As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes.
Mel Brooks

I’m not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work there, Lou.   Marge Gunderson, Fargo (1996)

In this series of blogs, we’re discussing Leadership. In June, I addressed Recognizing and Meeting Needs. This month, we’ll talk about Retaining Valuable Employees.

• Motivating & Inspiring Others

• Listening Skills

• Recognizing and Meeting Needs

• Retaining Valuable Employees

• Understanding Personality Types

Let’s look at why employees are valuable; then, briefly, how to retain them.

I’ll start by giving you a couple of scenarios from my own experience (true stories):

First, there is a former account of mine that is a single dentist practice that I worked with for about 8 months. During that short eight-month period, I observed the following:

• When the practice moved into a new office, the ratio of practice management space and personnel to operative space went to approximately 1:1.5. In other words, there was very obviously an increase in the importance of scheduling, billing, & accounting; in short, front office functions vs. patient treatment functions. The “front office” grew dramatically, while the treatment area and staff was reduced dramatically. I believe that this is a result of mixed-up priority business model.

Certainly it’s important to make money in a dental practice. After all, this is not a ministry.  And you may disagree with my analysis, but the second observation, I believe, backs up my perception that this practice is woefully out of balance in its priorities.

• In the eight months I called on this practice,

  • The entire reception staff turned over at least twice.

  • The billing/bookkeeping/accounting department turned over at least three times.

  • The “back-office” staff turned over at least three times.

My experience with the staff was that they seemed capable and represented the practice well, but I admit that I have only a relatively superficial perception.

When a patient returns annually or semiannually for exams, they feel much more comfortable when they are familiar with the staff. Frequent staff turnover can be disconcerting for patients. The practice/patient relationship should be just that, a relationship. Having a capable, stable staff is paramount to the practice/patient relationship. When a patient is greeted and seated, they want to have some familiarity with the staff. We like doing business with people we know and with whom we feel comfortable.

The second scenario was with my personal dentist of several years ago. Every 6 months, without fail, when I went for my exam, the entire staff had turned over.  This was in Utah about 25 years ago. The doctor confided in me that, after a certain amount of time, he was required to provide medical insurance for full-time employees. He was in the habit of turning staff over to save himself the expense of providing medical insurance. His practice was constantly on the verge of bankruptcy.

Now, I know that this discussion has taken up a lot of space, but, if like these two doctors, you don’t believe that it’s important to have employees that provide value to your practice, you can stop reading and go back to interviewing prospective new employees.

Every practice should provide value-added service to their patients. In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Lean (Flinchbaugh & Carlino, 2006), the authors point out that, for an activity to be value-added, it must meet all three of the following criteria:

1. The customer must value it and be willing to pay for it.

2. It must change the form, fit, or function of the product or service.

3. It must be done right the first time.

Is the patient more likely to remain with you if you have a capable, friendly, stable staff? How does the “personality” of your staff make you different from other practices? Do you hire and retain good people from the get-go?

A valuable employee will contribute the following to your practice (Hopefully, you’ve done a great job of hiring, so that each of your employees is valuable to your practice):

• Leadership

  • You want people who will show by example what a valuable employee is and does. Each of your employees is dedicated to your practice values and will teach and learn from one another how to make your practice a value-added practice.

• Team-Player

  • A valuable employee is one that always has the good of the practice in mind and is not conflicted about the accomplishments of others.

• Personality

  • The valuable employee will reflect the “personality” of the practice. When I go to my dentist, everyone is cheerful, values me as a patient, explains each step of a procedure as it progresses, is non-judgmental, is gentle. This is also the personality of the dentists. They are patient-oriented and so is their staff. I am made to feel welcome and am remembered from appointment to appointment.

• Is not indispensable. What? A valuable employee has the good of the practice in mind; so, makes sure that the practice is ready for them to not be there. There are few things more maddening that having an employee home sick, or on vacation and the remaining staff having to figure out the “what’s”, “where’s”, and “how’s” of that employee’s job.

  • “Do you know where Jane keeps this?” becomes, “Janes always keeps this here.”

  • “What does John do when we have this issue?” becomes, “When this occurs, John always does this.”

  • “Why are we out of lidocaine?” becomes, “Jess always stays on top of our inventory needs.”

  • They never leave worry and chaos in their wake.

• Finally, and probably not finally, a valued employee is honest and dependable. They own their mistakes and can be trusted to do the right, honest thing for the practice.

How do you keep them around?

• Trust and appreciate them.

  • How is the best way to appreciate them? Well, that’s another blog, but basically, you have to know them well enough to know what makes them tick and motivates them.

• Follow Mel Brook’s philosophy. Mistakes are going to happen with even the most valuable employee. Bring it up, then, let it drop.

• As with Marge Gunderson, (she really didn’t mean this when she said what was quoted) allow that there may be more than one correct way to do something and, maybe even a better way.

• Do Not Take Them For Granted!

  • From time-to time, tell them that you really appreciate some specific thing that they contribute to the practice. “Jenny, it’s so nice to know that, when I look at the bur block, my favorite diamond is always there, sharp, and ready to go. Thank you.

So, what have we learned (I hope)? Great employees are a value to your practice. Hire well and they will become a value that is added to your service. Work hard to keep them around. Things will only get better and better for your practice with the right people working in it.