In a competitive business landscape, organizations are realizing the importance of nurturing a culture of leadership at all levels. The key to success lies in empowering every team member to become a leader in the workplace. When staff are empowered to take ownership of their work, make decisions, and contribute to the growth and success of a practice, the results are transformative.
For instance, at my practice, a recently empowered staff member was delegated to revamp our welcome forms. The final result was much more streamlined and effective, resulting in a much quicker patient intake. The staffer even found a way to make the welcome forms digital, saving on paper costs to the office.
Here are four tips for creating a business strategy that foster a culture of leadership development:
Understand individual strengths
It is imperative to understand each team member’s individual strengths, so you can identify how they align with the practice’s needs and can, therefore, build a solid foundation for leadership development.
As an example from my practice, one of my staff has a particular talent for seeing the office flow from a “20 feet up” perspective. She works at both the front desk and as a tech, “floating” between the two positions as needed. From her unique perspective, she was able to see what was working and wasn’t and then provide suggestions on how to improve the office flow to make it more efficient. Encouraging her strength has allowed our practice to be better.
Conducting regular performance evaluations, utilizing strength-finder resources (such as the books “The Ideal Team Player,” and “Now, Discover Your Strengths”), providing constructive feedback, celebrating achievements, and encouraging open communication are all ways to identify an employee’s individual strengths. When employees are given the opportunity to leverage their strengths, they become more motivated, engaged, and committed in the workplace.
Set clear expectations
Clear expectations of practice workloads and ethics foster accountability and provide a roadmap that outlines the skills, behaviors, and performance goals that are valued and expected in leadership roles. This clarity helps employees focus their efforts on developing the necessary skills and competencies needed to progress without wasting time speculating on what an organization values. When expectations are clearly communicated, employees feel empowered to take ownership of their growth and actively participate in achieving success for the practice.
Having a practice motto or mission statement can also help set these expectations for staff. For example, fellow Optometric Management columnist Austin Lifferth, OD, FAAO, has the practice motto “every patient matters,” to encourage staff to put extra effort into ensuring patient satisfaction.
Provide continuous learning opportunities
Not only is it crucial for leaders to stay updated on the latest in industry trends, technologies, and best practices, but it is also important for leaders to expand their knowledge and further develop their expertise through education. Offering resources, such as an education allowance, workshops, webinars, courses, and training programs, encourages employees to pursue continuous learning. An employee’s commitment to learning will likely motivate them to take on leadership roles and positively contribute to a thriving culture of leadership development.
At my practice, we outline the annual education allowance in our employee handbook and encourage staff to use it. We also take time during 2 of our 4 monthly office meetings to identify new educational resources for our staff to use.
Foster mentorship and collaboration
Mentorship provides a valuable opportunity for experienced leaders to share their knowledge, insights, and skills with emerging leader employees. It allows for personalized guidance, support, and feedback to navigate their leadership development more effectively. At my practice, we have found success in pairing team members with similar interests, such as advanced dry eye treatments, which helps newer staff members to learn about such treatments from more experienced staff.
Collaboration encourages open communication and teamwork. It also brings diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and strengths together to create new ideas and solve problems. This not only can strengthen leadership skills, but it also provides a sense of camaraderie. Both traits are essential for effective leadership. By fostering mentorship and collaboration, organizations can create a culture that values leadership in the workplace.
A culture of leadership
Nurturing your staff members’ leadership skills not only helps them but helps your practice by ensuring your employees are all motivated and feel fulfilled in their roles. A culture of leadership encourages employees to explore their potential, harness their strengths, and build confidence. OM
