Joely Anderson became the practice manager at Clarke EyeCenter in Wichita Falls, TX, in 2010. That’s the same year they learned about ‘The Great Game of Business.’

“This introduced a whole level of team engagement to us,” explains Anderson. “Our team members really learned what it takes to run a business and that gave them more meaning behind what they are doing as opposed to just completing tasks.”

In this issue’s Staff Training column, Anderson shares information about their practice’s training philosophy—and its well-tested tactics.

Here, she expands on these tips below, and also details how their approach sets them apart from the competition.
 
2 PRACTICE DIFFERENTIATORS.
People Power. Retention isn’t an issue at Clarke EyeCenter. “We attract millennials, so most of our employees are in their late 20s to early 30s,” explains Anderson. While the practice down the street does exams and sells glasses, too, she stresses that a primary differentiator is their people.

So are their core values.

Core Values. “They really are ours,” she says. “We created them, apply them every day in the practice, and share them in our consulting business. We talk about them from day one of meeting a prospective employee and continue that throughout their employment.”

They also start each new year addressing those core values.

“The first day of every year, everyone here decorates a card with one word that explains what they want to work on this year both personally and professionally. Then they put two things on the back on how they’re going to execute it.”
 
4 TRAINING TACTICS.
Train the Trainers. Another key to success at Clarke EyeCenter is educating and carefully selecting their on-staff trainers. “We look for specific characteristics,” says Anderson. “[It’s important that] they’re knowledgeable and consistent, but also open, friendly, and approachable.” 

Set the Tone. Trainers also always kick things off by explaining the pace of training that the new hire can expect. “They tell the trainee, ‘We’re going to slow roll this and then layer on, but we don’t want to overwhelm you.’”

That’s key, she says, because “everybody in the practice has a pretty complex job. That’s one reason we explain to the trainee they’re maybe going to feel in the way at first, and that’s okay. One of our most important jobs is to present clear expectations, and, if we can show new team members what success looks like, they too will become more successful.”

Set Training Guidelines. To be consistent, as well as to help both the trainer and the trainee, the practice follows a training outline.

“It flows through everything the trainee is learning,” says Anderson. “Some need to do it, some need to see it, some need to hear it. We want them to do all three.”

“The first 90 days are probationary,” she continues. “They’re not going to know everything at the end of that, but if they’re moving through the template, and they and we feel they’re a good fit, we keep rolling through this with them.”

Utilize Mentors. For existing employees, the practice offers different stages of mentorships. Staff members also try to delegate and find something each employee is passionate about so that they can “own” something outside of their basic tasks.

“The goal is to create a team of people who think and feel like owners of the business,” Anderson says. “All our decisions are made collaboratively. Practices that concentrate just on top-line collections can really be shooting themselves in the foot because what matters is profitability.  Our focus is patient care. The numbers tell us how well we’re doing meeting that goal.”