The Value of a Good Team Member

By: Melinda Taschetta-Millane

Posted: March 4, 2010, from the March 2010 issue of Merge Magazine.

You know the value of a good employee and the importance of teamwork in running your medical aesthetic practice. It’s always possible to train new hires with the appropriate skills, however an attitude is already instilled in that person, be it one that is superior or one that needs severe improvement. So what should you look for in the hiring process, and what is the best way to maintain a productive and pleasant work environment?

This issue puts a strong focus on personnel and ensuring that the right people are in the right place in your practice. In fact, Steven Fagien, MD, FACS, the subject of our cover story this month, credits his team for helping enhance and maintain critical patient relationships.

“I find that patients, in many ways, become long-term relationships, and we set up our office to be a friendly environment. My patients love my office staff; my team treats them with respect,” he says.

This issue relays the importance of hiring and maintaining a thriving team.

• Steven H. Dayan, MD, FACS, notes in this issue’s “Thrive” column on Page 16 that the physician is the center of a practice, and details two very different management styles—Messaging, Information, Customer service and Efficiency (MICE) vs. Rigid, Absent and Tyrannical (RAT). He also emphasizes that the key to being a team leader is to be a team member.
• This issue’s “Building Business” by Bryan Durocher on Page 19 shares the 15 must-have traits to look for in an ideal team member.
• Learn how to reward your team’s hard work, even when raises aren’t an option, in Tracy Drumm’s “6 Strategies for Compensating and Motivating Your Staff” on Page 34. The strategies listed in this article will help you navigate the seas of compensation and motivation for a happier, more driven staff.
• Is the millennial generation starting to have more of a presence in your practice? That could mean a shift in your management style. Reuters reports that 40 million millennials work in corporate America, and this figure is expected to climb to 58 million by 2014. Read more about what drives this group in Mindy Terry’s “Managing Millennials” on Page 38.
• Also in this issue, Deb Scheib is interviewed in the “Practice Profile” section, where she details how her personal work ethic includes being the best resource she can be for her physician and her patients. See Page 48.

Think about your team and your overall business philosophy, and cultivate the environment that is best tailored to your practice’s needs.