What Does The Transition From Office Manager To Director Of Operations Look Like?
What Does The Transition Period From Office Manager To Director Of Operations Looks Like?
One of the questions I get, especially from the Practitioner is, what does the transition look like? I’m so glad this question comes up because it brings a deeper recognition that the transition period from Office Manager to Director Of Operations needs more than an application of “onboarding.”
It needs to be integrated throughout the transition process.
I’ve broken it down into 5 critical milestones that must happen to really integrate this new role into the practice and help the transition be more successful and profitable!
#1. Alignment
They may have an idea of what a DOO is but they are going to get really clear on the role, the expectations, and begin to really align with the provider to form a true partnership. At this point, the Office Manager should have an established level of management within the practice but gaining support from the Provider to deepen the management level and increase the leadership level is extremely critical.
#2. Operational Leadership
Even with the best possible learning platform, any leader in a new role will have an incomplete picture of the business. Yes, the Office Manager will have a level of understanding of where the practice is at, but not often do I meet with Office Managers that are having discussions of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats with the provider. Financial discussions outside of AR review are few, strategic planning is without a doubt not happening, and even the Vision, Mission, and Values of the practice appear unclear.
#3. Taking Charge Of The Team
The Office Manager has been managing the team but the focus on the direct reports to confirm or adjust the team’s composition and goals isn’t often happening at this level.
The DOO will learn how to strike the balance of careful planning and coordination of the team while cultivating a culture that is aligned with collaboration. The DOO will essentially be able to make key decisions and take the intricate role of being the center, or middleman between the provider and the team.
#4. Becoming a “We” Culture
Hopefully, at any level of the practice, there is time being taken to teach every new team member what the values and guiding mission of the practice are. Missing this key for any onboarding can result negatively on the new team member and really slow the results of becoming a collaborative culture. On the other hand, if the team has been the same for some time you may find the team constructs itself more as silos and results in a less than favorable collaborative culture.
#5. Defining Strategic Intent
Finally, the new DOO must start to shape strategy. DOO’s must have a certain mode of operation to be able to finesse operational and strategic planning; the ability to develop and implement the strategy is a critical strength for any successful DOO. Part of the integration is to bring the DOO and the Provider together to define the strategic intent and either adjust or create a new strategy.
Together these 5 milestones establish effective integration during the transition period and can be much more successful when this is clearly understood by both the Office Manager and the provider.
Ready to start working on those growth plans for your practice? It may be time for your Office Manager to get certified as a Director Of Operations!
Learn more here!
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