Resources to Speed Up Your Productivity

Back in the day, when I started my career as a manager of a small team, I panicked. I thought management was all about making sure your resources did not make a mistake, about taking responsibility for their actions, about micromanaging. I equated the relationship of employee + manager to that of a student + teacher. However, over the course of time, with countless lessons and mistakes learned from, I have come to understand that while you can be a good manager, being a leader is an altogether different ball game. In fact, I can go so far as to say that management comes easy, but leadership comes hard, and in today’s fragile corporate world, it’s leadership that is more needed than just management.

Leadership is just like being the head of a family. It’s not about control, but about taking care of everyone in the family. It’s not about taking responsibility for their actions, but empowering them enough to take their own responsibility. Now, after having spent 10 years as a manager, I have acquired and developed some essential leadership qualities that I believe every manager should possess.

Empowerment vs Control

Did you know that 38% of employees hate their bosses and consider them to be horrible? Simply because their bosses take the role of a manager so seriously that they forget to be an empowering leader. Effective leaders do not believe in control. They believe in empowerment. They believe in making their team members capable enough to handle complicated tasks with limited supervision. Micro-management can probably make you look good in front of higher management, but your employees will come to dislike you and may end up leaving the job. You may unwittingly be the cause of high employee turnover and, in the long run, that would definitely not be good for your career. So, if you’re a manager who wants to succeed in the workplace and be liked by both the management and the staff, you need to first learn the art of empowerment.

Empathy vs Criticism

Good leaders know the key to the human heart is kindness. They know that the best potential is achieved through words of motivation and inspiration, rather than through rigid criticism. It’s easy to criticize people, but it’s much more difficult to understand them and enable them to do their best using positive reinforcement. Good leaders also understand the devastating effects of negative criticism vs the effects of constructive criticism. As managers, we may easily fall into the trap of criticizing our employees without pondering over the consequences it may have on them. We fail to understand their predicament and continue in our quest for perfect authoritative control, which leaves a devastating effect on the psyche of our employees.

Flexibility vs Rigidity

Most managers feel it compulsory to impose rigid rules on their employees for the sake of maintaining authoritative control. Little do they know that the more rules are unnecessarily imposed, the more negativity it harbors. Be flexible and develop the ability to see what matters. As a leader, you need to know what your beliefs are and why those beliefs should matter. Note, though, that it may be difficult for you to decide on this if you are faced with a difficult situation or a difficult employee. In such cases, it is always good to ask for additional advice from friends or consultants instead of resorting to taking reactive measures.

For example, one of my own beliefs was that my team members needed to report to work on time, even if they stayed late. I wanted to enforce a culture of coming and going on time so that their work-life balance would not suffer. Little did I know that my assumption of caring for them was actually choking them, since a few of them either had transportation issues or some other problems that prevented them from coming on time. However, when one day a team member got defensive with my insistence on no staying late, I realized that my noble intentions had somehow become draconian rules; especially when they all completed their work on time and were A+ employees. I then chose to let them come within a certain time range, instead of insisting on the fixed-time rule, and that really changed the way they worked with me.

Transparency vs Secrecy

Managers may withhold information from employees for a number of reasons, which could be either personal or official. Of course, you do not want to leak out confidential information, but it is also important for your employees to know where the company is headed and what they should expect from their bosses. Good leaders understand the importance of transparency and ensure that their employees get the right information in the right manner at the right time. This transparency is particularly important when companies go through a hard time or when certain changes are expected. The more transparent you are as a leader, the better your relationship with your employees.

Trust vs Mistrust

I remember clearly the time I was an employee at a huge web design company. My manager was great at her work, but she lacked the ability to trust her team members with complicated tasks. She was a chronic micromanager and could not bear the idea of having any of her team members make their own decisions, whether it was something as small as adding a new color to a piece of graphic or as important as writing a policy document. This drove me and my other colleagues insane. Eventually, we became mere robots and executed her ideas without question. The result? Our department lacked creativity; we were not able to create anything special other than the same old stock ideas, and we were just not happy at our jobs.

