Specific goals, a well-defined niche, strong communication will all boost your team’s everyday confidence.
Unless you are Bruce Willis or the Dalai Lama, you understand the aggravation of a “bad hair day.” Personally, I find that when my hair looks good, I feel more confident, I have more pep in my step and I am ready to face the world. Bad hair day? Just the opposite.
In order to decrease the chances of a bad hair day, I visit my hairdresser every five weeks, keep a stock of proven hair products and take a vitamin designed to stimulate healthy hair. In short, I have to be proactive to manage my mane.
Having a bad day at the office is a lot like having a bad hair day. Things feel out of sync and all you want to do is get through the day. Let’s compare what I do to avoid a bad hair day to what you can do to avoid a bad day at your eyecare practice.
No matter how busy I am, my hair appointments take priority. It’s the same with team meetings: Being “too busy” is not a reason to cancel a team meeting. In fact, team meetings are even more important when you are frantically busy because that’s exactly the time your team needs additional structure and encouragement.
Each team member must be aware of goals and their individual accountability toward making goals a reality.
I tested several hair products until I found the combination that I liked. On occasion, someone will tell me about a great product that I should use. But every time I try something different, I end up right back with the tried-and-true products that I have been using for years. I am not saying that you should never try anything different. In fact, you should! But the parallel here is that it’s important to understand the niche your practice fills and stay true to it.
When I started taking the hair vitamin, I could tell a measurable difference in the growth and health of my locks. Solid, measurable goals are the vitamins for your practice. Each team member must be aware of goals and their individual accountability toward making the goals a reality.
Regular staff meetings, measurable goals and understanding your niche will help decrease the number of “bad office days.” By the way: Has anyone seen my hairspray?
REBECCA JOHNSON is a 30-year veteran in the eyecare business. She is the executive director of Business Consultative Services for GPN and owner of EyeTrain4You, an ophthalmic staff training and development company. Contact her at rebecca@eyetrain4you.com.
This article originally appeared in the Nov-Dec 2014 edition of INVISION.