Great patients. Great location. Great service. Business is well, great. But could you take your team from great to even better?
Yes. Just follow these simple tips.
Encourage transparency
“Transparency” has become another corporate buzzword. But get back to the original meaning–to be honest and open with your team about your business. Your employees have a stake in the success of your business, too. Sharing financial reports, performance metrics, and customer feedback gets everyone on the same page and encourages everyone to strive to accomplish the same goals.
Remember, your employees are all adults. No one needs to be “protected” from the realities of business.
Encourage autonomy
You’re an employer. Not a parent. Trust your employees to make decisions and take ownership of their work. It’s a win-win scenario. Your staff members will thrive while you benefit from better productivity, diverse problem-solving skills, and a culture that grows self-starting, motivated workers.
Encourage failure
Yes, really. Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. Tell your team members that mistakes are OK—as long as they learn and grow from them. By creating an environment that accepts mistakes rather than punishes them, you’re inspiring your team to become more innovative.
Encourage innovation
How do you stay ahead of the competition? Innovation. Give your employees opportunities to experiment and try new ideas. Create ways for them to communicate and share their successes with other employees, which will lead to a continuing cycle of positive problem solving within your business. This will help your pharmacy adapt to the ongoing, ever-present, changing market dynamics.
Encourage diversity
Seek to hire people of different gender, ages, and backgrounds. Does an employee speak a different language? Great! You can now market to a new demographic. Diversity will bring your team fresh perspectives, insights, and approaches. Again, your employees will learn from each other as they work together.
Encourage work-life balance
Show your support for your employees by insisting they maintain a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives. Try hard to offer flexible scheduling options to accommodate individual needs—even if you can’t quite manage a “perfect” schedule for everyone, your team members will appreciate your efforts. Promote self care, with wellness programs or mental health resources. And do we need to remind you? Lead by example. You won’t be able to help your employees without taking care of yourself first.
Encourage recognition
Celebrate! Whether it’s a personal achievement, team “record,” or business milestone, make sure you acknowledge success. Of course, promotions, bonuses, or incentives are wonderful ways to boost retention. But those aren’t always possible. So make a habit of publicly recognizing your employees whether in team meetings, bulletin boards, or even their own “special day” such as a birthday or work anniversary.
With a little imagination and creativity, your team will become even better. And that will lead to personal and professional success for everyone.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and run by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited warehouse with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