If you can’t trust your employees to perform a task well, you are harming the fabric of productivity and creativity. An effective leader trusts his employees to do their best and, in a case where they fail, they are trained and given opportunities to perform better. Do not let your fear of failure lead to disgruntled employees.

Listening vs Speaking

When was the last time you sat down with your employees and actually heard them out and tried to solve their problems? Most of the time, we managers prefer to speak, to give orders, to correct and to emphasize rather than to listen and to resolve. For example, have you ever asked for feedback from your employees regarding your relationship with them? Are you ready to listen to what they have to say? Listening is a critical part of being a leader and enables you to understand what your team members are going through so that you can provide them with the help they need. When you listen more, you can prevent costly mistakes and disruptive relationships. Lend a listening ear and see the difference it makes.

Learning vs Knowing

When we are in the managerial seat, we assume that we know more and that what we know is the absolute truth. The biggest mistake you can make in your career is stopping your learning curve. And, note that learning doesn’t necessarily mean learning a new skill - it’s learning to know your employees, to know what they do, to know your role and how you can make a better impact and eventually learning to implement practices that are beneficial for you, for your team and for your company. Great leaders know that with changing times, they need to update themselves with new information and new forms of knowledge. In the words of John F. Kennedy, ‘Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.’

Effective Communication vs Haphazard Communication

Effective leaders understand the importance of clearly communicating deadlines, job nature, responsibilities and other important areas of project management. In fact, effective leaders understand every aspect of project management and strive to ensure that their team follows through the process without going through a panic. They understand that communication in all forms on all mediums is an important aspect of getting the right work out of the right person. On the other hand, managers without a plan or without effective communication will always struggle with getting things done on time and, though they may get away with it, eventually it causes an unnecessary strain on the team itself.

Planning vs Executing

As a manager, your essential role is to plan and measure, to predict and prevent mistakes, and to evaluate and assess your team’s performance. This is what leaders do, because if you were to take all the tasks on yourself or if you were to delegate everything to your team members without getting involved, you would be practicing bad management and poor leadership. The more planned out and prepared you are with processes and structures, the easier it is to get projects through the pipeline without harming the harmony of your team members.

Being a manager is a responsibility, a tough job and one that calls for a number of qualities and attributes. You need to be honest, humble, effective and responsible all at the same time. Robin Sharma rightly says, ‘Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It's about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.’

‍

One on One meetings are crucial to the success of your team. It is a time when you get to know the challenges and problems of your employees more closely and offer them needed counseling and motivation. Some companies have strict policies about one on one meetings between managers and their team members; all for good reasons. During the meeting, a manager will be able to understand hidden problems and have a clear understanding of factors affecting the team’s performance as a whole. If you plan on arranging a one on one meeting process with your team members, do make sure you stick to a routine which could be weekly, monthly or quarterly, depending on your goals. Secondly, you have to ensure the meeting isn’t just conversation but one that has certain achievable goals as an outcome. Here are top 7 tips for having the best one on one meetings with your team.

Start with a Written Report

One on ones are usually most effective when you have a written record of your employee’s performance and the pointers you need to talk to them about. The report should ideally be written by your team members on their own performance and achievements, which is usually known as the Win Report followed by your own assessment of the report. Discuss the achievements, challenges, and any other pointers you may have about the report during the meeting. When you have a written document, both you and the team member can have a meaningful conversation that doesn’t digress.

Tackle Pointers One by One

Out of the WIN report, discuss the pointers that you think are most important. List them according to priority level and ensure that your team member understands the importance of the pointers. For example, if you think late arrivals is a factor impacting team values then you could choose to talk about that aspect first within clear intentions. Avoid being sarcastic, threatening or passive aggressive. The one on one is the right time to discuss matters with your employee that you wouldn’t discuss openly in a team meeting.

