The Great Game of Business

CLARKE EYECARE CENTER.

You could have read about this Wichita Falls, TX, practice on Forbes.com or seen it in Entrepreneur’s “Top Company Cultures” list.

Under the second-generation leadership of Danny Clarke, O.D., the practice has become a poster child for how to treat staff well while growing the business. To learn more, we reached out to Joely Anderson, practice manager and partner in the MODUS consulting business Dr. Clarke and she formed with a focus on practice management.

“We are a team of 30—four doctors and 26 employees, seeing roughly 125 patients a day,” explains Anderson, who joined the practice in 2001.

A GREAT GAME.

The same year, they learned about The Great Game of Business, a program helping organizations thrive by educating employees in the rules of business and rallying around a common goal.

“It’s made such a difference and resulted in a whole new level of engagement,” says Anderson. “When staff understand what it means to run a business, it gives meaning to what they’re doing. It has been about getting efficient with our processes and getting really good at what we do so that we obtain great business results without the stress.”

Anderson and Dr. Clarke share those leadership philosophies in the practice and in MODUS. “Our people are our passion and ultimate product,” she says.

5 CORE VALUES.

How can practices get started with their own Great Game of Business approach? It’s all about five core values that Anderson and Dr. Clarke consistently communicate:

CORE VALUE #1

➤ GENUINE. “Realize your effect on others—positive or negative. You’re responsible not just for what you say, but how it is received.”

CORE VALUE #2

➤ ENGAGED. “You need to be engaged in how we run our business and why.”

CORE VALUE #3

➤ TEAMWORK. “Lateral support is a must. Teamwork is just as important as doing the tasks of the job well.”

CORE VALUE #4

➤ INTEGRITY. Essentially, “What’s right is right, no matter who’s looking.”

CORE VALUE #5

➤ THRIVE. “Embrace change. We look for people who seek to thrive professionally and personally.”

TRAINEES + TRAINERS

How does Clarke EyeCare Center approach training? “We have a trainer in each area,” shares Anderson. “That’s important because we hire for core values and attitude, not experience.”

During the first week of their job, new staffers shadow the trainer. The second week, the trainer shadows them while the trainee inputs data, but the trainer is speaking with the patient. The third week, the new employee is both conversing and inputting data, while the trainer observes. Gradually, the employee takes on more.

“Before we move from one section to the next, both the trainee and the trainer sign off. That,” concludes Anderson, “is accountability.”

ON EVERY MONDAY.

Put the first letter of these five core value words together, shares Anderson, “and they spell ‘get it.’ That’s what we look for...people who get it.”

How does this then translate to the team?

“We invest a lot of time and energy into communications,” says Anderson. “Every Monday we meet for two hours. The first is by department for education and training, addressing challenges, and learning from each other.”

Next, full staff joins, and a facilitator for each department recaps. Then they talk “mini-games.”

“We have goals and recap what we’re working on for that month’s mini-games...what the target is and where we are,” she says. “Then we, as owners, share what we think we’re going to do that month.”

The team also has “line-item owners,” where each team member is assigned something to track—they go down the line talking about what each staff member thinks they’re going to bring in, what costs and overhead expenses will be. “Together, we try to forecast what our profit will be by month’s end,” says Anderson.

“We also provide ongoing support with mentorships,” she adds. “Most important, we keep reinvesting in our people, so they think and feel like owners. All decisions are collaborative, and, since adopting this process, business has doubled."

Web Exclusive

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