Creating an Engaged and Motivated Team: Insights and Strategies

In the world of recruitment as it is today, it is crucial to create an environment where your team members love coming to work, feel engaged, and motivated. Here are some insights and strategies to help you achieve this:

The Bigger Picture

Just as it is important for the business owner to connect with the bigger picture, it is essential that your team is inspired by the ultimate cause of the practice. Simon Sinek, author of The Infinite Game, refers to the bigger picture as a "just cause" for which you are willing to sacrifice your personal interests. This requires an environment of trust where team members can make mistakes and share challenges without fear of humiliation or retribution. When there is short-term pain, having people who believe in the cause is invaluable. Reflect on how many of your team members are truly engaged in the bigger picture, your cause.

Overcoming Fear

Dr. Pippa Grange’s book, Fear Less: How to Win Your Way in Work and Life, discusses how fears impact our lives and businesses. Recognizing and overcoming these fears can transform your life and business. Fears might hold you back from bringing more team members on board, employing team members as opposed to bringing on self-employed associates, having meaningful conversations, or implementing useful 1-2-1 structures. One of the fundamental human needs is a sense of belonging. For your team to thrive, they need to feel they truly belong. Identify the fears you need to overcome.

Building a Cohesive and Effective Team

In small businesses, ensuring the right cultural fit is crucial to avoid bringing on team members who may disrupt the team dynamic. Ensure you have the right people in the right roles by mapping out your dream team and considering the necessary skills, experience, and personalities, avoiding short-term compromises that could impact long-term success.

In tough recruitment markets, be open to other options such as redefining your employment model or incorporating technology and different professions to reduce dependency on hard-to-find therapists. Prepare for interviews by having structured questions that not only assess their clinical or technical skills and experience but also assess how candidates align with your culture and handle specific situations. Implement a proper induction process to ensure new team members have a formal checklist to understand expectations and systems.

Communication and Feedback

Effective communication is key to running a successful business. Maintain regular interaction with team members through meetings to keep them motivated and engaged, recognizing that different team members need different levels of support. It is also important to notice and acknowledge the little things people do right, which helps reinforce values and purpose. Communicate this clearly and promptly.

Kim Scott, author of Radical Candor, provides a framework for giving feedback. Most clinic owners avoid conflict and fall into the "ruinous empathy" quadrant—caring personally but avoiding difficult conversations which is not good for you, your team member, your business and most of all, your patients. Radical Candor involves balancing directness with care, ensuring feedback is honest yet considerate. Reflect on who you need to have a radically candid conversation with. Here’s a video by Kim Scott

There is so much more to say on this subject! Do come along to our next Friday Focus: Team motivation, engagement and retention