치과원장의 리더십
치과대학 졸업 후 원장의 위치에 도달한 치과의사들은 조직관리의 리더십 경험부재로 그 역할에 대해 좌절하는 경우가 있다. 이제 “보스”가 되어야 할 당신에게 전할 3가지 교훈을 살펴보자.
#1 - “깜짝놀랄만한 일을 만들지 말라”를 지침으로 삼은 경우 원장은 당연히 스탭들이 놀랄만한 일을 만들지 않기를 바란다. 치과의사는 보통 계획적으로 일을 추진하므로 통제된 상황에서는 문제가 없지만 돌발상황에서는 당황하기 쉽다. 팀원들에게 예상치못한 상황이 벌어지지 않도록 지시하면 문제가 발생해도 원장까지 보고되지 않는다. 제대로 보고되지 않으면, 문제는 해결하기 어렵다.
#2 - 모든 직원들이 다 이해하고 있다고 생각하는 경우
가장 많은 오류를 범하는 부분이 직원들이 새로 합류하는 경우, 과거의 경험으로 현재 필요한 모든 부분을 다 이해하고 있다고 착각하는 경우이다. 원장이 원하는 부분을 정확하게 적어 전달하라.
#3 - 직원급구로 인해 더 어려움에 빠지게 되는 경우
직원모집이야말로 모든 원장들이 한번쯤 고민해보는 사항이다. 부적절한 직원이 채용되어도 해고하기란 쉽지않다. 잘못된 채용결정으로 원장은 악몽을 꾸게되는 것이다. 직원채용은 시간을 갖고 채용시스템을 점검하고 정비한 후 진행해도 늦지않다. 잘못된 결정으로 불편함을 계속 갖는 것보다는 낫지 않은가?
Upon entering your first “real” dental practice either as an associate or as an owner, it’s likely that one thing became abundantly clear very early on: Along with that DDS degree, you’ve unwittingly earned a full-ride in the school of hard knocks…and oh what a ride it is.
With little warning and even less preparation, many dentists are tossed into leadership roles seemingly overnight. It’s a job requirement that can leave newer and even experienced dentists shaking their heads in bewilderment. While there are multiple pitfalls that can plague new leaders, below are three to steer clear of in your role as “The Boss.”
#1 - The "No Surprises" Directive
You make it abundantly clear to your team that you do not like surprises. After all, as a dentist you are meticulous about precision, preparation and planning, all in an impressive effort to achieve perfection. So when the inevitable happens, you are blindsided by something you didn’t expect.
You told them you did not like surprises, yet there’s a veritable smorgasbord of unexpected situations, snafus, and problems spread before you. Why? How did this happen? Because you asked for it. Not directly of course, but if you tell your team that you don’t like surprises, don’t want bad news, or simply dismiss them when they need to talk to you about something, you’ll get exactly that - no news, no information, and no notice of that brewing storm on the horizon.
Work is about solving problems and finding solutions. If it were all fun, we would be going to “fun” every day. Instead, we go to work. Open the lines of communication in your dental practice and create a safe environment in which your team members can share concerns, problems, and, yes, bad news at the first hint that something is amiss. Then together you can work to address it long before the problem, situation, or ugly circumstance chews you up and spits your battered pride out onto the pavement in front of your practice.
#2 - Assuming Everyone Understands
This is the most common pitfall in leading employees: Assuming your staff knows what you want. Why do so many doctors fall into this trap? Because they have either acquired existing teams or insisted on hiring employees with “previous dental practice experience” in the hopes that they would not have to bother with the whole issue of explaining things and actually training the staff. Spell out your expectations and the employees’ responsibilities in black and white for every member of your team from the beginning. If you choose not to, they will simply keep performing their responsibilities according to what they think you want. If you honestly just don’t know what you want or how to explain it to your employees, you are not alone.
#3 - Hiring Under Pressure
Every doctor has dealt with at least one hiring disaster. Perhaps you panicked, you were in a pinch and hired a family member to fill in. You knew almost immediately that this was a bad idea, and you found yourself in the extremely awkward and difficult position of having to fire said family member. That certainly makes holiday gatherings uncomfortable. Poor hiring decisions are among practice owners’ worst nightmares. Take your time. Create a clearly defined hiring system and spare yourself hiring horrors.?Next week, can you lead your practice to profitability?
