All the technical training in the world won’t train you to be an effective pharmacy manager.
Leadership skills, people skills, and business acumen are all areas that you can learn and practice, even after your formal training. Being a student of everything around you will help you understand what your team needs from you as a leader and can provide you with a great deal of insight on becoming a better leader. Here are some tips you can use for improving your skills as a pharmacy manager:
· Learn new skills. Even if you have extensive formal training in the healthcare industry and management in general, you can always learn something new. Sometimes it is helpful to develop soft skills in addition to job skills. Read advice from other managers on how to create schedules, morale-boosting ideas, and even how other successful pharmacies operate.
· Delegate when possible. Not only will this help you be able to tackle more in your daily routine, but it will show you who is a rising star within your organization.
· Communicate regularly. In an office setting, it is easier to have one-on-one conversations with your team members, in private, and with plenty of time to share. With the scheduling necessary for a pharmacy to run efficiently, you might see certain team members for a total of 10 minutes in any given week. While this is okay for the day-to-day operations, you need to make an effort to sit down with everyone and check on them. This is more than just a “how are you” type of conversation; it is a conversation that gives them the freedom to vent, freedom to express, and the freedom to share with you what is on their mind.
· Celebrate the good. Take the time to notice a job well done and work hard to celebrate when something good happens. When you let your team know there is business growth and the success of the public notice, you are providing them with leadership. A strong leader takes the team in a positive direction, the entire team.
· Inspire others. When you arrive at work, are you in a positive mood? Good, your team will be too. If you’re constantly complaining, looking for shortcuts, your team will too. You won’t be perfect, no one expects that, but you should try on a daily basis to be better and inspire others to be better.
You are the voice of your team. Prove to them that they can be confident when working for you that you have their back and will support them. Your business success and morale depend on you as the leader.
To learn more about leadership skills and how to create the best possible team, let us help. WSi Healthcare is here to provide you with guidance on building a strong team. Contact us today.