HOW I...

Putting People First

An award-winning practice shares the secrets of its successm

Rohit Sharma, far right, and his staff receive the Transitions Eyecare Practice of the Year award

my name may be on the door, but I credit all of our practice’s successes to the hard work of my staff. We perform as the team we are—and that kind of cohesiveness is a direct result of fostering relationships and valuing people.

EMPOWERING EMPLOYEES

I believe that empowering employees and harnessing their unique talents and personalities is key to creating a positive work environment. I want to point out that these unique talents don’t always have to relate to an on-the-job task.

For example, while we may be a little far off from starting an official choir, I noticed that we have a high-spirited group of employees who like to sing. To create some fun, memorable moments we sing “Happy Birthday” to our patients when it’s their big day and this past holiday season, we sang a carol for our patients on our Facebook page.

It’s a simple way to tell both my patients and employees: “Hey, I value you!”

TRIPLE D

At our core, everyone on our team wants to work toward the same goal: to earn our patients’ trust by giving honest recommendations and always keeping their best interests in mind.

Ever since I started utilizing the Doctor-Driven Dispensing (DDD) technique, it has proven to be the best way for us to gain our patients’ trust. By using this approach, I am able to emphasize product recommendations as part of the patient’s prescription, instead of part of the retail sale. Once the patient moves from the exam chair to the dispensary, my staff members can pick up the conversation with ease.

The DDD model helps me set the stage for a successful conversation between my staff members and patients.

We know we’re at a great place in our office, but we also know there is always room for improvement. We’re always asking our patients for feedback on how we can better serve them, and that helps us keep our patients’ needs (and our team’s growth) first on our lists.

— Rohit Sharma, O.D.

Dr. Sharma is the owner of Southern Eye Specialists, P.C., in Atlanta. The practice recently won the Eyecare Practice of the Year Award at Transitions Academy.