Hiring and Firing – This is one area that I certainly don’t miss being in charge of. Years ago when I would listen to dental cassettes from some of the superstars out there, I would pick up on the fact that most of them said their staffs did their hiring and firing. I thought this was ridiculous being the control freak I was. How in the world could staff do this the way I wanted it done? Well, how about better than I could have done; that’s what really happened.
When I got out of the way and let my staff do the lion’s share of the grunt work in this area, things got better in a hurry. I have always been a slow hirer. If I had a position open, I would collect resumes for a long while, and then interview 20 or so people for the job. Then, I probably wouldn’t like any of them. I might not even hire for the job, and then I would start the process over a couple of months later.
Meanwhile, the practice continued to get stressed and production and growth were stifled for that much longer. Now, I have a much better way. When the staff tells me that they think a new position needs created at the office, I survey the team leader and members involved in that area. I make sure the current responsibilities are being taken care of. (One thing I never want is for my staff to trick me into hiring someone for a position that will simply give them more free time so they can drag out jobs and activities into longer than necessary time frames.)
I look at my payroll percentages and consider what increases in production would be necessary to support this new position. Then, if the stars align and I feel that a new position is legitimately needed, I turn over the hiring process to my team leaders. They may or may not include other team members in their process. I don’t care. Once it is turned over, I don’t think much about it. The last person I hired was employed for 2 weeks before I even said much to them. That’s the way I like it. Do you know why? It’s because those very same team leaders have the ability to say that they don’t think the new person is going to make it and also fire them.
Of course, I am over simplifying things. We do have procedures in place and benchmarks to determine if we are being fair. However, I don’t play any role in the proceedings. I simply sit back and spectate. That’s a good thing. Sure, once it looks like the new team member is going to make it, feel free to get friendly and make them feel welcome just as you would any team member. But, trust me, there’s nothing wrong with staying neutral for a little while just in case things don’t work out.
So, there you have it. You’ve just learned one of the biggest secrets that high production offices all share. You must give up and delegate to your staff if you want to really get out of the way of your practice and grow it. As an added bonus, you might just be able to keep your sanity, too. One of the greatest findings of Dr. Griffin during his consultation with dental practices has been that once all staff members are aware of their specific duties, they can resolve longstanding issues and enjoy fun, profitable growth to superstar levels. You can get your free CD explaining the 5 most common Staff Secrets at http://www.dentalstaffsecrets.com.