Do's and don'ts for staff success

In any business, the staff is critical to its success. Let's face it. As brilliant as Bill Gates is, he did not build Microsoft into a tech giant all by himself. Your practice is no different, and the strength of your team starts with you. Taking the time to build a team that meets high expectations will greatly help your success.

Create a careful and thorough recruitment process. Be willing to go through the hard work of recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and training new team members until you find the right fit. When you look for the right team members and not the "right now" team members, it will all be worth it.

Don't tolerate poor performance. When a team member falls short in performance, it may seem easier to ignore it and hope it gets better than to address it. However, if you want a strong team, you must have strong team members. When you see poor performance, work to provide the appropriate coaching. If the team member still can't perform at a reasonable level, he or she must be replaced. You must develop a personality that doesn't accept mediocre or poor performance.

Dr. Roger P. Levin is CEO of Levin Group, a leading practice management and marketing consulting firm. To contact him or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit LevinGroup.com or email [email protected].

The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.