How To Manage Assistants - A Dentist’s Guide
This is a dentist’s guide on how to manage assistants. The pleasantness and profitability of your practice will depend directly on how you and your assistants perform together and therefore on how well you manage your assistants. The following tips on how to manage assistants will help you to get the most out of them and your practice.
Lead By Example
The first rule of management is lead by example. If you want your assistants to work hard then you need to work hard. If you want them to be on time then you need to be on time. If you want them to maintain a positive attitude at all times then you need to maintain a positive attitude at all times. This could go on forever but gives you the idea that you want to model proper behavior for your assistants at all times. This helps to give your words credibility.
Communicate Information About The Practice
You should keep your assistants apprised of what is going on with the practice. You do not need to tell them everything but when assistants know what is going on then they feel more a part of the business. When assistants feel more a part of the business then they work harder to make that business succeed. Be honest while presenting information in a positive light. It is less than motivating to make it sound like everyone is working on a sinking ship.
Listen
This is one of the most important parts of managing anyone. You need to listen. You want to listen in a way that makes a person feel heard. Let them get their point out without anything but a receptive ear from you. You can respond after you have taken the time to listen, hear, and to say their point back to them in your own words. You decide what to do but even if nothing changes listening can foster a more positive atmosphere. When you listen you also make people feel like you care and when you care about them then they care about the practice.
Give Clear Direction
When you give direction make that direction clear. Don’t talk down to your assistants but make sure that they know exactly what you want them to do. You should be able to tell whether they followed your instructions or not. Give them the opportunity to ask questions if they do not understand.
Ask Your Assistants What They Need To Succeed
This is another step that many managers miss but it is extremely helpful. Periodically ask your assistants what they need to be successful at their jobs. Sometimes small changes can make all the difference but you will never know if you never ask. Even asking shows them you want to help them do the best job they can.
This is how you manage your assistants. It is an easy task but you need to remember that every assistant is as important a part of the team as you are. You make the final decisions but you should do so knowing all the information. Treat them how you would want to be treated if your situations were reversed, if that is what they say they want when you ask them.
Tom R. Rheinecker enjoys discussing ways to gain admission to academic institutions offering a master of health care management.