PracticalDermatology

In the world of medical aesthetics, striving for a top-notch patient experience is paramount. By ensuring patients have an extraordinary experience with your practice, not only will they remain loyal, but they will also refer others, resulting in business growth. However, how can you expect to provide an exceptional patient experience if your staff feels unengaged, undervalued, or unheard?

Those factors helped to spur on the “Great Resignation,” a movement that has since evolved into the “Great Reshuffling.” The Reshuffle¹ is marked by employees changing their profession rather than exiting the workforce and prioritizing development, purpose, and culture above all else. Did you and your leadership team recognize this shift? If so, how did you adapt to ensure employee retention?

Most practices adapted narrowly, either offering more money to entice employees to stay or simply recruiting new members to join the team. However, a broader, more in-depth approach could have been possible if they had paused for self-reflection. With the industry still in flux, it’s not too late to self-examine.

Introspection

Despite recent changes, one dogma remains steadfast: People do not quit their jobs, they quit their leadership team. Knowing that, great leaders regularly assess their leadership because they know a happy, engaged, and high-performing team can only be created by first-rate leadership. Below are five questions every leader can consider asking themselves to stay ahead.

1. What is my vision statement?

If you have one, can you verbally communicate it in less than 20 seconds? More importantly, can your employees? If the answer is no, it’s likely time to redefine your vision statement.

A vision statement states the objectives of your practice. It is vital because it functions as a strategic plan for success, provides the guardrails for decision-making, and acts as a catalyst for change. But that forward movement only happens when the vision statement incites passion—both for leaders and employees.

Let’s consider this quote by “The Little Prince” author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”

When applied to the practice setting, it means avoid motivating staff by simply assigning them tasks to complete in exchange for money, rather provide them with a vision they can get behind.

Creating a compelling vision statement starts with leadership. Factors to consider include:

• Is the statement clear?
• Is it concise?
• Does it evoke emotion?
• Is it inspiring to practice personnel?

If the answers are yes, your vision statement sets the stage for success. It will help your employees feel connected to the organization, and they will more likely work toward achieving the practice vision.

2. What are my top three goals for the organization this year?

When you clearly know your vision statement, this becomes an easier question to answer. This is because your vision statement informs the direction the practice should be heading and, thereby, your future goals.

In a busy practice setting, it can be easy to put off setting annual goals, but don’t fall into that trap. Take some time to establish goals and keep the following acronym in mind: SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

The difference between a SMART goal and a non-SMART goal is noticeable, so let’s compare a possible practice objective.

• Non-SMART goal: Improve communication within the practice.
  SMART goal: Increase communication within the practice by holding 10-minute daily huddles at the beginning of each shift to review daily priorities. Measure success by conducting an internal survey in January and June.

As you may have noticed, SMART goals provide a clear picture of what is trying to be achieved and how it can be done. When everyone knows exactly what they should be doing, it allows your team to work cohesively and increases the chances of the practice reaching its short-term goals and long-term vision.

3. Can every employee articulate the practice’s goals?

This is a good question to ask yourself to make sure your SMART goals are indeed clear and known to everyone in the practice. The crux of this answer depends on the quality of internal communication.

While the definition for good communication may vary among practices, a constant remains: All communication (good or bad) within an organization starts from its leaders. When leaders can effectively communicate the practice’s goals, objectives, and vision, the organization benefits from increased employee morale, productivity, and commitment. This is highly desirable, especially when a lack of communication equates to low worker morale, high frustration, and low satisfaction.

Great leaders understand the importance of communication, so they model the behaviors they wish others to exhibit in the practice. This may include applying exceptional listening skills, respecting others’ communication styles, and actively building rapport and trust. When these courtesies are emulated from the top-down, it builds a culture of good communication that supports the achievement of practice goals.

4. How would I like to be perceived as a leader?

As you just learned, great leaders dedicate time toward setting employee expectations and envisioning the future of the practice. But they also spend time defining their leadership identity and measuring how it is perceived.

Often, a gap exists between how others perceive a leader and how the leader wants to be perceived, and great leaders work to manage that gap. To assess how wide that perception gap is for you, consider asking others and yourself the following questions:

• How do I cope with stress, conflict, and success?
• What are three words to describe my leadership style?
• Does my body language match my messaging during conversations and meetings?

Honest answers to these inquiries can be ascertained through anonymous 360 reviews with employees, along with open meetings with trusted advisors and mentors. Afterward, identify where perceptions of others align with the type of leader you aspire to be and where there are opportunities to close the gap. Great leaders are engaged in a perpetual path of learning because they know their leadership style has a direct impact on employee satisfaction and retention.

5. Who challenges my way of thinking?

To receive honest feedback on your leadership identity and other matters, allowing dissent is key. Most leaders never intentionally surround themselves with proverbial “yes-men,” but without circumspection, it can happen quite easily. When a practice’s culture rewards agreeable viewpoints and dissension is frowned upon or labeled as a negative behavior, new ideas, creativity, and a collective higher intelligence ultimately suffers.

While perpetual disagreement is counterproductive, great leaders can create a balance and embrace productive conflict through several tactics such as:

• Hiring for informational diversity.
• Refraining from responding with words such as “however,” “but,” or “no” when listening to others’ ideas, since those responses not only shutdown productive dialogue but discourages it.
• Encouraging opinions and exploring different points of view.
• Asking for input from personnel and then earnestly considering feedback.
• Expressing gratitude for alternative viewpoints.
• Giving credit for new ideas.

These efforts send employees the message that they are free to disagree and offer alternative opinions. This helps the practice avoid a group-think mentality and gives staff a say in operations. It also helps leaders to further develop themselves, as it allows others to hold them accountable, all while making them more inclusive in their mindset.

Be Brave

Asking yourself contemplative questions requires courage, since they might uncover truths you may not be ready to face. But by doing so, you elevate your leadership skills and, in turn, the morale and productivity of your employees and the satisfaction of customers. Knowing that, my final question for you is: Are you ready to engage in and harness the power of self-exploration?

1. Meister J. The Great Resignation Becomes The Great ReShuffle: What Employers Can Do To Retain Workers. Forbes. April 19, 2022. Accessed October 25, 2022. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeannemeister/2022/04/19/the-great-re-shuffle-of-talent-what-can-employers-do-to-retain-workers/?sh=67cbc0884cf3.