As a community pharmacist, your key responsibility is your employees. You’re their teacher who helps them reach their full potential through training and your feedback.
If you feel like you’ve slacked on some of these responsibilities, don’t beat yourself up for it. You can change the way you think and invest in your employees’ growth by coaching them. Coaching includes giving and receiving feedback with an open mind and active listening.
It can be tricky to give and receive feedback effectively. However, it can make a huge difference if you both give and take. When you’re receiving feedback, it’s best to keep an open mind and really listen. Don’t allow yourself to jump to conclusions or get defensive. Instead, take some time to process their feedback. Ask clarifying questions. Often, team members hesitate to give you feedback, so be sure to ask for it as directly as possible.
Feedback helps employees grow and improve. So, if they lean into it with positivity and a growth mindset, it can lead to great results.
Coaching your team is vital, and for many reasons:
Developed Skills
When you coach your team, you’re offering a structured approach to developing important skills and knowledge they’ll need for their job. When you identify their strengths and weaknesses, you can adjust their coaching sessions so they grow with their abilities. This will help make them more competent and efficient in their day-to-day tasks.
Improved Performance
When you offer effective coaching, it can lead to improved performance throughout your pharmacy. Speak up about any and all gaps in performance and provide guidance to help them succeed. By doing so, your team can improve their productivity and help make your pharmacy even more successful.
Committed Employees
Employees who are engaged in their work love their job. As their coach, you help build a sense of value and appreciation. When your team is engaged, they’re not only more likely to be loyal to your pharmacy, but also much happier in their roles.
Staying Power
When you support your employees, they can see their opportunities for growth in your pharmacy. This makes them more likely to stick around long term. Your coaching helps bring out the talented individuals and nurtures a channel of skilled employees who will be motivated to take on more responsibilities down the road.
Create a successful environment in your pharmacy by maximizing your team’s potential. Be their coach while also providing them feedback. These are the magical tools to keep your employees learning and loving their roles in your pharmacy.
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.
