As we move back into your practice and talk about being an “aware team member,” there are really so many places we can go with this. I want to keep this week’s Huddle straightforward and give you an opportunity to talk amongst each other about areas you know you could be more present and aware. This list should also include any training or clarity you need in order to do so.
First things first, being an aware team member is really the secret to being collaborative with each other. This gives you the ability to think beyond just yourself and what you are doing by understanding that every action you do or patient you see impacts everyone else in the practice.
Whether this is setting proper expectations on the phone or avoiding an insurance discussion in the back. Everything you do (or don’t do) serves as a domino falling into your other team members and swaying the outcome of a patient visit.
Clear, timely and accurate chart notes come to mind. As well as information on new patients being carried throughout the experience. Of course, doing effective triangles and not just tossing patients back and forth to the next person in line.
Imagine a relay race where you are gaining as much ground as possible and then passing the baton to your teammate. It is everyone’s responsibility to do their part in getting the patient to the finish line. Even one slow runner (or a disastrous dropping of the baton), can secure a defeat.
You get the point.
That said, awareness is also about showing up on time, being prepared for your day, coming into the practice clear minded and being focused on the day’s work at hand.
Awareness is about being helpful when you have the chance and being supportive when a team member needs you.
Being an aware team member is about empathy and understanding that sometimes someone else is unaware of their actions, attitude or even mistakes. While that doesn’t make it okay or displace responsibility from them, they might just need a nudge, a reminder, or a polite mention to think a little bit more before they act, talk, do, neglect, etc.
How else would you describe a great team member that is aware? What behaviors do you appreciate from your fellow team members that make for more successful days?
The message here is to realize that the practice is bigger than any one person. You are not tucked away in your own compartment operating independent of everyone else. No matter how busy you are, understand everyone else is too.
Whether you’re stuck on the phone with insurance all day or behind the desk checking in patients or in the mouth in the back, you are a link in the chain of success in your practice. Without you doing what you do it won’t work but the same goes for all the other links. Your goal (other than being your best self), is to help make sure the links stay connected and everyone is holding up each other. You must operate in unison and be focused on the practice mission every day, and that takes awareness over yourself and others.
Make your list of awareness both individually and as a team. This alone will elevate your ability to ‘show up’ with consistency and the energy to perform to your potential. The result will be better patient experiences and more fulfilling days for your team.
