The EntreMD Podcast

Want High Performers? Here Are 5 Things Your Team Needs From You to Win

• Dr. Una • Episode 463

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Struggling with a team member?

I hate to break it to you, but it’s probably not them—it’s you.

When a team member is constantly making mistakes or slacking off, it’s usually because you, the leader, didn’t empower them to win. Most employees want to succeed. They want the company to thrive. But they can’t do that without a strong leader.

That’s why today, I’m sharing 5 things your team desperately needs from you to win. With these tips, you’ll build a high-performing team full of A-players in no time!

Tune in.

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Key Takeaways: 

  • 00:00 Intro 
  • 02:01 Casting vision 
  • 05:37 Key metrics 
  • 07:41 Training
  • 12:04 Accountability 
  • 14:37 Your care
  • 17:42 Outro 

Additional Resources:


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Speaker 1:

Champions thrive on accountability. A players thrive on accountability. You may say, oh, I can't meet with them every week, I don't want to look at that. I don't look at those numbers. If you, the business owner, are not inspired enough to look at it, they're not going to look at it. And if you don't think that the metrics are important enough for you to look at it weekly, they're not going to look at it either.

Speaker 2:

Hi docs, welcome to the EntreMD podcast, where it's all about helping amazing physicians just like you embrace entrepreneurship so you can have the freedom to live life and practice medicine on your terms. I'm your host, dr Imna.

Speaker 1:

When my clients come to me and they tell me about a team member that they're having a lot of problems with, the first thing I do is not to look at the team member. The first thing I do is to look at the leader, the owner of the company, the person who is leading this team member, because a lot of times they have not empowered the person to win. So today I am going to show you five things you can do, five ways you can empower your people to win, and they want this from you. Most of the people that you would go on to hire, they're people who want to win at work. They want to do well, they want to make significant impact in the company and all of that. But we have a role to play and if we do not play that role, it will be so difficult for them to do their part. So these are five things your team members desperately need from you in order to win. These are all things that you're going to do in communication, right? So the very first thing is communication and, truth be told, how I came up with this episode is I was asking my executive assistant. I said what do you think it is that empowers a team member the most to win. And she said communication. She started listing different things and all of that and at the end of it I was like, okay, so do you feel like you're getting that kind of communication from this company, from EntreeMD? And she said, yes, that really she is. And I was like, whew, pass my test.

Speaker 1:

But anyway, let me break down these five things for you. So the very first thing is vision. The very first thing is casting vision. Now, the thing about being an entrepreneur is, a lot of times you would have spent so much time with your vision. Initially it was like a little nudge. Let me use myself as an example. Like, as physicians, we have to retool ourselves, we have to reinvent ourselves and if we don't do that, you know, we're going to be out of luck with the way the healthcare space is going. And, of course, this was an idea that I had a very long time ago and, you know, I sat with it a few months and didn't do a whole lot with it and then I decided, hey, like this is actually true, I need to start.

Speaker 1:

And I started by, you know, retooling myself. I learned to become a speaker. I, you know, I learned to start mentoring people, coaching all of those kinds of things, delving into the world of you know, being on YouTube doing videos, all of those things. And after a stage I was like, okay, great, I started doing one-on-one coaching. Then I started doing group programs. I did a 12-week program, then a nine-month program and then came up with the Entree MD Business School, which we've run for almost five years at this point, and you know, then there was a podcast and they're the best-selling books and then all of these things.

Speaker 1:

But this happened over years, and so for me, my vision is like it's simple, it's clear, it makes sense to me, it drives me, and that's the same for you, right, like you have this vision that is driving you, but a lot of times we're not able to articulate it and communicate it to our team. So we're being driven by something that they have no idea about, and we wonder about the decisions they make, the way they show up and all of those things which they would act, the way they're acting, except they had a vision that was driving them, your vision, but they don't know what. That is Right, and so letting them know this is the vision of the company, this is where we're going. This is the kind of results we're creating in the world. This is why our work is so important. Doing that over and over and over again is critical, like you almost want to have that come up in every single meeting, and it can come up in different ways, right. Sometimes you can have a whole on vision. I've had times with my team. I'll do a whole PowerPoint presentation, right, and things like that. But it's also the little things, right.

