If you are a physician/manager or practice manager, you know that we have been working in an interesting time for the past couple of years. We have been so busy trying to refigure things for the practice and possibly working with less staff that you probably haven’t even thought to ask yourself the following question. “How are things going as far as managing the team and moving the business in the right direction?”
There are several key factors for any manager to be successful at their position. Far too often managers will “fail” to meet the mark as far as their employer’s expectations because these key factors have not been presented as the expectations or trained on.
The employer generally just expects that these important factors are part of who the managers is or that they should know them and be able to perform them without any problems. Why? Because they are the manager and somehow should just know.
Here are just a few of these important factors that managers need to have the ability to do once the expectation has been set by the employer to do so.
- Vision: The manager, who will be interacting with the team needs to understand clearly what the vision is for the company. They know and understand the “big picture” and know how to convey this to the team. They also must understand how their position and responsibilities fit into the company/employer’s vision.
- Goals: The manager needs to have the ability to clearly articulate the goals and responsibilities to each team player that they are responsible for through education and expectation. They must be able to help the team players with their personal goals and overall team goals. They must also have set personal goals for growth as the manager in education and company production.
- Focus/Delegation/Management Skills: Management personnel need to possess the ability to focus attention on critical areas or projects that require a manager’s leadership. The ability to delegate to team members effectively to accomplish the needs of the business daily. They are responsible to make sure the team has continual education and understanding of the medical industry, to perform to their highest level.
- Passion/Commitment: Enthusiasm and dedication to the business and the people who work with them is critical for managers. Without it they will not be able lead the team. You cannot fake “passion and commitment” it must be real and come from the heart. Great managers possess these attributes, and the team responds with commitment and engagement to their positions.
These four key factors that managers need to be successful need to be cultivated and grown by the employer they work for. Without the business owner’s investment in the manager showing them these same four important factors it is impossible for them to carry them through and demonstrate them to the rest of the team.
“Employees engage with employers and brands when they’re treated as humans worthy of respect.” - Meghan M. Biro
