Eyeworld

OPHTHALMOLOGY BUSINESS 76 June 2017 by Corinne Wohl, MHSA, COE, and John Pinto Strengthening your mid-level managers for a stronger practice using case histories from errors the practice has made is effective—and reinforces the hardest lessons you have learned as a senior manager or practice owner. Numeracy: Underlying drivers of economic performance A lot of managers brought up through the ranks fear numbers. It's common to hear, "I hate numbers" and "I'm not a numbers person." There is no magic to it as few busi- ness math calculations rise above the sixth grade. Teach people how to measure practice progress through financial performance in the same way that doctors use basic lab data to treat patients. Middle managers can gain this experience by hav- ing budget and key performance indicator responsibility for their own department. An example: For a technical director this might be expressed in terms of tech payroll hours per patient visit. Communication skills Written and oral communication skills are necessary for mid-level managers to be able to pass your message forward with clarity to their people. If your managers are not already proficient at this, you may need to employ remedial training: how to write a memo, how to pres- ent to a staff group. Effective delegation Less experienced managers often think they are better off doing a task themselves than taking the time to train others. This is a short-sighted viewpoint, but something that even some experienced managers have difficulty embracing. Encourage your managers to invest in staff growth; the time taken to do so now will free up supervisory time in the future. Organizational skills If you were not born an organiza- tional wizard, you can be taught. Mid-level managers, especially working supervisors, must develop this skill to survive. Test this with questions like, "How are you prepar- ing for the new doctor to join our practice?" If the clinic manager pulls out a two-page list she prepared, you have a great starting point. If she starts rattling off a scattered bunch of to-do items, she needs help. "The way management treats associ- ates is exactly how the associates will treat the customers." —Sam Walton I f you are working in a large practice with a full-time admin- istrator, your middle managers will make or break you. They will either act as a flawless support team that handles the bulk of day-to-day operations, freeing up time for the administrator to focus on higher-level responsibilities like strategic planning, or your middle managers will require constant over- sight and be a barrier to the growth of the practice. Middle managers, in practices large and small, commonly play an important dual role. They act both as front-line workers and as working supervisors. This role is extremely challenging because of the cat-like balance required. Being the lead receptionist may require 20 hours a week of supervi- sory time, but with the demands of a busy office, this manager is only allowed an hour here and there to mold and improve the team. Being a middle manager is ex- hausting, and the smaller the office, the more tiresome it gets. "Middle managers" might as well be called that because they are inserted into the middle of complicated relation- ships with the administrator, the owners, employee doctors, and staff. One minute they are following the leader, and a minute later they are expected to be the leader. An administrator or managing partner will strengthen the core of the practice by nurturing mid-level managers' growth: • Provide opportunities for professional education • Mentor actively • Network them to colleagues doing the same job in local colleagues' practices • Introductions One of the roles of top-level practice leadership is to extract maximal value from each employee in the practice. Doing this is not just a matter of stern looks and a bossy personality, but inspiring mid-level managers to continuously be looking for ways of helping every staffer they supervise give more to the company. Here is a list of skills that the best mid-level managers possess. We've included practical ideas under each category that you can expand upon as you apply these in your own practice. Understand management and business concepts Engage you managers in areas outside their own departments by discussing how your practice works. What drives revenue production? Cost containment? Motivate and inspire by asking for their input and sharing your strategic thinking and overall practice goals. Pass down the business concepts and management tools that you have learned through- out your own career. Human resources management HR management is a large part of every manager's responsibility. At a minimum, mid-levels need to know how to legally interview, hire, orient staff, apply a fair disciplinary pro- cess, and how to help prepare to ter- minate employees. They also need to know how to motivate staff with a professional, kindly manner, while also expecting high performance achievement from each employee. Conflict resolution This is a key skill for managers. Knowing how to stay calm, gather all the facts before leaping to con- clusions, apply policies consistently, and follow up in a timely manner, especially with uncomfortable situa- tions, is critical. Educating managers To the point: Simple practice tune-ups for complex times

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