Who's in Charge of Morale?
According to sociologist Alexander Leighton, "morale is the capacity of a group of people to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a common purpose."
Your office is experiencing one of the worst months in a long time. A high-production patient just no-showed. The blame-game is in full force, conflict is the norm, and everyone's energy is visibly reduced. Although people are still working diligently, activity is driven by fear: excitement and enthusiasm are non-existent.
Why does morale suffer?
- Low production
- Lack of vision
- Poor communication.
- Lack of empowerment / team ownership
- Negative patient feedback
- No Shows/Cancelations
- Energy Vampires on the team
- No recognition or gratitude to each other
For your practice to thrive in a healthy culture, it's essential to take the time to develop good morale. Why do many avoid this component of success? Because it's easier to focus on the 'smart' side of the practice. Improving clinical skills, a new piece of equipment, or incorporating another new marketing strategy are a lot easier than having a difficult conversation or looking in the mirror to acknowledge leadership or communication shortcomings.
We tend to gravitate toward activities that can be measured - producing and collecting. Some may even feel as if it's a waste of time to invest in team-building. But here's what we've seen over the last 30 years... organizations with high morale experience higher productivity, increased team engagement, and lower turnover - not to mention, everyone has more fun! While "raising morale" can seem to be a nebulous goal, investing time and energy in the health of your team culture will save you so much time and stress in the long run.
- Communicate. Talk directly to the person that can make a difference in the situation.
Doctors, this means you don't walk by a mistake, you manage your expectations, and hold your team accountable with follow up. Talking with other team members that cannot do anything about it will not 'fix' the issue. Locking yourself in your office between patients will only cause your team members' imaginations to run wild, distracting them from the vision.
Team members, same goes for you. When the front office goes to lunch and complains about the hygienists, you are only breeding negativity and becoming part of the problem.
- Look 'Big Picture' and focus on what's working well.
It's so easy to react and base your mood on this weeks' schedule, or the current balance in your bank account. Yes, this is human nature, but think possibility! Instead of overanalyzing the misery of last month and fretting over recent failures, talk about what you WANT to have happen. We tend to spend 80% of our time dwelling on the past. Instead, spend the majority of your time and communication on the opportunities in front of you.
- Don't look to others to boost morale.
Regardless of your role in the office, YOU are in charge of your own mood! At the start of each moment of each day, the person who can best motivate you to do your best is YOU. Relying on other people or circumstances to determine how you will show up today will be a let down. YOU are the CEO of your own life, the author of your own play, the architect of your own garden. Along with those roles, you are the CMO of your life – the Chief Motivation Officer! You get the picture.