In today’s job market, building loyalty with your employees is key. If you find yourself questioning the loyalty of your team members, we’ve put together some advice for you.
Loyalty doesn’t happen overnight. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone that worked for your practice was immediately loyal? It would also be completely unrealistic. Trust doesn’t just happen overnight, and loyalty takes time to build. As the leader of your chiropractic practice, you have to understand that every employee that works in your office comes with different experiences. It is your job show them loyalty first. Show them how you will help them grow and develop. Show them that they can trust you. Show them that they have your support. Their loyalty to you will come with time.
Loyalty isn’t always simple. Sometimes loyalty turns into a grey area, and you’re the one who has to know where to draw a line in the sand. If you think your employee may be behaving inappropriately, that’s one thing. But if you believe they are frustrated with something at work or they may have a new job, it is your job to show them how much you support them, appreciate them and will help them reach their full potential. This isn’t the time to put blame on a person. It’s the time to be the best leader you can be.
Leaving doesn’t mean disloyalty. Sometimes people leave. It could be a new opportunity came up that was too good to say no to. Sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it. But, there is actually something you can do about it. You can support them. You can applaud their accomplishments and wish them the best. Many leaders find this challenging; their emotions are running high. But if your employee was that great, you have to change your way of thinking from “They’re leaving because they think they’re better than us” to “They’re leaving to get a better education and hopefully they’ll return someday”. Plus, if you treat them well when they leave, they will speak highly of your practice and continue to be an advocate for your brand.
Disloyalty isn’t always personal. Disloyalty is often confused with other aspects of work, so be sure that you aren’t jumping to conclusions about your employees. Maybe someone doesn’t work well with another employee. Maybe they are having difficulties in their personal life. As the leader of your practice, it is your job to find out why the employee doesn’t have the passion for their work. Start with, “Is everything okay? and “How can I help you?”.
You can only control your loyalty to them. As much as you want to help your employees, it’s all about balance. You can’t fix employee behavior, and you can’t control it. Your job as a leader is to focus on what you can do to bring out the best in your employees. If something isn’t working, keep focusing on what you can do differently. Your ideas might not always work, but we are here to help you develop a strong plan for your chiropractic practice.
Loyalty is an interesting concept. It comes and goes. Sometimes it happens when you least expect it. It can also, sadly, disappear like that. We can tell you this much: when you find true loyalty in your employees, do everything you can to hold on to it.