Speaker 1:

So, for instance, even with my executive assistant, I would you know somebody would post a win. You know, in the Entre MD business school Facebook group has so significant right, so it could be. You know they did not think they would be where they are at that time and you know the amount of revenue they've been able to create and the ease through which they're going through challenges and all of these things. And I would tag them on the post and I would say this is the impact of the work you're doing. I understand you're taking care of emails. I understand you're taking care of my calendar. I understand that you're supporting the students in the Ontario MD Business School, but it's not mundane work. It's not work that doesn't matter. This is the impact when you do your work. This is the kind of change it creates in the life of a doctor.

Speaker 1:

What is that vision casting? So the things they do go from mundane tasks or just repetitive tasks and all of that to be like I'm changing the world, right. So it's kind of like the story of the janitor who worked at NASA and they asked him what are you doing here? He said I'm working here to put a man on the moon right, Like that's, because he was like the vision was so clear. And that's the same thing we want to do for our team members. And it is unfair for us to have sat with our vision for years some of us decades and not communicate or maybe say once during orientation and expect that they will get it. We didn't get it that way and it's our vision right, and so they're not going to get it that way either. So that's the very first thing that they need from you. The more you give them that, the more they can thrive. The more you give it to them, the more they can thrive, period. The second thing here that your team needs from you to thrive is key metrics, right?

Speaker 1:

The beautiful thing about sports is that it is very clear how to win right? So if I'm playing a basketball game, this is the basket and this is where the ball needs to go, and the ball needs to go into this basket more times than it goes into that basket. If it's soccer, we know where the goalpost is. If it's golf, we know where the ball needs to go to. If it's swimming, we understand you need to swim fast and you need to get to that end of the pool and you need to get there first, and so it's very clear.

Speaker 1:

But the question becomes in our businesses, is it clear how they win? Is it clear how to score a goal? And so, for instance, my executive assistant has seven, sometimes eight, core metrics Like these are the metrics, these are the numbers we want you to hit in these areas, and when you hit these numbers, you're winning. So all the things you're doing all day, every day, the emails, the calendaring, the communicating with the students in the entrepreneur business school, the entrepreneur community at large, all of that stuff is driving you towards these seven things. When you score this on these seven things, you're winning.

Speaker 1:

My practice administrator is the same thing, right, like? These are the metrics for this year. This is the patient volume we want, the positioning we want in the marketplace. This is the number of reviews we want. This is what we want our turnaround times to be. This is what we want our billing numbers to look like. And so, when she's killing it, she's clear I am killing it. She knows, like, okay, if I want to kill it more. These are the areas where I need to improve. It's clear this is how you score a goal right. And we have that for our medical assistants, front desk and all of that right, our sales team, all of those things. Because if you don't show them how to score, how are they going to score Right? So I know this sounds like you know pretty obvious, but I coach so many people, I consult in so many practices and I'm telling you, in many of them, you won't see that, you won't see that Right, like. So, for everyone on your team, your virtual assistant, what does it mean to win? You got to make it clear. So that's. The second thing is key metrics. The third thing is training. Okay, now, giving them the key metrics is one thing. These are the outcomes I want you to create. Okay, these are your key metrics, but then training them on how to do that.

Speaker 1:

So when I started off hiring, I had this whole philosophy of I want to hire somebody who has the training, who has a competence, who has the experience. My thoughts was I would plug and play, like I would just take them from wherever, whatever company they came in, just fit them into my company and everybody will live happily ever after. But it has never worked that way, right? And if you think about it, it's right. Like Burger King they sell burgers, mcdonald's they sell burgers. But you're not going to plug and play Like if you go from one to the other, you are going to need training.

