A change in practice ownership can be a positive experience for both the existing staff and the new owner, if the new owner performs certain action steps, say those interviewed for this article. These steps: approach the existing staff with excitement, make incremental changes, keep the existing staff in the know, connect with every staff member as individuals, use a reward system, and invest in team morale.

GET STAFF PUMPED

New ownership is a fresh opportunity to reinvigorate staff and get them excited about the positive changes to come, says Jessilin Quint, OD, FAAO, co-owner of Smart EyeCare, a multi-location practice she purchased, along with two partners, after working there as an employed OD for just under one year.

“When we came in as new owners, we made it a big, fun, and exciting thing,” she recalls. “This made our enthusiasm for being new owners contagious.”

Specifically, she says that she and her fellow new owners planned and executed various social activities, such as bowling, paint nights, movie nights, yoga classes, and family dinners, that encouraged team bonding.

Jenny Drake, OD, owner of Drake Eyecare and Eyewear and Bella Optical, both in Murfreesboro, Tenn., adds that approaching existing staff with excitement can increase the likelihood they’ll stay with the practice because “they are ‘interviewing’ the new owner themselves,” she says.

Think of it this way: Will an existing staff member be more amenable to change if the new owner abruptly announces to “expect changes” or if the new owner makes it clear they are excited about the practice and show they value the existing staff?

April Jasper, chief optometric editor of Optometric Management and owner of Advanced Eyecare Specialists, in West Palm Beach, Fla., says, “As the new owner, it can be a challenge because the existing team knows more about the customers, the equipment, the building and the details of the practice than you do. What is important is to reassure them daily of your passion for the practice and compliment them more than you think necessary on work well done. Ask questions in a way that makes them feel good: ‘I love how you work with families as they come in. Tell me how you …’”

She adds that her biggest piece of advice is to be aware of how the new team perceives you.

“Ask them what their biggest fear is. I neglected to do that with everyone at first and when I finally asked, I found surprising answers that I could have dealt with early on, had I known,” she divulges. “Fear that their pay, their responsibilities, or their hours would change were among these fears.”

MAKE INCREMENTAL CHANGES

Coming in as a new owner usually means having lots of ideas that you’re excited to bring to life, but too much change at once will overwhelm the existing staff, leading to poor morale and failure, points out Dr. Drake.

“We focused on one thing at a time,” she recalls. “For example, consistently pulling insurance information for patients wasn’t something the existing staff was used to doing, and something they didn’t have the confidence to do. We had our experienced staff work one-on-one with our new employees to show them how to properly prepare for the day.”

She adds that another change made was increasing the medical care of the practice.

“Explaining the ‘why’ behind adding medical care made the process much smoother,” she notes.

Dr. Jasper agrees with this thought process.

“I knew we had to conquer one thing before we could start another,” she notes. “I suggest asking for the team’s opinion — one at a time — on how a new something will go over and then you can better decide how you will approach it.”

PROVIDE CONSTANT COMMUNICATION

Dr. Quint says she found that consistently expressing her mission and vision for the future of the practice helped get existing staff members to align with the new ownership.

“That first year, I constantly and clearly communicated to the existing staff the goals, expectations, and vision for the practice,” she offers. “I think taking the time to provide that constant communication and inviting questions instilled trust on their part, which led to staff buy-in.”

That vision: to have a medically focused practice that put patients first and delivered service that makes patients feel appreciated, cared for, and understood.

Dr. Jasper agrees with Dr. Quint’s approach.

“Be sure everyone knows the top goals and what they are expected to do to achieve them,” she stresses. “They should know their role and how success is measured.”

Dr. Jasper also says to give staff something to work toward and create a team culture by rewarding teamwork early.

“If someone isn’t a good team player, they may need to leave,” she notes.

Dr. Drake adds that the method of conveying the message was important as well.

“Instead of telling staffers that they were ‘doing it wrong,’ I asked, ‘what would things look like if we did it this way?’ That made a huge difference when it came to staff buy-in because it showed respect, which is appreciated,” she says.

