Dear Sharyn,
How do I get my team to answer their own questions, solve their own problems and become more responsible in general? I’m stressed enough doing everything in the office and to add to it, my staff come to me with questions and issues that I think they should be able to resolve. For example, if a patient refuses x-rays, they’ll refer the patient to me, or if there is a computer question, they’ll come to me, or if an appointment needs to be changed, they ask me instead of just changing it. I want them to do these things without needing my help.
S.G. CA
Dear S.G.
Ask yourself one important question: What are you doing, perhaps inadvertently, that encourages their dependance on you? This may be things like making autocratic decisions, or not providing relevant training, or making inconsistent decisions or expressing disapproval about their actions. If you’ve been guilty of any of these, then you have taught your team not to be self-directed.
There is an easy fix to this, which would involve changing YOUR behavior so that the dynamic in your practice changes. Your first step would be to tell your team that you want them to be more self-directed and to solve their own issues. The next step is to stop answering their questions and instead ask them one question each time they buttonhole you. Your question to them would be: “What do you think you should do?”
