Skills Needed in a Successful Office Manager
One of the hardest and most important positions you will fill in your office is the position of office manager. Why is this so hard? Because an effective manager is going to control the chaos and enable you to reach your goals.
Obviously, every office’s needs for a manager will vary. However, there are three core skills that every office leader needs.
Leadership Skills
Whether your office manager is leading one or twenty one, it is imperative that your manager be an effective leader and gain the respect of staff. It is the manager’s duty to make sure that goals are being met and being able to get the staff to “buy in” to goals is essential. The manager ensures that the staff is motivated and on the right track, but also has to be able to delegate responsibilities to the team rather than handling everything on his or her own.
Communication Skills
Your office manager represents you and your practice. He or she works closely with individuals in various capacities-people that you want to continue having relationships with such as your staff, vendors, colleagues, and patients. The importance of how this person communicates is invaluable. An effective communicator gives you and your practice credibility.
In a leadership capacity, your office manager needs to be able to interact effectively with other people. This requires actively listening and responding appropriately-not acting purely on emotion.
Analytical Skills
A dental office is ever changing and you need someone who is not always caught up in the smaller details, but who can see the bigger picture. There is always something that can be improved upon to increase efficiencies and/or save the office money. Your manager should be able to gather information, when needed, and make appropriate decisions based upon information given. You should be able to trust their analytical skills and ability to make decisions.
While the specific requirements for each position change, every office benefits when their manager possesses strong leadership, communication and analytical skills.
Do you have an effective office manager?
Written by Tiffany Worstell, Account Executive/Dental Recruiter for Dental Staff at ETS Dental (www.etsdental.com). For more information, contact Tiffany directly at 540-491-9112 or tworstell@etsdental.com
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