Recently, I read Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others, by Stephen M.R. Covey. In the book, Mr. Covey compares the “Command and Control ” (C&C) style of leadership to the “Trust and Inspire” (T&I) style. The C&C style is comprised of motivating and managing employees. The T&I style relates to inspiring staff with a growth mindset. And so, C&C is the management of people and things, while T&I is the management of inspiration. I subscribe to the T&I style.
The Power of Words
Many years ago, I met a colleague who told me they had replaced the word “manager” with “team lead” in their practice. Their reason: People don’t want to be managed or handled. They want to be led, trusted, and inspired. They want their creativity to flow. I’ve written about culture in the past, and inspiring staff to be great is one of the ways we can improve our practice culture, thus reducing staff turnover. Mr. Covey explains this concept in the mentioned book.
Modeling Others
There are businesses whose mission is to inspire. For example, Toms Shoes donates a pair of its shoes to children for every pair it sells. Perhaps, optometrists could employ this one-for-one business model for children in need? As an example, maybe the practice could donate one or more pairs of glasses to a child in need for every pair sold. What better way could we inspire our employees?
Members of the Band
Spotify, one of the world’s largest music and podcast-streaming services inspires its staff by telling them they’re all part of the “band,” with vital parts to play in the company. What a great analogy to inspire staff! As members of the “band,” they are encouraged to provide honest feedback and share ideas. Additionally, the company encourages staff to drive their own development, they applaud innovation, and they challenge their staff to disrupt the status quo, making Spotify a safe place to fail.
Allowing Autonomy
Recently, I was speaking at a meeting when I brought up The Ritz Carlton. I love their hotels. They are gorgeous, with a level of service second to none. The Ritz Carlton recognizes the importance of their staff via the $2,000 rule. This rule: Staff can spend up to $2,000 per guest to make an incident right. Think about how inspired a staff member can get with $2,000. Someone in the audience said they took inspiration from this rule by enabling their managers (her words, not mine) to “make it right” for patients with $200. What if this practice allowed all staff to do this? Would that promote the kind of trust and inspiration that results in staff loyalty and a positive culture? I think it would. OM
