Secrets to a high-performing practice
By Bob Levoy

High-performance practitioners excel at networking. The worst thing one doctor can say about another doctor, says otolaryngologist/ allergist Martin H. Zwerling of Aiken, S.C., is not that he's incompetent, lazy, or dishonest.

"The worst thing you can say is, 'I've never heard of him.' Building your practice," Zwerling says, "means developing effective relationships with your colleagues in the community."

Networking is one means of getting known and developing working relationships with other healthcare practitioners. These include primary-care physicians, orthopedists, OB/GYNs, rheumatologists, physiatrists, pain management specialists, neurologists, and physical therapists.

These specialists have many patients with chronic problems that may do well with chiropractic care and adjunctive rehabilitative services.

Reality check: The possibility of mutual referrals is real when the medical community is educated to the validity and value of chiropractic care — and the feedback from their patients is consistently positive. It's unlikely you'll win the respect and referrals from all, but those from whom you do will be a regular source of patients.

High-performance chiropractors have mastered the techniques of hiring, managing, and retaining great employees.

The hiring of employees is the single most important management task you do. A staff that is knowledgeable, efficient, and enthusiastic about their jobs can literally make the difference between a failing practice and one that is successful in all aspects — from the quality of patient care to its financial health.

Keeping them motivated, however, is the next, all-important challenge.

Reality check: The law of individual differences states that no two people are alike. They have different needs, different skills, different attitudes, and different motivational triggers. No single management style works across the board. What works with one employee may have a negative effect on another.

For some employees, having the authority to purchase supplies, make decisions, or manage others can be extremely satisfying. But it's not for everyone. Some employees don't want responsibility, leadership, or risk. The fact is they'd rather be told what to do.

One employee wants autonomy and another craves recognition. Others want a promotion or work/life balance. Job satisfaction is as unique to each of us as our fingerprints.

Chiropractors who are aware of these varied needs will better understand the seemingly contradictory behavior of a newly hired, bright, energetic, ambitious person who loses interest in his or her work and perhaps quits — even though he or she is well paid.

Action steps: One of the many ways to identify employees' job-related needs is to simply ask them. Put the questions in writing. Give employees time to think about their answers and, perhaps, discuss them with someone else. Explain also, that if they'd like to do so, you'll schedule a one-on-one conference to discuss the results. Such questions might include:

• What part of your job do you like best and why?
• Are there additional things you would like to be doing?
• What, if anything, frustrates you about your job?
• What is there about your job (if anything) that you would like changed to help you get more of what you want from your work?

Hard learned lesson: To the extent you can identify and address the job-related needs of your employees, the more prone they'll be to engage what psychologists call "motivated behavior." And, they'll stick around longer.

Conclusion: Building a high-performance organization requires a special blend of leadership, strategy, and teamwork. The recipe for success is different for every practice, but the ingredients are much the same.

Bob Levoy is a seminar speaker and writer who focuses on the healthcare industry. His newest book is 22 Secrets of Hiring, Managing and Retaining Great Employees in Healthcare Practices (Jones and Bartlett Publishers). He can be reached by e-mail at b.levoy@att.net.