After trying to entertain my daughters for a while outside, I finally got a few moments to myself. As I sat on my back porch, I found myself in a daze watching the roofers at my neighbor’s house. Though I had been hearing their work throughout the day, I hadn’t watched them until now. When I did, I saw that the workers weren’t talking to each other at all. Each one of them was doing their own thing and the work was coming together impressively well.
Just like ants or bees, these roofers are another good example of how team members at a pediatric practice should function. Every roofer I saw that day knew what they were supposed to do, what their teammates were supposed to do, and what the capabilities were of each person involved. This baseline understanding alleviated the need for frequent direction-giving from the foreman. In the end, it created an effective and very efficient team.
For pediatric practices, just like the roofers, creating a good team starts with setting baseline expectations and understanding. This means that the hiring and onboarding processes must be very intentional and geared at finding employees who fit into the practice culture and align with practice values. Once that person is found, leaders must set clear expectations concerning the employee's role within the organization. Furthermore, implementing various ways to hold employees reasonably accountable is critical to the long-term success of a well-functioning team.
When team members understand each person’s role in the process, they are likely to be more efficient. Because this work is also fairly predictable in terms of the steps to complete various tasks, all practices must identify the most efficient processes to complete what is needed for each patient visit. Each member of the team must be 100% aligned if they are to have a shot at functioning as seamlessly as my neighbor’s roofers!