Eyeworld

DECEMBER 2022 | EYEWORLD | 91 P Contact Wohl: czwohl@gmail.com Pinto: pintoinc@aol.com nature can lead some managers down the path of narrowly thinking about the one person who they have to have an uncomfortable conversa- tion with, rather than the impact of silence on the entire team. If you need help confronting issues, look for guidance and support from someone you trust and can practice doing this with you. A client recently told us, "I confronted a lead technician who I was fearful would leave. It turns out she respected my opinion, and I didn't die in the process of confronting her." Be a brave leader. Sometimes your bravery will fail. But it will always be a failure if you don't try. 5. Lack of benchmarking key performance indicators (KPIs). "Staff turnover and compet- ing pandemic priorities have led to lapses in data collection and analysis." Establish or reconstitute a monthly KPI report. There are about 50 operational and efficiency KPIs. (There is an updated list in the recently published John Pinto's Little Green Book of Ophthalmology, 6th edition.) Present these metrics to the practice owners at a monthly meeting, and use this information to make data-driven decisions. Things go better in the board room when the traditional financial re- ports are combined with a robust set of KPIs. 6. Workplace enjoyment and showing appre- ciation. "We used to be great at this. The staff and doctors enjoyed attending events together; office and department celebrations were common. Now it seems like we are time poor, understaffed, and it is more difficult to get staff excited about spending time away from their desks or family for a work event." If these activities have slipped in your practice, reconsider how important they are for employee morale, which is key to retention in a still-tough hiring environment. Develop fresh ways to help staff and doctors reconnect and celebrate. Use every holiday as an excuse to dress up or have lunch brought in. Have a no-cost betting pool for every sports season. Acknowledge all birthdays. Ask the staff what makes them feel appreciated at work, and do more of whatever they describe. Focus on brief in-office gatherings rather than blowout annual picnics. You will be more successful with a lot of small events throughout the year. 3. Poor communication. "The discipline of scheduling and holding meetings slipped when our staffing was low and working remotely or part-time was more prevalent. It's been difficult to reestablish our department and practice meetings. It feels like we do not have time for meetings, so even when they are held they are rushed." One of the top issues we hear from staff during an onsite client visit, no matter the size of the practice, is "We need to improve our com- munication." There are many ways to enhance communication. Here are some of the basics. • Hold regularly scheduled meetings. Typical meeting frequency includes: all-staff meetings held quarterly to annually, depending on prac- tice size; department meetings held monthly; management team meetings held biweekly; board meetings to review financials and sup- port administrator efforts held monthly; all- provider meetings held monthly or bimonthly. • Schedule the meetings at least 1 month in advance, or calendar it out for the whole year. Send the message to staff and doctors that meetings are important. • The meetings need to be productive to be well received by attendees. Most people don't ob- ject to attending a productive, useful meeting. If you hear negative feedback about having to attend meetings, it is likely that the meeting leader needs to improve their meeting leader- ship skills. (Google "How to run an effective meeting" for suggestions.) • Go beyond the verbal and encourage written communication throughout the practice. This includes written policies and procedures, meeting agendas, meeting minutes, and follow-up emails after a conversation so ac- tion plans and their "owners" are clear. • Listen more than speaking. Don't assume you know how others feel and think. 4. Fear of confrontation."Our managers' and doctors' real fear of losing staff has resulted in the delay or avoidance of confronting issues that in the past we would have resolved sooner." This may have been an issue in the practice long before the pandemic and is now aggravat- ed. Perspective here is critical. Take a broad- er view of how the practice can suffer when problem-solving actions are pushed off. Human

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