Identify and use staff members’ strengths

Imagine this: Your staffers know each other’s abilities so well that they smoothly step in to perform their tasks while efficiently handing over other tasks to more suitable and willing staffers. Your practice operates more efficiently, your employees are more satisfied, and overall patient care improves.

No, this is not Shangri-La. It’s a product of diligent effort to identify your staff member’s individual strengths and structure their jobs so they do more of what they do best. Here are some tips to recognize and use staffers’ strengths:

• Overcome the “If I can do it, anybody can” attitude. It’s human nature to take our own talents for granted and assume that whatever is easy for us should be simple for others. Recognize your staffers’ differing strengths, and ask them which job they feel they most enjoy and are most suitable for.
• Use personality tests to further understand yourself and your employees. Tests serve as excellent tools to help team members understand each other.
• Encourage staff to trade duties to take full advantage of strengths. Each gets to do more of the work that suits him or her, making everyone less stressed and more productive.