Empowerment + Teamwork = GOLD

by Jillian Cecchini, Managing Editor

As I sit at my desk writing this month’s editorial, I can’t help but be slightly distracted by the 2018 Winter Olympics and keeping an eye on where Team Canada sits in the standings.

I’m willing to admit that I’ve been glued to my TV this past week watching my favourite figure skaters climb (or skate) their way to the top. The Canadian figure skating team event won the country’s first gold of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, proving a commanding collective performance. Something you don’t know about me – figure skating was an integral part of my life growing up, as I competed for years with a team as a synchronized skater.

This got me thinking about the importance of teamwork.

In the healthcare industry, teamwork is described as “a dynamic process involving two or more healthcare professionals with complementary background and skills, sharing common health goals and exercising concerted physical and mental effort in assessing, planning, or evaluating patient care”.

A key characteristic that helps determine success in the workplace is engagement. Increased team engagement is essential for empowerment, and empowerment in my personal opinion is only successful if accompanied by confidence from all members of the team.

There are many questions to consider in your practice that can influence leadership and team engagement. Are you passionate about your work? Does it show? Do you come into the office with a positive attitude? Does it affect others? Influencing leadership in your practice guides employees to put forth their best efforts in order to achieve success and feel proud of their contributions, not only towards the team but to your patients. Investing in your team to help each member grow not only personally, but professionally, will prove beneficial in the long-run. Optimizing collaboration among employees can maximize shared knowledge and working collectively builds a trust that is essential for success.

Let’s keep in mind – your practice is a business. Your business would not thrive without the team players outside that play an integral role in achieving the best practice possible. Practice growth includes many factors and ensuring you chose the best leaders possible is essential. Branding your practice with the right marketing, maintaining financial goals, tax planning opportunities, retirement planning, legal issues, and clinical development (just to name a few) wouldn’t be possible without building the right team for your practice.

A better-managed practice allows you to deliver not only quality patient care but a strong, successful work ethic among your team members. Achieving gold isn’t easy but applying the Olympian gold mindset can help you strive for your best performance. See you on the podium…


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