We’ve all been there…

We have teams that may perform well but are otherwise constantly in a state of negativity or drama that drains the morale of the entire organization and monopolizes everyone’s time and energy (not to mention burns out the supervisors trying to sort through it all).

Our teams need more support — or even just the normal amount of support — in this short-staffed decade we are living in! We hire new staff only to find out they are not suited for the role, the practice, or even the medical industry overall. We then must start the whole hiring process anew.

These situations are frustrating, time-consuming, unproductive, and ultimately ineffective for business growth. When trying to combat them, we seek out strategies that offer various methods to improve our workplaces, but the way these approaches are laid out in books or online can be confusing due to the complex steps involved. Choose the method that feels right for your practices, but to better integrate the recommendations for change, try to narrow down things to the simplest concepts to make them easier to understand. Simpler is better when it comes to improving the culture of our teams.

Start by deciding what type of basic work environment you need. Look at things with objective honesty. What strengths do your practices have, and what areas for growth are evident? Build on those strengths, and begin to weed out the negatives, whether they be processes, employees, etc. And accept ahead of time that it is going to be a long-game — the shift within your workplace culture will not happen overnight. Staying consistent with your approach and your messaging to staff will help you all get through periods of hopelessness when things seem like they are taking too long to improve.

True culture change brings hard decisions. Deciding when to take job action can be very difficult from a practical standpoint, even when it is fully clear from an objective standpoint. If underperformers exist within the team, coach them towards acceptable paths for improvement, using specific, attainable goals. If they do not meet those goals, do not be afraid to terminate their employment. Letting someone go can temporarily put a strain on workflow, yet it is the right decision when you have given employees the tools to succeed but they do not use them. Employees need to be responsible and accountable just as much as we need to be supportive and empowering.

There are often employees whose attitudes, styles, demeanors, and even direct outbursts bring the rest of the team’s productivity and positive morale to a halt, as well as cause significant staff-retention issues overall. These employees are where the culture-change focus should start. Terminate staff based on their attitudes before any staff are terminated due to performance. We can train employees for skills, but we cannot train employees for personality. When in doubt about personnel choices, just use common sense. Do not over-complicate things. Look at what decision makes the most sense for the true betterment of your teams, and go with that, even if it feels strange. Doing what is right is often the hardest thing to accomplish in both business and in life, so if you feel even slight awkwardness, then chances are it is the right decision with which to follow through.

As you begin to reset the team after personnel changes, remember that just having a body come in to fill an employment vacancy does not usually work. Hire for the right fit instead, knowing you can then train for skills afterwards. Use the interview process to look for the factors that your practice culture needs from a behavioral standpoint, and then seek those traits out.

Getting the right type of character fit will automatically help with productivity, retention, and company growth down the road.

Throughout culture change, communicate with your teams as much as possible. Aim for transparency by explaining the “why” behind things, with the goal being to have employees respect the intent even if they do not necessarily agree with it. Document details so the staff can reference them later. And do not be afraid to be vulnerable with your teams — as long as you remain consistent overall with your approach and messaging, it is okay for staff to see areas where you yourself are struggling too. It creates common ground, and it also humanizes us as leaders, which can in turn go a long way toward creating buy-in for change.

By applying simplification to your approach, and by focusing first on resetting the culture within your practices, you can achieve true growth within your teams. Starting with the basics can help you build a practice that is not only what you want it to be but what you need it to be as well.

Does the candidate have a personable and positive presence?

Are they candid about their strengths and weaknesses, or at least willing to talk about them?

Do they seem to want to participate in personal and institutional growth?