Are they chiropractic team rallies or duds?
Team meetings can be very effective at improving the quality and quantity of your services.
At best, they bring everyone into alignment with the goals of the practice. They can release energy that results in sometimes almost magical results. I have seen it!
Usually, they act like chiropractic adjustments, keeping procedures in place and plans communicated and coordinated. They can act as little boosters that drive your numbers up.
But sometimes, they are duds. I have seen this as well:
It’s time for the “team” meeting, and employees obediently shuffle to chairs in the reception room. The doctor has some notes. The doctor goes over the notes. Then, the doctor asks if anyone has any questions.
Crickets.
OK…the doctor thinks, let’s go over our upcoming marketing and promotional plans.
No one talks. (A few staff members are privately thinking, “What am I having for lunch?”)
The doctor presses on. The staff smile and try to seem agreeable.
A veteran employee makes a few conservative suggestions.
The whole episode is awkward, if not cringy!
IMPROVING TEAM MEETINGS
If this has ever happened to you, or if you want to improve your team meetings, here are some tips:
Clarify the goal of a team meeting.
The primary goal of any team meeting is improvement.
We use an improvement procedure for team meetings designed to move an office forward each month. I discuss this in my book, The Goal Driven Business (page 54). We call it the Goals Achievement Process. We are covering this on our Practice MBA program.
The short version of this:
Go over with everyone how the practice is doing objectively. That is, by looking at the numbers.
Then, decide, as a team, what areas need to be fixed.
Work out a 5-step plan, and then,
Work your plan!
Meeting roles. Clarify the role that each person has in a meeting. Part of everyone’s job description as a team member is to periodically meet and work as a team to improve the office. This is part of their job duties. No one is a spectator! Meetings are communicating and coordinating improvements in the practice. This is everyone’s role.
Recognize accomplishments. Make sure at the beginning of the meeting to recognize any accomplishments of the team and demonstrate genuine gratitude. Everyone works hard and successes should be acknowledged.
Our Why. At the end of the meeting, it can be helpful to review a positive case history and reflect on the mission and WHY of the office.
Some offices meet weekly, others less frequently.
The clinic director takes on the role of coach and runs the meeting, or the manager does and the clinic director observes and then directs the planning and inspiration at the end.
But just clarifying the goal of the meeting and everyone’s role in the meeting will make your meetings much more effective and fun.
Ed
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If your practice-building efforts aren’t taking you to your goals, there are reasons -- many of which are hidden from you.
Find out what they are and how to sail to your next level by getting and implementing my book, The Goal Driven Business.
The Goal Driven Business
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