Performance Matters - Idea #19

Understand that most Practice managers and supervisors have have earned their titles by having been successful professionals with a technical/scientific training. Most have never received training in business and management; and if asked, most would acknowledge that they honestly receive more personal/professional satisfaction in the clinic than shouldering the burdens of management.

The litmus test is to ask them the question, "What gets you up eagerly on Monday mornings and what keeps you willingly after hours?" For most its not management issues.

Management requires a markedly different set of priorities and skill sets than clinical services.

Most who are in Practice management roles have had little training or mentoring to prepare them for success and satisfaction in a manager's role. Most have questions - lots of questions. Most have vulnerabilities that contribute significant unrecognized risk to the Practice.

Help managers and supervisors to acquire the skills and perspectives they need to optimize their value to the Practice. Provide them with competent training and mentoring support. Doing so will yield significant benefit to the Practice that will be measured in performance, retention, and return on investment.

Oh, and keep in mind that all mentors and training programs are not created equal.

We see a significant number of Practice managers return to school for long hours and at considerable cost to earn an MBA. We also see many of them return to the Practice with newly acquired MBA perspectives but not sure how to leverage their Practice for better performance, more reward, and less risk and worry.

Then there are professional association so called mentoring programs that engage those who want to be mentors but who more often than not lack the technical skills and breadth/depth of experience to make them truly valuable to those they would mentor. Such relationships are in fact too often dangerous to those being mentored.

The best advice is to secure mentoring and training support from those with proven ability to bring our the best in managers and the best in Practice performance.

Bob

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Performance Builders