The Era Of The Super-Manager Is Over

I was working with an office manager this past summer and her journey was interesting, to say the least. She actually was a hygienist that took a step down in pay to step into the Office Manager role at the practice she was with. She didn’t have any formal training in the operations of the practice, patient flow (prior and following clinical care) but she was stepping up to bat and willing to change her career path for the practice. Her distinctive attributes could easily fit into the role of Office Manager but the more time I spent with her, learning the dynamic between her and the provider, and the way she approached the role, I watched a Super Manager unfold. In fairness, not everyone is readily willing to step down in pay to take another position within an organization, so that spoke volumes for the owner. But, the outdated structure in private practices feeds this Super-Manager mentality.

Consider how many are brought into this role. (I consider myself an “accidental office manager” so this isn’t simply observed, its experience) The pattern is typically one that promotions happen within the practice from one front line to the next and the Office Manager position takes another step towards solidifying the outdated approach to growth. Office Managers are typically heavy in implementation, or task doing, with merely one foot at the front of the line in the practice but now with another foot that leverages some participation in management.

In a hard-driving, task-focused, unforgiving culture and organizations where managers are largely operational, the traditional command-and-control management style tends to dominate. In these environments, managers are led to believe the most effective way to ensure the job gets done is to be direct. They tell people what to do, how to do it, and expect everyone to do as they are told. Not only is the  Super Manager mentality outdated, but the structure, the approach, and the culture is a risky strategy to continue to encourage. 

As the owner, you may have been confronting the fact that there are quite a few outdated approaches to running a practice. Typically the realization comes after another external support didn’t give the expected outcomes with their brand new strategy or the run-of-the-mill system setup didn’t fire off immediate operational efficiency. As such, the next area that is considered is typically structure. This can really be a hard fork in the road when you’re not only considering a structural change but also realizing this entails leadership development as well as organizational and cultural development. 

When my client, the super manager, started to approach her role in that way and knowing full well what the other side of this fence looked like, I decided to take a few approaches to better her development and move away from the status quo. To note, since this client was transitioning from Hygienist to Office Manager she wasn’t ready to go through The Providers DOO Certification Program so the approach here is with that in mind and you as the owner can start in this direction with your Office Manager until you are ready for the next level yourself. 

1. Bust the myth of the super manager. Assuming you are taking the lead on this redirection I would encourage this myth-busting to start with you before cascading the redirect. A super-manager is in a difficult spot because they are largely operational and they are mirroring what they are experiencing with their lead- which is you. Most Office Managers, respectively, take instructions given from the provider and then will go and do the task or hand it off to another team member. The problem here is that the dynamic is command and control leaving them demotivated and deskilled since they are reliant on being told what to do.

Action Steps:

a. Instead of spitting out to-do lists, approach your needs with your Office Manager by asking them to help problem solve. For example, on your weekly meeting with your Office Manager, you can bring up the need for hygiene reappointments. Instead of saying, “you need to tell the hygienist or front office x,y,z.” Approach with, “I’ve noticed our recall appointments have been down this quarter. What do you think is the best way to ensure we keep our recalls at 90%?”

b. Move them out of just task doing and allow for a level of management to take place. By this, I see often that the ‘management’ is merely repeating the instructions they were given and doesn’t give them the space to encourage and develop the team in communication, performance measurement, or goal setting. 

 2. Break down silos. In the traditional command-and-control style this environment encourages silos and only builds walls - resulting in imprisonment to job descriptions and resentment towards any level of management.

Action Steps:

a. The first step here is to build a working relationship with your Office Manager and encourage their own growth and development. Work on understanding their personal objectives and find ways to have 1:1 development discussions.

b. There is a huge fear around growth and development internally with the expectation that the team member will move on since they may outgrow their position. If you are struggling with that fear, take the time to unpack that or allow yourself support to walk through that - discouraging development only results in wasted potential, money, and stagnated growth leaving owners frustrated and back at square one.

3. Build trust and give it. This can be an extremely difficult area to not only create awareness in but to develop and reframe after past experiences. Trust is something earned but not easily given -and even if you feel like you trust your Office Manager evaluate how much you give them. Following up is one of the biggest indicators of the level of trust one has earned. For example, if you have been working with your OM for years now and yet you find yourself continuously following up on those tasks you gave them, your approach is showing them you don’t trust them.

Action Steps:

Identify the level of trust and the level of involvement that is appropriate.

a. High Trust, High Involvement. (A lot of follow-ups) This level is perfect for leaders who want to frustrate and drive away top talent. 

b. High Trust, Low Involvement. (a little bit of follow-ups) This level is perfect for employees who have earned trust. It grants them the independence they earned. 

c. Low Trust, High Involvement (A lot of follow-ups) This level is perfect for employees who are new or not yet proven at a higher level of performance, such as OM’s recently being promoted. It lets them learn with a safety net.

d. Low Trust, Low Involvement (a little bit of follow-ups) This level is perfect for leaders who want to go out of business. This is the zone of no management. 

As you can see - following up isn’t meant to be discouraged, it’s just how much is appropriate with the level of trust you have with your Office Manager. This in turn will show them what’s appropriate and encourage the same with the team underneath them. 

With these 3 approaches, you can start to dismantle the Super-Manager mentality and begin the development of a leader. Empowering your Office Manager will unlock their potential and essentially the potential of the practice - so as your Office Manager develops watch for the signs that they are ready for the next level - you can listen to the episode I did for Office managers, titled “6 Signs You’re Ready To Be A Director Of Operations.”