3 Key Ways to Get and Keep Your Staff Motivated

1.  Incentivize –  This is one of the first things you learn as a FPC member in regards to your staff because it works, and frankly, it is only fair.  We recommend setting this incentive up in the form of a monetary monthly bonus system, based on your practice’s revenue and goals.  This is important, because with a bonus system in place, your staff members share in the success of your practice IF you are all doing a great job and doing it together.  In essence, they become “shareholders” with you in your business which gives them a much bigger interest in seeing the practice goals met and/or exceeded every month.  It also removes the “ceiling” in terms of how much they can earn with you compared to only being able to earn a certain hourly rate or salary.  Instead, there is excitement and a “sky’s the limit” mentality when your team is able to achieve the set goals and reap the rewards from doing so.

2. Communicate-  As in any relationship, communication with your staff members is key.  Here are a few specific things that I mean by “communicate”, when it comes to your staff. First, you must clearly communicate the vision and passion for your business.  Everyone wants to be a part of something “bigger”. So, let them know why you do what you do, why it’s important, and what you see for the future.  This should come through in your mission statement and hopefully your talks and how you treat your practice members, but also in those more vulnerable times when you share your sincere concern, joy or gratitude about certain practice members, or wins/losses in the practice.  Maybe most importantly, remember that listening is key to good communication.  Encourage your staff to come to you with new ideas and possible solutions for your practice as long as they have a plan to be able to implement effectively.  Set time aside to listen to individual concerns or ideas that may come up at different times.  Also, have time included as part of your quarterly or semi-annual employee reviews to discuss ideas they might have to make their own jobs or the practice more efficient and effective.

3. Be an Example- If you don’t display enthusiasm, dedication and positivity in your office, how can you expect your staff to?  I mentioned in one of the sessions at the last quarterly something that Mary told me about Dr. Webb as the leader in our office.  She stated that she “always knew that he would fight for our mission”.  Which means he showed up every day ready to do what it took to for our practice members and our team and showed up to every staff meeting on time, ready to listen and participate.  This doesn’t mean you’re perfect and don’t make mistakes, simply that you embody the positivity and work ethic that you wish to see from your team.

These 3 ingredients may seem really simple, and the truth is, they are, and this just scratches the surface of staff motivation.  However, as leaders, when we get caught up in our own daily tasks, “urgent” matters and personal hang-ups, it becomes easy to ignore or forget them. Take some time to honestly evaluate how you’re doing in these areas on a consistent basis.  You may be doing awesome and this is just confirmation that you and your staff are on the right path.  Or, you may realize you have some work to do in this area.  Either way, if you have specific questions about this or any other issue in your office, me and the FPC Team are here for you, as always!