I recently had the experience of being dealt with by a terrifyingly efficient receptionist – outside of dentistry I hasten to add. Once I had completed my transaction I started to think about how I would rate her performance. I couldn’t fault her on her efficiency (I had got an appointment and been sent on my way in double quick time) but I realised that I came away feeling rather short-changed. It was nothing to do with her appointment-making ability – it was to do with the way she had treated me and her behaviour. Her hyper-efficient manner had made me feel as if I had been weighed in the balance and found wanting – and I certainly didn’t feel like a valued customer. How, I wondered, if I had been her manager, would I have managed her performance?
Dental practices, as we all know, cannot function without people. The performance of a practice, its financial, clinical and business success is dependent entirely on the people who deliver the service at all levels. Their performance affects the practice’s performance, and so when we talk about managing performance there is a sound and compelling business reason for doing so. In considering performance we need to consider how well someone carries out their role; if someone is not pulling their weight in the team, because they are not doing their job well or even because they take a lot of time off sick, it will have a knock on effect on the whole practice, and indeed on the bottom line.
Of course, as I saw with the receptionist I met, performance is just as much about how someone does something as what they do. This means that the right sort of behaviour or the way that a staff member carries out their role is just as important as the technical skills we want them to have. One without the other will not mean great performance. The receptionist I encountered was lacking some of the behavioural skills of making people feel valued and welcome; similarly though, a friendly and personable receptionist who cannot make accurate appointments also poses an unwelcome problem.
In dentistry, the right sort of behaviour also means being able to work effectively as part of a team. We all appreciate the people who go the extra mile in their work but ultimately teams are not built from stars with a supporting cast – dental practice, to use a theatrical analogy, is an ensemble piece.
Managing performance involves a series of steps – most of them straightforward. Sadly though, often as dentists and managers we tend to think about performance only when something has gone wrong or worse still when something has been going wrong for some considerable time. For others performance management means doing the odd appraisal from time to time. But it’s a big mistake to think that we only need to manage performance when things aren’t going so well, or that people will be motivated by an annual chat. Managing performance is ongoing rather than an occasional activity, and requires a combination of good systems and a bit of thought. The time to think about it, and the time to get those systems in place if you haven’t got them already, is now.
Clarity
A great number of people still appear to rely on telepathy when communicating to their staff what they expect from them. It may be crystal clear to you as a manager or dentist, but do your people know what they are there for and what they are trying to achieve? Do they know what constitutes good performance in your practice? It is critical that you make clear to every individual what level of performance you expect in terms of skills and behaviour. A good starting point for this is the job description and person specification. These are not just pieces of paper to be filed away, but living documents which provide blueprints for you to measure and manage your staff’s performance and for them to measure their own as well. These can be used as a basis for discussion at appraisals and other more informal discussions about work during the course of the year. Without these documents it is almost impossible to manage performance effectively.
‘If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,’ goes the saying and it is very important to be specific about the standards you expect; but do be careful. What gets measured gets done, so make sure that you are measuring the right things.
Consider introducing an incentive scheme for your team members to maintain interest and a high level of performance.
Appraisals offer a valuable opportunity to review how well your employee has been doing and to set some action plans and targets for what you want to them to maintain and improve on in the coming months. However, they should not replace dealing with issues about performance on a more regular basis if things are not going as well as they should be.
If things are going wrong, the golden rule is to deal with problems quickly. Don’t dither. If you say nothing you are in effect condoning the behaviour that you don’t like – and by omission telling someone that what they are doing is OK. Perhaps the worst scenario is that by not dealing with poor performance you may find yourself on the receiving end of a tribunal or constructive dismissal claim because of your inaction. If you are not sure about how to discuss poor performance appropriately and within the law, or operate a disciplinary system if things get to that stage, make sure that you are acting legally and ethically. However a good principle is this: be proactive. Find out the reasons for poor performance; provide training where appropriate. Do all you can to provide the environment for your staff member to improve their performance.
Also, don’t forget to praise good performance. We all like to know we are doing a good job, and a word of well-chosen praise at the right time can have an amazing effect on performance.
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