our “Strategic Clinic” coaching that will help grow MORE than just a weight loss service. It will grow your practice overall … and YOU as a leader, too! Simply click here to learn more: https://activatednaweightloss.com/contact/. There will be NO CHARGE and NO OBLIGATION … just a good management muscle “work-out”.