Speaker 1:

You could be a great clinician, a great surgeon at one hospital and you go to another hospital. Maybe the methods they use are different, maybe their setup is different for their OR, maybe the way they leverage surgical techs and assistants is different, maybe they have different kinds of collaboration between departments. When you get there, you are going to need training. It doesn't mean you're not a great surgeon, it just means you're in a different place. In the same way, your people are going to need training. They may have certain competencies that you want and then there are competencies they don't have and you're going to train for those. There are definite ways your company works. They're not going to know that. They're going to need training on that, and so my method was I mean, you have the experience. I met you at the interview. I like you. Here you go, plug and play. May the force be with you. But I've realized that the more time you take to train your people, the better results they can create, the more they will thrive, because who doesn't want to win? Your team wants to win at work. Okay Now, my practice administrator is absolutely amazing for my private practice, absolutely amazing.

Speaker 1:

She's just she's amazing. When I started working with her, we would talk, for I mean say we finished at five and we would typically stay an hour after and we're brainstorming together. I'm telling her the thought processes behind what I do. We're looking at different things. We're looking at a goal we want to tackle and like, okay, how are we going to do this and all of that? She will say you know, this is what we want to get. I'm like how would you do that? I'm like this is the way I would think about that and all of that we want to get. I'm like how would you do that? I'm like this is the way I would think about that and all of that. And it is so amazing because now, years down the line, she can run the whole office without me. She can run it because she knows what I would think, she knows what I would do, she knows my core principles.

Speaker 1:

Now, of course, she has her own creativity and all of those things, but she gets it. She gets it Like. There are many times she would say I want to do this, that, that that I'm like awesome, like yeah, I love that plan because it's like what I would do anyway, it's in line with what we want to accomplish, right, but what created that is training. Now, you're not going to invest the same level in training and everybody, but everybody's going to need training and they're going to need more training than you think they would. If you don't do that for them, you are setting them up to not win, and it hurts if you have, you know, high flyers, eight players, rockstar team members. They want to win and training is required. Okay, training is required.

Speaker 1:

I used to see it as a waste of time. I used to see it like this shouldn't be something that I need to do and all of that. But it's not true. You need to train your people, right? You need to train your people. In fact, even for the role of an executive assistant, I have a 30-day onboarding process 30 days for an executive assistant. But this is the deal. After they get on board with that, your life becomes so much easier, and if you don't train them, your life just stays hard.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes people say, well, what if I train them and they don't stay, they go away, then I have to start over. People say that a lot and I'm like well, what if you don't train them and they stay? And then they're a nightmare for how many every years? You keep them Right, and so I try not to be afraid of you know, like what, if I do all this investment and train them and they leave because one is well, while I had them, they were trained too is that I just got a whole lot better at training? Like every time I do, my 30 day onboarding process is better, right, I got better at training so I can attract, you know, higher quality team members and I can get them on board quicker, right? Like you know, that's the way that works. So that's the third thing.

Speaker 1:

So number one is vision casting. Number two you got to give them key metrics. Number three you got to give them training. Number four is accountability. Your people, your high flyers, love accountability. The tire kickers hate accountability.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and so what does that mean? You have key metrics, you've trained them and you hold them accountable to the training and you hold them accountable to the key metrics. And so, for instance, with my team, I meet with them every week. I'm like, okay, these are the metrics. Which metrics are we hitting and what is working? Which metrics are not hitting? Why is that not happening? What do we need to do there? What extra training do you need? What support do you need? What is confusing to you and all of that stuff? Okay, boom, so we're going to do A, b, c and we're going to come back next week and we're going to look at these metrics again. So we're looking at the metrics weekly, right, because what is not inspected doesn't get done.

Speaker 1:

Champions thrive on accountability, right? A players thrive on accountability. So you may say, oh, I can't meet with them every week, I don't want to look at that. I don't want to look at those numbers. If you, the business owner, are not inspired enough to look at it, they're not going to look at it. And if you don't think that the metrics are important enough for you to look at it weekly, they're not going to look at it either. They're just not right. And so giving them the gift of accountability puts them in a position where every week they're getting better. Every week they're working towards the goal. They're clear on what is fluffing, what is not. They're clear on their outcomes. Because you look at it every week, you start seeing it in your sleep. That's the way it works. Okay, so that's number four.

