Posted: April 16, 2010

I have found that being a business owner building a team is like being a bus driver. First you must get the right people on the bus, then you must get them in the right seats, all while driving the bus in the right direction. You must have people willing to change direction if the needs of the business change, people change or there is some impending economic factor that you just didn't expect. Such is the case for most small businesses.

As the owner of The Center for Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry with an employee population of fewer than 20, I have found some ways to alleviate the stress of building and managing the team.

Our philosophy is that each member of the team should be a leader in the business. We call it "leadership at all levels." I want to empower all team members to develop an "owner mentality," i.e., being accountable for their specific area of the business.

For each team member to have that mentality, the culture must reflect a cohesive and collaborative nature. When I describe our team, I can't help but think about professionalism and passion for our clients. It is really about doing the best thing for the customer and having their best interests at heart. When customer service is important to each team member, you get fantastic results.

Developing your team depends on your investment as the leader. You must understand that there will always be challenges; however, once you have developed a strong, successful team, the business almost runs on autopilot.

I know for me, getting the right people "on the bus" and then "in the right seats" was a challenge. We recently shifted duties of a key team member to a growing area of the business. Once she was trained, we were able to hire an employee to replace her. I have found it much more efficient and better for the business to shift the experienced team member to the key position and hire for the entry-level position. Promoting from within brings many benefits.

Another challenge can occur when you are experiencing growth and strategizing for new hires while controlling overhead. Being under- or overstaffed can impact the morale, productivity and performance.

There are some key strategies for managing personnel issues or other challenges in building a high-performing team:

1. Maintain regular team meetings. What is going right? What needs improvement? Regular meetings will also give you time to share team member successes.

2. Invest in leadership/communication resources. Ideally, even if you can't send everyone for training, find a way that each person in the organization gets an opportunity annually to further develop the skills you think need improvement or to develop new skills for professional growth.

3. Make sure you have a vision for the business, and that you can communicate it effectively. If you hear employees say, "I don't think we can do that" (new process, marketing strategy, new service rollout, etc.), they probably do not have a clear understanding of the business goals. Develop the business goals and communicate them so every team member is supportive of the needs of the business.

4. Empower your team to stretch and challenge themselves personally and professionally. If you don't see it happening, ask yourself if you are impeding their process.

5. Handle issues that may sabotage your efforts. Have you ever had that employee who just lives for the negative or can't seem to change for the good of the whole? Talk to them privately, making sure they have the business vision and best interest of the team at heart. If they do, give them a chance to join the effort, but if not, they may need to find a new place of employment. Hire for attitude and train for skill.

6. Reward the team for accomplishing the goal, since every employee plays a part in the success or failure of your business. Depending on the size of the achievement, your celebration can be as simple as a public thank you and recognition or lunch on site for everyone.

Team building is one of the most important aspects to building a successful business. Not only does a happy, productive team provide excellent customer service to your clients, but they also outperform an unhappy team any day of the week.

Dr. Tanya Brown, founder of The Center for Cosmetic & Restorative Dentistry, can be reached at drbrown@tccrd.com or 546-5262. Many of the ideas and consulting input for this column came from Linda Miles, founder of Linda Miles & Associates, and Pauline Grabowski, founder of Pauline Grabowski & Associates.