Alan Lakein, who has written extensively about time management, once said, “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” There is no time like the present to plan, especially when it comes to team development and goal setting.
If you are considering adding someone to your dental team, do you have an updated job description in place? This is especially important if the new team member is expected to split time between the front and back office and/or if the new person will have a lot of responsibility.
In addition, if you are considering a new hire who needs training, have you mapped out a training and development schedule? The same plan is needed for any member of the team in need of training. Many practices make the mistake of assuming they will train during down time. This, unfortunately, is planning to fail, and it’s an ineffective way to develop your team.
If you would like to grow your practice, what is your plan? If you had a plan earlier in the year, especially one that involved advertising, when was the last time you evaluated your return on investment? Revisiting plans and setting new goals is a good way to reinvigorate your team.
In addition, consider which goals you accomplished and which goals you did not. Look closely at the contributing factors for success and coming up short and see how you can use those lessons to make an even more effective plan for the upcoming months.
Planning involves much more than just tossing around good ideas. Planning involves the hard work of considering many perspectives; it involves thinking ahead and troubleshooting problems in order to implement effectively. And there is no time like the present to plan for your success.