Speaker 1:

And so, again, when we look at the temperaments, my temperament, if you will, is phlegmatic, and people who are phlegmatic, they avoid conflict. Okay, that's what people who are phlegmatic do. But as an entrepreneur who leads a team, avoiding conflict is one of the ways to have a team that will just lead to pure pain and suffering. Okay, because it's like having children. I'm not saying they're children, but it's like having children deciding I don't want to do that discipline thing. I don't want to like, just let them do what they want to do. That is called a nightmare. Okay, you want to give them, you want to give them accountability? Okay, so I avoided conflict, but I had to come to this point where I embrace it. I had to come to this point, where it doesn't mean I love it, it's just that I don't shy away from it, because difficult conversations need to be had, accountability needs to be done, training needs to be done, tough questions need to be asked, and that's how we get better. That is what champions do, okay. That is what leaders of rockstar teams do, okay. And then finally, finally, they need your care. They need your care. They need to know that you see them as humans. They need to know that you see them. They need to know that they have your support.

Speaker 1:

And so, for instance, sometimes it's just like okay, in this company, as you're working here, what are your goals? Like, what do you want to be able to do? What do you want your progression to look like? And they'll tell you, right, they're having challenges on the job. We just don't kick them to the side. Okay, I see you're. You're having a struggle with this. Talk to me. What is going on here? This is the level of work I'm used to from you, but this is happening. Is there something going on that I don't know about, or is there something unclear? And all of that, sometimes it's just you giving them the opportunity to ask questions. Right, like, talk to me, like you've been working here for four weeks. You've been working here for four years. What is it like? What do you like about your job? What do you not like about your job? Where do you want to improve? What's going on for you?

Speaker 1:

Have those questions, see them. See them when they're having a bad day. See it when they're struggling. See it. They want to be human. They want to be human to you as well.

Speaker 1:

Right, and if you do these five things, cast vision often, make your key metrics clear, give them the gift of training, give them the gift of accountability and you care for them. Chances are you end up with a team of people who will knock your socks off. I will say I run five companies and across all five companies, I am totally blessed to have people that I can truly say are rock stars in every single company, and these are some of the things that we've done and that have made a huge difference, and I would love the same for you, too. Right, and so you can lead a rock star team, but the way you lead will need to change the concept of abdication. Where you're like here's your job. Goodbye, like, figure it out.

Speaker 1:

People who lead rockstar teams don't do that. That's not what they do. They're in it for their teams, they're willing to cast vision, they're willing to train, they're willing to hold accountable, they're willing to care for them, they're very clear on what their outcomes are. They show them what it means to score. And these people then go on and leverage their experience, their expertise, their creativity and all of that to create results that the owner on their own could never have created. My team they bring things to the table that I'm like I don't even know how your mind works that way. I don't even know how you came up with that. Well, why do they do that? Because they're empowered to win. They're empowered to win. Okay, all right.

Speaker 1:

So what I want you to do is I want you to take these five things. In the entrepreneur world, we observe, we don't judge. So you may say, oh, my goodness, I haven't been doing any of these things. I've been doing one of these things or two of these things and all this stuff. It's not a I suck moment, it's wow, okay, great. So now I have the opportunity to add these three things, or these four things, or all five of them, to what I do as a leader and start practicing.

Speaker 1:

That's the important piece. It's not whether you've missed it, it's whether you're willing to start practicing, willing to start talking about your vision, willing to map out key metrics for your people, willing to train, willing to hold accountable, willing to start having meetings, willing to look at your people and truly see them. If you will do this, if you start applying this and just get better at it every week, the company you have after 90 days will shock you. And that's the truth, it really will. So I want to invite you to do that and I want you to kind of hold this picture right. You are the leader of a rockstar team. You are the people who are.

Speaker 1:

Whatever impact it is that your business is designed to have in this world is having it, and you guys are creating time, freedom and financial freedom. And your people. When they think about their careers, they're like, oh my goodness, the best part of my career, the best timeline in my career, was when I worked with this person, when I worked with this doctor, and that's one of my drives. Like when people leave my organizations, that's what they'll say Like this was the absolute best time in my career. Okay, so you can have that too. I'm absolutely rooting for you. I'm absolutely rooting for you and I cannot wait to hear from you the wins that you create because you start doing this. See you on the next episode.