Maintaining Culture as Your Business Grows

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Maintaining Culture as Your Business Grows
By the time they come to us, our healthcare
clients have already established that growth is
a priority. As were putting together a roadmap
for what that growth will look like, theres
usually another priority in our clients minds
culture. Specifically, how to keep a positive
culture in place as the business grows. We know
that practice owners pour a lot of effort into
building a positive culture at their first
location. And with these tips, youll be able to
maintain that culture among employees and
patients at every new location. Here are a few
ideas to get you started. Scaling a medical
aesthetics practice? Read our tips on what to
consider as you grow here. Scaling a DSO? Here
are our top DSO scaling strategies for 2023.
What Does Culture Look Like in a Healthcare
Practice?
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First, lets bust the myth that culture is about
having great benefits or Friday afternoon pizza
parties. While these might be indicators of a
good culture, what matters more is how it feels
to work at your practice. When employees feel
supported, invested in, and excited to be at
work, these are green flags for the state of your
company culture. Inversely, a toxic workplace
culture often leads to the opposite employees
who dont feel supported, valued, or happy at
work. When it comes to growth, practices with
positive cultures are better positioned for
expansion. There are many intangible benefits to
a positive culture like lower employee turnover,
higher production, and even more loyal
customers. Of course, this doesnt come
automatically. Most the time, small businesses
with strong cultures have intentional mission
statements and core values that theyve built
into every aspect of the practice. They have
passionate leaders who keep the missions and
values at the heart of hiring decisions,
branding, and even operations. And, they have
processes that prevent some conflict and
frustration that leads to a toxic
environment. Lets see what that looks like at
the practice level. How Do Practice Owners
Foster a Positive Workplace Culture? Before we
get ahead of ourselves and talk about growth,
lets start at building a strong foundation.
Here are some ways to create a positive workplace
culture that makes your staff excited to walk
through the door each day. Values, Mission, and
Vision Words cant define the organizations
culture. However, they can act as solid reminders
of who you are, what you care about, and how you
want to treat people who interact with your
business. Thats why its important for leaders
to come up with a clear mission statement, a
vision, and core values.
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(If you already have a mission or vision
statement, consider whether its an accurate
reflection of the business. It might be time to
restructure that statement to reflect who you
are.) Once your company values are identified,
remember that to build them into the culture,
they need to be practiced and experienced by
every employee and patient. That why
communication is key. You can list your mission
statement or values on your website, business
cards, advertisements, and on the walls of your
practice. Communication Communicating a positive
culture isnt just about telling your employees
your core values or posting your mission on your
website. (Though, its a start!) Its also about
creating an environment where people feel safe to
give and receive feedback. Its important for
leaders to create lines of communication between
all providers, staff, and patientsthey will be
the true mirrors of workplace culture. What do
employees care about? What are their goals? How
might they be struggling? Do they have great
ideas to share? How do they best feel supported?
Not only is communication key to understanding
your culture, it will be key to expanding it as
your organization grows. Processes for Hiring,
Training, and Developing Your Team People are
the heart of your practices culture. Thats why
its so important to hire and train a team
equipped to carry out the values and mission of
your business. So, make sure that throughout the
training processfrom hiring to training to goal
settingyour companys vision is clear. Youre
more likely to find team members who are a
culture fit if you can clearly identify and
describe some key elements to the culture. When
hiring, look for creativity, problem-solving
capabilities, and, above all, a positive
attitude. If youre heading for growth, these are
the types of people who can help take you to the
next level.
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• Here are more tips for building culture into your
  team development
• Collaborate with all staff (providers, front
  desk, hygienists, etc) to set personal goals.
  Whether this is through quarterly reviews or
  regular conversations, its important for
  leaders to know what team members value and are
  working toward.
• Ask questions! How are team members motivated?
  How do they like to communicate? What are they
  passionate about? This starts at the interview,
  but it
• should continue throughout each persons
  employment.
• Create a safe environment for informal check-ins.
  Feedback shouldnt only be given in formal
  settingsand that goes both ways. Leaders,
  managers, and team members should be able to
  share ideas in productive ways and feel included
  in
• carrying out the companys vision.
• Finally, remember that the best hire is the one
  you dont have to make. In other words, keeping
  employee retention high and turnover low is key
  to a consistent culture.
• Promotions, pay raises, benefits, and respecting
  individual employees needs will get you a long
  way.
• Leadership
• Underlying all of this is solid leadership. And
  for leaders to foster a positive culture, they
  need to spend time where the people are. Great
  leaders have a true pulse on every position in
  the practicespending time at the front desk,
  with patients, and with providers. An aloof
  owner who communicates from behind a computer
  screen wont have much impact on
• company culture. But one whos in the office and
  feels like part of the staff will.
• If youre just starting, answer a simple
  question What does workplace culture mean to
  you? What do you want your practice to feel
  likefor employees, patients, and yourself?

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• Once youve got that nailed down, its time to
  put it into action at an operational level. Of
  course, note that culture is not the same as
  policies. Policies might help set boundaries,
  but culture sets the tone.
• How Can Leaders Maintain Workplace Culture as
  Your Business Grows?
• If youve recognized the strength of your current
  culture, congratulations! Youve already done
  the first partyouve got the secret sauce for a
  happy, productive team. Now, you can learn how
  to carry the culture as your business growsfrom
  one location to many.
• Here are a few tips for maintaining culture as
  you open new locations
• Communication is key. Be clear about your shared
  vision, mission, and values and create an
  environment where people feel empowered to share
  in it.
• Hire people with a growth-minded attitude. Make
  sure you have an interview process that helps
  you to figure out if people are ready to grow
  along with you.
• Be willing to stay flexible and fly the plane
  while youre still building it. Even if
• youve done it once, every new venture is
  different. Be willing to adapt and find new
  ways. Chances are, your culture will be stronger
  for it.
• Be transparent about your growth goals and
  dreams. That way, everyone can feel included in
  the vision.
• Train the trainer. If youve led a solo practice,
  you already understand the importance of
  delegation. Create more leaders ready to help
  your business thrive.

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Keep in mind that how you grow will impact how
youre able to duplicate culture. A de novo
strategy is a clean slate. Youll get to hire
your team from scratch with the same values,
mission, and procedures that worked the first
time. Acquisitions can sometime pose more
challenges, but with clear communication and
collaboration, you can identify the shared
values that will set the tone for a strong shared
culture. Skytale Group Can Help Your Business
Grow Effectively At Skytale, were in the
business of growthbut growth that lasts. We
dont want your employees to burn out or your
cash flow to run dry. Our combined decades of
experience leading medical aesthetics and dental
practices to success have taught us how to help
businesses like yours grow in a sustainable
way. If youre ready to partner with a financial
CFO and growth guru, please get in touch today.