When you take the time to identify, nurture and focus the individual and group talents of your team toward common goals, there is very little you can’t accomplish together.

Everyone wants a high performing team. Yet, today, it may seem difficult to find qualified candidates, let alone an entire team committed to high performance. It takes excellent leadership, trust, strategy and time. The effort is well worth it for everyone involved. And, in the long run, allows you to create a weight management practice that operates at a consistently high level with less stress and chaos, allowing you more time to focus on patient care and your goals.

Optimizing the talents of your team means making the most effective use of the skills — natural and learned — of every individual that works for you and your organization. If you have ever experienced this in your career as a leader or team member, you know exactly what it feels like. You feel more energized, challenged and excited about what you’re doing and where you’re going; you’re unified and focused. While this may seem out of reach, having an engaged A-team that maximizes the use of their talents is possible.¹ It is also integral to optimal productivity, morale and employee retention.

Identifying Areas of Improvement for the Leader and Team

As you evaluate yourself and your team, these are some key questions that will help you identify areas for improvement and guide your plan moving forward.

• Does your team understand your vision?
• Does your team know what their specific role is towards the greater vision and purpose of the company?
• Does your team know what success looks like for their specific position?
• Does your team feel seen, valued and appreciated?
• Does your team know the values of your company?
• Are these values demonstrated, recognized, and celebrated daily?
• Are you and your team “checking boxes” taking care of tasks every day but not actually accomplishing what is most important to move the practice and patients toward ultimate success?
• Does your team feel challenged?
• Does your team have the tools and training they need to do a great job?
• Does your leadership team provide ongoing communication, training, and prompt feedback?
• Do you trust your team? Why or why not?

Your team needs a true leader — someone who helps them to use their skills and talents to flourish, succeed and function independently with confidence. If this is the case in your practice, way to go!  If there is room for some improvement, now is the time to make it happen.

Maximize your Team Talents and Overall Success

Highly talented and functioning teams don’t just happen; leaders and team members work together to continually build, refine and renew them. Below are some ways to maximize your team talents and overall success:

1. Own Your Leadership Role: Leading alone is difficult. While you can and should develop a leadership team in your practice, leadership is about taking ownership first — being accountable to yourself and your team, not blaming others, being decisive, solving problems, delegating and developing a team that can do the same.
2. Hire Carefully: Recruit individuals who fit well with your company values and overall mission of your practice. Involve your team in the hiring process and consider a trial period for you and your potential hire. Be clear about the position, expectations and don’t be afraid to have them share exactly why they are the ideal candidate for the position through written or video presentation.
3. Onboard Effectively: Streamline your onboarding and orientation process and be sure to infuse enthusiasm throughout. Set your new hire up for success with effective online training videos, resources, mentorship, and a clear training schedule that includes regular feedback and milestones that measure demonstrated success.
4. Set Clear Expectations and Goals: Provide clear expectations and goals for each member of your team. This will help them understand their role and responsibilities as well as performance expectations. Meet with them at least weekly and make sure every team member has two to three key performance indicators they report on each week that demonstrate a job well done.
5. Provide Regular Feedback and Coaching: Offer ongoing feedback and coaching to help your team develop their skills and improve their performance. This can be done effectively through individual meetings, timely check-ins and performance reviews.
6. Foster a Culture of Learning and Growth: Encourage your team members to learn and develop new skills. Provide opportunities for training, mentoring and other learning experiences.
7. Respect Boundaries and Delegate Effectively: No one enjoys a micromanager who doesn’t give them time or freedom to get the job done within set parameters. Set boundaries for yourself and your team, delegate your desired outcome and let your team come up with some of the processes for making it happen. This helps with buy-in and builds trust.
8. Empower and Challenge Your Team: Give your team members the autonomy and resources they need to do their job effectively. This helps them feel empowered and motivated to achieve their goals.
9. Encourage Teamwork and Collaboration: Encourage your team members to work together, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. This helps them build trust, improve communication and achieve more than they may have thought possible.
10. Recognize and Celebrate Success: Celebrate your team’s successes and recognize individual achievements in a timely manner. This helps to build a positive culture and keep your team members motivated and engaged.

No matter where you are in your practice when it comes to maximizing team talents, these guidelines will help you create a cohesive and success driven team. This is something that permeates every aspect of your business and can fuel exponential growth and satisfaction.

Source(s):

¹ https://advise.gallup.com/employee-engagement