Insights from Practices with High-Output Teams
Wondering if your team is the bottleneck to your practice’s growth? You’re not alone. Most practice owners eventually find themselves pondering this question. Typically, the answer falls into one of two buckets: “I’m not sure” or “Yes.” Let’s dive into each.

When You’re Not Sure

If you’re in the “I’m not sure” camp, gaining clarity is your next move. High-output teams often use the Theory of Constraint to find their bottlenecks. This theory helps you identify and focus on the single most limiting factor—known as the ‘constraint’—in your practice. Once they find this constraint, they work to improve it until it’s no longer the weak link. Then, they find the next constraint, and so on.

Map and Document Your Processes

What do you expect your team to do?

Practices that excel have mapped out two main engines that power them: Growth and Fulfillment. For growth, they’ve got a detailed process from first contact to booking an appointment. The same meticulousness applies to fulfillment, or how they deliver patient care from beginning to end.

Once they’ve mapped these engines, they highlight the key stages they can’t get wrong—those most impactful for their practice’s success. These are the stages they document.

This is an example of what a fulfillment engine looks like.

Identify Your Team’s Accountabilities

High-output teams have clear accountabilities. In this context, accountability means being the ‘go-to’ person for specific outcomes. Everyone on the team knows who is accountable for what, especially at the most crucial stages of patient interaction. In comparison, responsibility involves carrying out tasks that lead to these outcomes. By focusing on both tasks and outcomes, high-output teams ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Accountability and responsibility are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings in a business setting.

• Accountability

Accountability refers to the ownership of results. When you’re accountable for something, you’re the “go-to” person for outcomes. Success or failure, the buck stops with you. You’re answerable for the performance and results of a task, project, or role.

• Responsibility

Responsibility involves the tasks you’re charged with completing. It’s the “doing” part. You’re responsible for certain actions that lead to an outcome, but you may not be the one who’s ultimately accountable for that outcome.

• The Contrast

The main difference lies in the focus on “tasks” versus “outcomes.” Responsibility is about the specific duties your team has, whereas accountability is about the end result and owning it fully. In a team, multiple people can have responsibilities within a project, but usually, only one person is accountable for the end result. That person’s job is to make sure everyone does their responsible tasks to achieve a successful outcome.

Redistribute Accountability

If they find that some team members hold too many accountabilities, these practices redistribute the load. The secret sauce? They document the crucial stages in their processes. The person currently accountable trains others, using this documentation as a guide. If the new person can’t manage after repeated training and feedback, then it’s clear—they’re not a good fit for that role.

When the Answer is “Yes”

If you’ve concluded your team is the problem, remember the accountability ultimately lies with you. You hired, trained, and kept them.

Initiate Difficult Conversations

Now, it’s about having those hard talks. Practices with high-output teams don’t shy away from this. It’s about streamlining for maximum efficiency. If someone isn’t a good fit, letting them go could be the best thing for everyone involved, including that employee.

Conclusion

Whether you’re uncertain or you’re convinced your team is the issue, action is essential. High-output teams never waver in this regard. They either optimize their existing processes or make the hard personnel decisions necessary for the practice to excel. Your practice’s success isn’t just about your skills as a surgeon; it’s about the collective capability of your team to deliver exceptional patient care.

Remember, a high-output team doesn’t just happen. It’s carefully built and rigorously maintained. Take a page from those who’ve done it successfully, and you’re already on the right track.