Dr. Quint acknowledges that with any change, some feathers will be ruffled, but that if the new practice owner addresses the existing staff with consideration and invites their input, those feathers can be smoothed.

She does point out, however, that not every member of an existing staff will be on board with the new ownership, and that’s OK.

“The hardest lesson for me was understanding that it’s OK to part ways with staff members who aren’t a good fit,” she divulges. “I felt guilty but, in reality, it’s just a business move — it’s not personal. It simply is what it is and, as a business owner, you have to get comfortable with that.”

Dr. Drake says she has used some terminations to look within.

“Maybe they weren’t trained appropriately or they weren’t in the right position,” she explains. “I don’t think owners or leaders can grow without looking at their own actions in these difficult situations, too.”

GIVE EVERYONE FACE TIME

Connect with every existing staff member as individuals to show you’re genuinely interested in the practice’s continued success and their individual contributions to, and ideas for, the practice, says Dr. Quint.

“Being behind closed doors when not seeing patients doesn’t instill a lot of trust in an existing staff. That’s needed to make the transition a success,” she explains. “However, being physically present and making sure individual connections are formed sends the message that you are truly invested in the practice and its existing staff, which instills trust.”

She notes that existing staff members pitched the idea of sharing their personal knowledge of products with patients, something the previous owner did not allow.

“For example, if a patient isn’t happy with their progressive lenses, we allow our staff to say, ‘Oh, I wear [lens type], and I can move about with no distortion.’”

Dr. Quint adds that weekly meetings are also essential in sending the message to the existing staff that the owner wants the practice and its employees to continue to thrive.

Dr. Drake says she has found existing staff members tend to need a lot of encouragement and positive feedback from the new owner, as they are naturally concerned about whether the new ownership will affect their jobs.

Dr. Jasper points out that listening to the new employees you inherited is important, and to investigate further when something doesn’t sound right.

“There are a lot of things you will uncover, and some are not good. The negative things you discover may not be anyone’s fault, just lack of knowledge,” she asserts. “Give them the benefit of the doubt until you have reason not to. Buying a new practice comes with baggage, but if you deal with each issue one at a time, it is manageable.”

PROVIDE INCENTIVES

“We, as humans, have a hard time with change, both psychologically and physically,” notes Dr. Drake. “One of the things that made the changes I wanted to make as a new owner go smoothly was incentivizing the staff by setting bonus goals. As we course-corrected, we started making more money, and when we made more money, there were monetary bonuses and sometimes a trip. I changed it up to keep the existing staff engaged.”

An example goal trip: Dollywood.

INVEST IN TEAM MORALE

Both Drs. Drake and Quint say fun, team-building activities have been beneficial in onboarding existing staff to new ownership.

“At my practice, we did an escape room, a mystery dinner, and Top Golf,” Dr. Drake explains. “Anything that got the entire team outside of work and hanging out was beneficial to them and, in turn, my goals for the practice.”

She adds that the practice continues to have these events, along with celebrating birthdays using items like flowers, gift cards, and desserts.

“A huge reason people stay at their jobs is because of their co-worker relationships,” she emphasizes. “We try to make everyone feel like family here.”

Dr. Quint says she uses team building to educate.

“As new owners, we’ve added many more training opportunities and boot camp days than the previous owner did. At first, the staff viewed it as something extra they had to do,” she says. “But by making that training experience fun and sticking with it, they saw with time how the practice improved. Once they saw that on a direct first-hand basis, everyone got on board and actually wanted that training.”

Specifically, she says they focused on making the training opportunities very interactive and utilized various “teaching” styles that were adaptable to multiple types of learning.

“For lecture-style training, we utilized real case examples,” she explains. “We created quizzing ‘Jeopardy’ games to test clinic knowledge. For business training, leaders role-played to show good and bad examples of customer service.”

MORE THAN A BOSS

“Taking ownership in a practice is the perfect time to exhibit leadership skills, be positive, and show existing staff that you respect them not only for the skills they bring to practice, but as people too,” Dr. Quint says. OM