Building a winning team
This is the first of a series of six articles covering the key areas of running or managing an optical practice. The topics covered across the series will be building a winning team, creating competitive advantage, driving customer loyalty, mastering marketing, effective communication, and knowing your numbers.
I hope you will enjoy reading my thoughts and that you will be able to find some ideas that you can use to improve and take you forward in your own practice. If you wish to discuss any of the points discussed, please feel free to get in touch with me for a chat or debate.
Why are teams important?
In every sphere of life, where more than one person is involved, the concept of teamwork is fundamental. A winning team is not merely a collection of talented individuals, it is a collection of people with complementary skills whereby each member brings their own skills and strengths to the team, such that the performance is much more than the sum of the individual parts.
As every human being is different, building, developing and keeping a team energised and engaged requires strategic planning, effective communication and a shared commitment to achieve the agreed objectives. What is more, the environment and conditions in which the team operate are in a state of constant change, requiring the team members to continually adapt and develop skills to meet the changing needs.
Building the team
It is rare in our profession, that you will have the opportunity to build a new team totally from scratch. Normally, the challenge for managers and owners is to take the team they have and change it for the better. Either way, by setting out what the ideal outcome looks like, you can, over time, move closer toward your desired result by training and developing the people you have.
The first stage is defining clear strategic goals, which you can reference through the process to ensure you stay on track. These goals will act as strategic anchors, keeping you focused. Once you have these goals, you can then define the roles needed in your winning team, based on their personality, background, experience and skills.
Selecting the right individuals is often easier said than done and it is worthwhile looking into how to do this in detail. Early in my management career I came across the acronym Cat, which gives weightings for chemistry, aptitude, technical (figure 1). The technical component refers to the skills a candidate offers. This held me in good stead over my 30 years in optical management and I have explained it below.
Figure 1: Breakdown of key elements of assembling for a successful team
Chemistry – 80%
Chemistry carries an 80% weighting and is all about finding the person who is the right ‘fit’ for the organisation. We are talking about qualities such as adaptability, resilience and a can-do attitude, coupled with values that align with the organisation.
Aptitude – 15%
Depending on the role you are looking to fill, certain types of people will find it more natural than others. Understanding a candidate’s aptitude for the role, is more likely to be based on how they approach problem solving rather than the result they achieve.
Technical – 5%
Recruiting someone because they have the right qualification, only to find they are completely unaligned with company values will likely end in failure.
In short, Cat suggests it is much better to find the right person and train them to do the technical stuff, than it is to rush to find someone with the right technical knowledge, only to find to your cost that they do not fit with the organisation’s culture.
Team development
Once the team is in place, keeping them engaged and motivated is essential to maintain high performance. No matter how well you have recruited, the conditions in which the team operates is in a constant state of change. Also, each member of the team is changing too, wanting to grow and develop their skills and knowledge.
Owners and managers are often in the dilemma that if they keep training and developing their employees they might leave for a better role, and if they do not, they might leave because there seems to be no progression. With neither option desirable, perhaps the answer is to develop your people and let them develop your business.
In simple terms, this means aligning the business development plans with the development plans of your people. In order to do this, you will need regular, open communication with your team both as a team and individually. Whether you label these conversations as appraisals, reviews, huddles or 1-2-1s, they are important for many reasons, such as:
- Feedback and recognition
Team members want to know if they are doing a good job, and they need to hear it from their manager. Understanding that you are doing well breeds confidence and trust to push on and be even better. Constructive feedback helps the team member to ask for the right training and development to improve on weaker areas. - A chance to be heard
I recall how motivating it was when my first boss took me out for a coffee and asked for my thoughts on how the practice could be improved. Whether my ideas were taken forward or not, the mere fact that she had taken the time to ask me made me feel valued and motivated. - Revisit the business and personal development plans
Most of your team will, if you have recruited well, wish to develop themselves. Developing a personal development plan, in line with business plans is a simple way to help team members see their future with the organisation. - Making sure you have the right tools for the job
This might sound obvious but having the right tools (or not) to carry out one’s role effectively can have a huge impact on motivation. Having regular conversations can ensure the team has the equipment, software, and other necessary equipment to carry out their roles effectively.
In short, by taking an interest, your people will be more engaged in the business, motivation and confidence will increase and with it the productivity and experience of your patients.
When things go wrong
This article would not be complete without looking at what happens when things do not go to plan. No team is immune to challenges and setbacks and sometimes this is caused by conflicts within the team. One aspect that sets winning teams apart is their ability to deal with such situations. Below are my top 10 tips to effectively resolve conflict within a team:
- Act promptly
Encourage team members to address conflicts promptly. Ignoring or putting off dealing with conflict will not make it disappear but will more than likely make it much harder to deal with. - Encourage open communication
Foster a culture where open and honest communication is valued. Ensure there is a mechanism that gives the team a swift and comfortable way of bringing issues to the table, without fear. - Identify the root cause
Work to identify the underlying issues which are causing the
conflict. In many cases, conflicts arise from misinformation, misunderstandings, or differing perspectives. - Be objective
Encourage team members to focus on the issues at hand and
not their own positions. Help them to identify the needs, goals, and concerns of each position to find mutually beneficial
solutions. - Find common ground
Encourage the conflicting parties to find areas of agreement or shared interests. This can help to build rapport and facilitate the resolution process. - Generate ideas through creative discussion
Encourage creative problem-solving by finding potential solutions together. Encourage team members to explore a variety of options and realistically evaluate the potential impact, to come to an agreed course of action. - Evaluate solutions
Once potential solutions have been identified, evaluate them together to select the most effective one. - Agree on a solution
Ensure final decision-making is collaborative and reach a consensus that all parties can agree on. Ensure you gain commitment from all parties to implementing the agreed actions. - Review and monitor progress
As part of the resolution, have an agreed way to monitor progress to ensure the solution is implemented effectively. Follow up with the involved parties, even if it is going well, to ensure that any issues that may arise are dealt with during the implementation process. - WWW.ebi
What Went Well, even better if... Use this to encourage team members to reflect on what happened during the process to make future conflicts easier to deal with. Use the conflict as an opportunity for growth and improvement of the team. By adopting this type of proactive approach to resolving conflict, it is possible to address issues effectively while improving teamwork and strengthening working relationships between team members.
Conclusion
Building, developing and maintaining a winning team is a multifaceted process. It requires strategic planning, effective communication and strong leadership.
By defining clear objectives, recruiting effectively, fostering a culture of trust and collaboration, promoting accountability and embracing diversity, you can build a team that not only achieves success but also thrives in the face of challenges.
With dedication, perseverance and a shared commitment to excellence, you and your team can reach new heights and accomplish great things together.
- David Samuel is a former independent practice owner, dispensing and contact lens optician, who also has a marketing degree and an MBA. He now runs his own business and mental fitness practice, helping practice owners and their teams to be the best they can be. For a copy of his Business Health Check questionnaire email david@davidsamuelcoaching.com or visit davidsamuelcoaching.com.