In any business setting, the "bottom-line" is crucial to the survival
of a company. During PREFERRED’s Tactical Conference 12, we learned that there are many factors that contribute
to that "bottom-line." The biggest factor and the most obvious are your employees.
John Heinsman, recently retired from Beech Street Corporation and Dale Vaughan of Beech Street Corporation
presented two viewpoints on how to win with your employees. Their presentation, entitled:
"Break Away from the Ordinary – A Timeless Strategy for Management of Change from Inside
Your Organization" gave clinicians and managers alike an opportunity to change not only for
their practice or office, but also within themselves.
John Heinsman spoke of "BREAKS" and emphasized that by being bold,
responsible, enthusiastic, always accentuating the positive,
realizing that knowledge is both academic and street savvy, and being sincere
is integral to the success of your employees and your organization.
Dale Vaughan spoke of "Personal Accountability" and how accountability starts with each
individual; the idea of choosing to engage in accountable thinking and action and to start asking questions like,
"What can I do to make a difference?" It is making better choices in the moment by asking better
questions. She showed us that accountability is "a commitment of the head, heart and hands to fix the
problem and never again affix the blame."
The roundtable that followed Saturday morning regarding employee development generated more discussions with
physical therapists, office managers and practice owners. John asked the roundtable participants to introduce
themselves and share with the group two unique things that each of the participants did for their employees.
The answers included:
Continuing education
In-service on topics interesting to employee population that helped create a ‘social atmosphere’
Monthly team meetings with lunch where they were able to discuss business topics
Offering some type of IRA benefit plan
Made someone a partner in their practice
Take them out to lunch where the atmosphere is more relaxing in trying to get to know an employee
Give ownership to their employees with regards to their position and show them how it affects the organization
Empower employees by taking an interest in their lives and sharing with them general financial information about the company and how it is related to an employee’s position
“Like a family” – A practice owner believes that the people he/she works with are like his/her family and treats them in a way that makes them feel welcome day in and day out
Do community service projects together
Offered an after hours yoga program
Cross train employees so that they know each other’s responsibilities
Bonuses whenever possible
“Holy Mackerel” Award – A peer award presented to an employee for a great idea
Rotates employee positions so as to not become static in a position
Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate! Birthdays, achieving business goals, and quarterly outings
All these unique ideas had one common goal, to take an interest in what your employees are doing and to
share with them your goals for the future of your practice or business, but also genuinely caring for your
employee and their professional and possibly personal development. Establishing a culture that allows
all employees to feel part of the process is worth the time and effort to achieving your “bottom-line.”
There were many scenarios discussed during the roundtable regarding employees and how to motivate them
personally and professionally, two memorable points from John and Dale:
“Create an environment that is conducive to an employee’s mental well-being, then their financial
well-being. In that order.” – John Heinsman
“80/20 Rule – Don’t spend 80% of your time with the 20% of employees that are creating your problems.
Spend 80% of your time with the employees that are doing well to encourage them and help them develop their
skills and expertise." - Dale Vaughan
Two books that Dale recommended for your reading pleasure:
Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business -Patrick Lencioni
First, Break All The Rules: What The World's Greatest Managers Do Differently -Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
John Heinsman currently consults with Beech Street. He also travels the country on speaking engagements.
His consulting company, J’s Jackpot, Inc. is located at 1595 Peachtree Pkwy., Ste. 204-313 Cumming, GA 30041.
John can be reached at (404) 550-0270.
Dale Vaughan is the Senior Director of Employee Development and Culture for Beech Street Corporation.
Dale can be reached at 800-877-1666 or by email at dale.vaughan@beechstreet.com. Beech Street’s corporate
office is located at 25500 Commercentre Drive, Lake Forest, CA 92630.
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