Do you have a social media policy? Do you have a social media strategy? You’ll need both if you want to positively influence your social media brand.

Plan for Success

3.  Performance Appraisals:

Practical: An opportunity to have a one-on-one discussion with an employee about            what they are doing well & what they need to work on. Nothing changes without this knowledge. If you want more of the good & less of the bad, this is the ticket.

Legal Perspective: An accurate, signed performance appraisal is the most valuable             legal defense you will have if a former employee files a claim against you. These             document(s) are proof of : 1-poor performance 2-your intent to communicate clearly            3-your willingness to work with the employee toward improvement 4- the former employee’s awareness of your concerns & the consequences if performance was not improved. 

Protect Your Practice

Practical: When customized for each person and position, sets crystal clear expectations for job performance. Have employees review, update and sign each year.

Legal Perspective: When edited or prepared by employees themselves, then acknowledged with the employee signature, this is your best defense of each employee’s understanding of what was expected of them. Dust off those old job             descriptions and put a working guide in place for each employee.

Don't Just Roll the Dice!

With employee related lawsuits continuing to rise at an alarming rate, it is critical to shine a spotlight on your responsibilities as an employer and get your HR house in order.  Lawsuits are often more about perception than the truth. Commit to a proactive approach to HR compliance, rather than a reactive one and you will not only protect your practice assets, you’ll enjoy a practice that runs much more smoothly, effectively and happily.

1.  Policy &Procedures Manual:

Practical: Management framework for your practice spelling out how you run your practice. A much-appreciated guide for the team to prevents misunderstandings.

Legal Protection: When done well, comprehensively and kept current, it is your best defense of your positions and your good faith attempt to stay on top of your legal responsibilities to your employees. Guided by an HR Professional, you will be aware of all state and federal requirements and your policies and procedures will be compliant. Don’t take chances copying someone else’s manual; the rules change according to number of employees, your state and your type of business.

November 15th, 2011  Here’s a summary of analysis of situation by Don Cooper, The Sales Heretic. Love this update on the old “Kodak Study” Great lesson for dentists to pay close attention to. Set yourself up to practice they way YOU want to practice and avoid the heartburn of working with managed care programs. Dentistry will remain a joy for you & your patients will appreciate and thank you!

Great article from  www.Entrepreneur.com BY CARMINE GALLO Love Carmine’s advice to unleash our “inner Steve Jobs”

1. Do what you love

2. Put a dent in the universe

3. Make connections

4. Say no to 1,000 things

5. Create insanely different experiences

6. Master the message

7. Sell dreams, not products

After speaking at the AADOM meeting in Nashville this month

• A Sense of Urgency by John Kotter
• Delivery Happiness by Tony Hsieh
• Drive by Daniel Pink
• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry, Jean Graeves
• First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham
• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• It’s Called Word For a Reason by Larry Winget
• Leading Change by John Kotter
• Louder Than Words by Bob Kelleher
• Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  by Dr. Stephen R. Covey*
• The Discipline of Market Leaders by Traeacy, Wierseman
• The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team by Peter Lencioni
• The Hundred Percenters  by Michael Murphy
• The Kindness Revolution by Ed Horrell
• The Secrets of Six Figure Women by Barbara Stanny (this is for men too!)
• Wooden – A Lifetime of Observations

*This has been on my reading list for over 20 years ~ and I’m not done with it yet!

These statistics may help explain why the leading human resource topic on The American Academy of Dental Office Administrators (AADOM) attendees’ minds for our HR: The Guts & The Glory session in Nashville is recruitment and hiring.

Join us in Nashville as we cover HR topics from recruitment & selection to training, performance management, leadership, accountability, practice culture and morale.  We’re shining the spotlight on best practices that develop your team members into your greatest competitive advantage while improving the bottom line.  (AADOM’s website is www.dentalmanagers.com)

Your focus determines the impact. It’s so critical that we don’t confuse activity with accomplishment or being busy with being productive. I remember hearing a story years ago about a man who was touring a corporate headquarters and remarked that one of the team was sitting with his feet up on the desk doing nothing. The executive leading the tour corrected the man saying ‘actually he’s doing exactly what we pay him to do.. he’s thinking.”

Do you make the time to think as you begin your week or your day? Do you clear your desk or do you clear your head? When is the last time you physically wrote down the top priorities you must be focused on? Urgent issues demand our attention, but they may distract our focus from where it must be if we are to achieve great results. Don’t permit someone else’s emergency to divert your precious time and attention. Your team is counting on you.

GinnyHegarty.com Dental Practice Development Inc.

GinnyHegarty.com Dental Practice Development Inc.

Miss Gale:
1- found the synergies and dependencies between the organization’s needs and the individuals’ needs.
2- She developed and implemented a strategic plan, making course correctly where needed.

You might be wondering who Dorothy Gale is… here are some clues based on her successful leadership:
She did it with: 1) one person with low self-esteem, 2) another who was emotionally disengaged 3) someone who was risk-adverse 4) a little black dog that was no help at all and 4) a narcissistic witch on her tail the whole way….down that Yellow Brick Road!

Next time I watch the Wizard of Oz, I’ll be looking at it from a human resources perspective. Very provocative and inspirational presentation Art!

GinnyHegarty.com Dental Practice Development Inc.