Can you believe spring is here and summer is right around the corner? Last month, we were just kicking off the baseball season, and I shared that – at the beginning of the season - anything is possible. One month in, the Cubs are in first place, and I am planning for a great season! Thanks to Mother's Day, Memorial Day, and graduations, I am also preparing for a busy May.
I know the year is “racing” by because we are already deep in the planning for this year’s VHMA Annual Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, September 5-7th. Yes, I am making reference to our theme for this year's conference, “Racing Towards Success!” (Nice segue, right?) I’m impressed with your proactivity for those of you who have already registered. It shows strong forward-thinking and preplanning to commit to a professional conference in September, but you will be so glad you did.
Don't forget to also commit to personal time. For some of us, it is a family vacation, mental health days, or maybe even some of both. I know I have learned the hard way not to skip those personal time days. Like many of you, I always want to be there for my team. However, it is very important for our teams to have time without us. It may force them to realize all that we do daily in our management role. It might also allow them to step up and fill your shoes, if just for a couple of days. I find that as managers, we do a good bit behind the scenes that may go unnoticed or rewarded, and this is a chance for them to see some of the “behind the scenes” stuff.
So here are a few pointers so you can leave the office and unplug for a while (without guilt or stress). Ironically, I have consolidated my “Me Time" tips into the acronym TEAM because I rely on my team to make my vacation possible. Here are my TEAM tips:
Tackle the Calendar Early I find that getting my time out of the office (vacation and meetings) on the calendar early helps everyone plan around me…I know it doesn't always work, but I work with my owner on setting up our time away first so that scheduling doctors' and team members' time off is based on our schedules, not vice versa. Even getting CE on the calendar early seems to help calendar planning. Become the driver for getting your team to schedule their time away; you will find that team scheduling is easier if you know what they are planning.
Empower Your People by Planning Ahead. I like to get as much done as possible before I leave to set my team up for success. I will look at my inventory items, and sometimes it is an estimate, but I order what I think they could run low on or out of while I am out of the office. I work to get payroll done or lined up for the owner to take care of if I am out of the office for an extended period. If there are items that need to be completed while I am out, I try to spread the responsibilities among several team members so one person doesn't go on a power trip (while I am on my trip). This approach has another advantage: it allows me to see who can step up for more responsibilities.
Anticipate Snafus’! Even the best plans sometimes go sideways. That's why you need to help your team prepare for – and expect – worst-case scenarios. Well before your vacation, ask them how they might handle various unexpected issues. Troubleshoot with them now. That way, if things go wrong, you are less likely to receive that dreaded phone call when you are in the middle of yoga or that deep-sea fishing trip you have been looking forward to.
Make Vacation Memories! You work hard year long, so use your time away to enjoy yourself! That rule applies whether you are hanging with family, sunning, surfing, or painting your bathroom during a staycation. If your "out of the office" plans include attending the VHMA Annual Conference, not only are you incredibly brilliant, but you will also meet great people and gain great insight into managing your practice. And, your team will be completely fine without you because you followed my TEAM advice above!
So take some time and plan for your best summer ever.
Sincerely,
Scott Zimmerman, BFA, CVPM
VHMA President
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