“You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note.” — Doug Floyd
Much is spoken about the importance of harmony in a team of people in your practice team. Harmony can often be sought at great cost. The cost of lowered productivity, lowered creativity and even lowered harmony itself – what an oxymoron!
Do you hire for similarity? Often we find ourselves seeking the company of those who are like us, who like what we like, who see the word as we do. Surrounding yourself with ‘yes men’ is a sure-fire way to grind your practice to a halt. A team of people with everyone singing the same notes just gives a loud noise. How would it be if you are an extroverted expressive person who likes difference and variety so you bring on a team of like-behaved characters around you? You would all have a good time but I doubt whether much would be done in the organization department.
We require the different notes to be sounded to produce the harmony a great symphony. In order to create the different ‘instruments’ that will make the ‘music’ in your practice ensure the following are attended to:
- Make sure that you identify the roles and responsibilities that you need to have covered in your practice. Every essential task, job and service should be identified on your storyboard.
- Select a profile of the character traits and skills that will be required to service that role or responsibility with excellence.
- Appoint existing team members with those pre-requisites to that position or hire someone who has them.
- Set procedures, policies and scripts for every function in your practice.
- Ensure that every procedure is tied to the overarching values of your practice.
- Put training procedures in place that drill down every aspect of function.
So, embrace the disharmony that exists between your team members and reap the rewards that come as a result of this oxymoron in action.
