Learn six tips to address and improve your team's performance as a practice manager. Find out how to set SMART goals, provide feedback, reward, empower, and adjust.

Strip everything back to basics, evaluate your teams strengths ensuring that they are correctly aligned the the strategic plan. Stay close and monitor by setting SMART targets and lead from the front ensuring morale is high. Make sure you encourage your team to be part of the solution and not just the problem.

Last updated on Mar 16, 2024

Your team is underperforming. How can you get them back on track?

If you are a practice manager, you know how important it is to have a high-performing team that delivers quality results and meets deadlines. But what do you do when your team is underperforming, missing targets, or losing motivation? How can you get them back on track and improve their performance? Here are some tips to help you address the issue and turn things around.

1 Identify the root cause

The first step to improve your team's performance is to identify the root cause of the problem. Is it a lack of skills, resources, feedback, or clarity? Is it a personal issue, a communication gap, or a conflict? Is it a mismatch between expectations and reality, or a change in the environment or the goals? By asking your team members, observing their behavior, and reviewing their work, you can pinpoint the source of the underperformance and address it accordingly.

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Kevin Bridgwood

Senior Performance and Partnership Manager
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Strip everything back to basics, evaluate your teams strengths ensuring that they are correctly aligned the the strategic plan. Stay close and monitor by setting SMART targets and lead from the front ensuring morale is high. Make sure you encourage your team to be part of the solution and not just the problem.

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Katie Murphy Lawrence, MHA CMPE CMOM

Elevating Leadership to Increase What's Possible in Healthcare Operations 🌟 Solving Complex Problems with Greater Ease 🌟 Doctoral Studies: Leadership + Organizational Psychology 🎤 Conference + Event Speaker 🎤
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The root cause is rarely a single individual. But it's human nature to point fingers. Even if we don't think we are. More than a single individual, look at group dynamics. Dig into the workflows and processes ... are job descriptions written down? Do people know where their responsibility ends and someone else's begins? Do you have a culture of learning and growth? Is it 'safe' for team members to speak up when they see a problem? Will they be heard? As leaders, we want to think the answers to these questions are clear and positive. Reality tells us otherwise. Dig in... be open to feedback and change!

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2 Set SMART goals

The second step to improve your team's performance is to set SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. SMART goals help your team focus on what they need to do, how they will do it, and when they will do it. They also help you track their progress, provide feedback, and celebrate their achievements. SMART goals should be aligned with the overall vision and mission of your practice, and should be communicated clearly and frequently to your team.

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Katie Murphy Lawrence, MHA CMPE CMOM

Elevating Leadership to Increase What's Possible in Healthcare Operations 🌟 Solving Complex Problems with Greater Ease 🌟 Doctoral Studies: Leadership + Organizational Psychology 🎤 Conference + Event Speaker 🎤
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Before writing goals, it's important to know WHY the goals matter. You can write amazing goals, but if your team doesn't buy into them emotionally (even if they buy into them intellectually... ), there won't be progress. Unless we have incredibly strong willpower, our actions and behaviors have their foundations in our unconscious emotional patterns. You have to find ways to understand your team's underlying motivation before writing the goal. Otherwise, you'll continue to feel like you're rolling a boulder up a hill.

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3 Provide feedback and coaching

The third step to improve your team's performance is to provide feedback and coaching that are constructive, timely, and consistent. Feedback and coaching help your team learn from their mistakes, improve their skills, and grow their confidence. They also help you build trust, rapport, and respect with your team members, and show them that you care about their development and success. Feedback and coaching should be based on facts and observations, not opinions or emotions, and should be delivered in a positive and supportive manner.

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4 Recognize and reward

The fourth step to improve your team's performance is to recognize and reward their efforts and achievements. Recognition and reward help your team feel appreciated, motivated, and engaged. They also help you create a positive and productive culture in your practice, and foster loyalty and retention. Recognition and reward can be formal or informal, monetary or non-monetary, individual or collective, but they should always be sincere, specific, and timely.

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5 Empower and delegate

The fifth step to improve your team's performance is to empower and delegate tasks and responsibilities that are appropriate for their level of skill, experience, and interest. Empowering and delegating help your team develop their autonomy, creativity, and ownership. They also help you free up your time, focus on your priorities, and avoid micromanaging. Empowering and delegating require you to trust your team, communicate your expectations, and provide support and guidance when needed.

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6 Review and adjust

The final step to improve your team's performance is to review and adjust your strategies and actions based on the results and feedback you get. Reviewing and adjusting help you evaluate the effectiveness of your interventions, identify the gaps and opportunities, and make the necessary changes to optimize your team's performance. They also help you demonstrate your flexibility, responsiveness, and commitment to continuous improvement. Reviewing and adjusting should be done regularly, collaboratively, and transparently with your team.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Dr Sheikh Mateen Ellahi

Healthcare Leader & Practice Partner: Specialising in Strategic Primary Care Consulting and Service Design
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Promote open communication: Start with heart-to-heart conversations. Listen to what your team is really saying and feeling. It's often more about what's unsaid. Spot Burnout: Keep an eye out for exhaustion signs. Burnout doesn't announce itself; it creeps in. Look for changes in behaviour, decreased productivity, or a lack of enthusiasm. Encourage Sharing: Make it okay to say "I'm struggling." Create an environment where honesty about challenges is welcomed, not penalised. Set Clear Goals: Clarify what success looks like. Small, achievable goals can help rebuild confidence and momentum. Celebrate Wins: Recognise and celebrate progress, no matter how small. This can significantly boost morale.

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Robert Earley

Owner at Earley Aesthetics, LLC
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Consider conducting individual assessments to understand each team member's strengths, weaknesses, and motivations, then tailor support and development plans accordingly. Foster a collaborative environment where team members can support and learn from each other. Additionally, communicate the importance of their roles in achieving team goals, inspiring a sense of ownership and commitment. Finally, lead by example, demonstrating the behaviors and work ethic you expect from your team.

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Your team is underperforming. How can you get them back on track?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify the root cause

2 Set SMART goals

3 Provide feedback and coaching

4 Recognize and reward

5 Empower and delegate

6 Review and adjust

7 Here’s what else to consider

Practice Management

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Your team is underperforming. How can you get them back on track?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify the root cause

2 Set SMART goals

3 Provide feedback and coaching

4 Recognize and reward

5 Empower and delegate

6 Review and adjust

7 Here’s what else to consider

Practice Management

Rate this article

Thanks for your feedback

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