Staff leaders in your optometric practice can help you maintain culture while driving your practice into the future. Finding the leader in your staff will help you get buy-in to champion changes to your optometric practice and dodge resistance. Staff leaders are also important in boosting morale in your optometric practice during stressful situations in an attempt to reduce turnover rates. Below are tips for finding the leaders of your optometric practice.

3 Attributes Of Your Optometric Practice Staff Leader

Shared Vision

In order to progress your optometric practice, you need your staff leader to embrace change and understand your vision of where your practice could be in the future. A shared vision of the practice will help you communicate with the rest of the team and get other members of your staff on board with the direction and changes you’d like to make to grow your practice and increase the quality of care for your community.

Potential

High performers are an asset to any company. However, top performers don’t always make the best leaders. Identify the employees with good potential, not just optimal performance. Is there a staff member in your practice who is constantly trying to learn new things about your practice and how it runs?

When looking for your staff leader, identify the person who has the courage to take on challenges, admit mistakes, and question potential process issues. Consider rotating this individual throughout different roles in your practice. As they move from role to role, they will gain the knowledge and challenge that they seek and the experience to solve problems throughout the practice. Rotating roles will also give you an extra hand when you’re short staffed.

Attitude

A leader has to have the right attitude. Someone who shows up to the office complaining about the latest bit of drama will bring down the rest of your practice, affecting productivity. When looking for the staff leader, find the person who always leaves the drama at the door and greets even the most stubborn patient with the respect and positively that they deserve.

Your staff leader should inspire the rest of your team with respect and positive energy.

Thinking about making a change to your optometric practice in the new year? Get you and your staff leader the tools you need with the complete guide on upgrading to modern optometry software.