Focus. It’s one of those words that’s frequently used in any workplace – including GP practices. In your time as a practice manager you’ve probably advertised for a ‘focused individual’ in your job ads. Your practice is more than likely focused on delivering the best possible care. And you probably hope to have a team that has a clear focus on what it is they’re supposed to be doing.

Focus has always been one of the keys to productivity, peak performance and high-level success, whether it be individually or in a team environment, but how do you ensure you keep your practice team as focused as possible?

The honest answer is that it’s not easy. Researching this article highlighted some stats that are particularly eye-watering. For example, one study in the US suggested that people only truly focus at work for 6 hours… not each day, but per week! Reasons cited for this include our desire to be socially connected 24/7, the internet and trying to multitask different aspects of our lives throughout the day as the lines between work and home are blurred. A lack of communication from managers was also cited.

Process, structure, communication

According to management experts, communication is the first step in developing a more focused team for your practice. Whether that’s communicating goals, tasks or processes, it’s the GP partners and practice manager/s that need to drive focus.

Those same experts suggest that the use of efficient processes can be a great starting point in developing and maintaining a clear focus. It’s therefore important you communicate any new or amended systems with your team to make sure they buy in to them. The most focused teams are the ones who are aware of their team and individual goals and the importance of following processes that are put in place.

Set up the day

Learning to laser focus for extended periods of time is, first and foremost, a skill that comes from repetitive practice and many highly successful people set their day up so that they can get focused early in the day, with the aim of taking care of the most important things first before they move on to less important tasks.

And for GP practices this may well mean honing the shape and content of staff meetings – and most experts on this subject agree that daily meetings are an effective way of boosting focus. Whether you want to call them team meetings, huddles or even scrums(!), these daily get-togethers need to be short and to the point. Practices often include part-timers, but that shouldn’t stop you – focus comes from routine and repetition, which means carrying on regardless. Likewise, when a practice manager is on holiday, carry on with them by appointing a stand-in meeting host.

These daily meetings can cover:

• A review of the day before – what worked, what didn’t, what processes lapsed, problems and solutions, unusual occurrences etc.

• A look at the day ahead – what needs to be done, what’s happening of note, a reminder of processes and goals, information about ‘notable’ patients due to be seen etc.

• A look at the week ahead – any project deadlines that are nearing (including a look at a project planner if you have one), a discussion about how you will cover sickness etc, upcoming training

Essentially, you’re aiming to continually reiterate processes and procedures that need to be followed so that they become routine. Try to stick as closely as possible to your format to allow this to happen.

Longer, monthly meetings can then be used to discuss issues and agenda items in a lengthier, more informal manner as the two tend to work together.

Distractions

Another reason for a lack of focus with individuals can be issues away from the practice. Partner worries, sickness, family problems, financial concerns… the list of concerns can be long. And when these problems linger, focus at work will be seriously reduced.

So, try to encourage open dialogue with staff. Give them time to confide in you and (within reason) be sympathetic. It’s usually more efficient to allow time off or offer support to get the problem/s sorted than it is to continue forcing a team member to carry on while the problem lingers.

Concentrate on less

Research points to trying to do too much at any one time having a severe impact an individual’s focus. So try to manage projects and workloads so that your team has less to focus on.

Where possible, choose a handful of projects to work on that are mission critical. Apply the Pareto Principle: focus on the 20% of your work that will generate 80% of results. Apple’s Steve Jobs once said: “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. When faced with a mountain of to-do’s, it can be paralysing to consider the full scope of work ahead of you.

Motivation matters

Motivated staff do tend to be more focused staff. Rather than talk about motivation here you can read more about it in this Practice Index article we published earlier this year.

Play to people’s strengths

Finally, people are more likely to be focused if they’re working on something they enjoy, so play to people’s strengths. If somebody has an interest in IT, give them the opportunity to look at this side of your practice.

Likewise, ensure the mundane jobs are evenly spread. When it comes to these tedious jobs it could even be an idea to have team sessions – limited by time – where you all join together to get those tasks nobody enjoys doing out of the way.

How do you ensure your team is focused? Let us know by commenting below or head to the Practice Index Forum where you can connect with fellow practice managers.

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