Start with the Positives

Never. Let’s repeat. Never start a meeting with the negatives. You need to start from the positive and connect each negative with a positive aspect. So, for example, you want to talk to the employee about arriving late to work, don’t start with, “You’re always late. You need to be early or else…” Instead, “I like the fact that you get most of your work done within work hours, but it would be much better if you could come in time so that we can all get kickstarted for the day and be on the same page.” When you start with the positive, the employee feels motivated and is eager to listen to other factors.

Prevent the Employee from Being Confrontational

Sometimes, employees may have their own assumptions of certain situations and are not able to be objective. This may cause them to become confrontational and in some cases extremely negative. If you happen to face such a situation, do not lose your cool and try to direct the conversation towards more meaningful conclusions. If despite your best efforts, the employee is still being aggressive or confrontational, you can choose to end the meeting there and carry it forward some other time. Remember where you can draw the line.

Discuss Career Pathways

The purpose of this meeting is not just to resolve problems but to discuss career pathways. However, in order to achieve that, you the manager must have a clear understanding of what you want each of your members to achieve. Not only should you motivate them to achieve company goals but also personal goals. Utilize this meeting to give them quarterly personal goals that can be tied to their performance at work. It could be learning a new language, a new skill, a new software or a new program - whatever is needed to get work rolling. This way your team members will not just be achieving company goals but will also enhance their personal career in the right direction. When you assist your team members in being the best versions of themselves, they won’t disappoint you.

Develop the Art of Listening

Managers often make the mistake of using the one on one meeting to dictate their views and opinions instead of actually listening to the candidate. If you use this method, you won’t really be achieving anything positive and would actually override the purpose of a one on one meeting. Develop the art of listening and understand what your team members are going through. Some of them will be blunt and honest and yet some will beat around the bush in the hope that you get the point without them having to be explicit. So during these interviews, not only do you have to develop listening skills, but you may also have to understand personality types and how to handle each of your team members according to their personality.

Build Trust Instead of Distance

It’s important to build trust with your employees and share with them your struggles as a manager too. When you’re transparent, understanding, and willing to develop a certain trust level, you’ll be giving your employees a chance to work with you in collaboration as a unit and as a team. On the other hand, if you are rigid, refuse to trust them, and are constantly using the one on one meeting to pinpoint their flaws or create distance between them, you’re responsible for creating a negative company culture. And when that happens, you will begin to lose out on valuable team members. You definitely don’t want that to happen, which is why the one on one is to be used wisely.

At the end of the day, as a manager, you are responsible for your employee’s growth because it is closely tied to company objectives. As a rule of thumb, never let your managerial ego or your role as, “THE BOSS,” cloud your judgment or your assessment of the matter. During personal discussions, refrain from office politics, demotivating talks or unnecessary arguments. Maintain a professional stance, have a written record of everything and keep a mindset that is aimed at resolving problems. The more you use the one on ones wisely, the eager your team members will be to report to you their achievements. Gradually, you’ll notice that you wouldn’t even need one on ones except probably once or twice a year to discuss overall achievements.

‍

If you’re a large organization with multiple teams spread across the globe, your leadership and management skills are always tested beyond their limits. From time issues to coordination issues, support issues to meeting conflicts - the problems are endless. Add to this mix the need for performance reviews, growth reviews, HR issues or organizational structures and you have a recipe for disaster.

Now the point is if managing teams in multiple locations to serve multiple purposes is so exhausting and failing, then how come some companies are doing it so well? How is it possible for companies in the US to have off-shore offices in the Indian subcontinent or in other Asian regions and still be able to operate smoothly? The answer to these questions lies in the years of effort, strategic planning, and organizational structure development that ensures maximum productivity regardless of location constraints.

Location Challenges

That is not to say, however, that these organizations do not face the regular challenges of managing off-site teams. Some of the common challenges these companies face are:

• Constraints in keeping up with meeting schedules and timelines. Teams with differing time zones may have to spend time beyond regular hours (a common problem between teams in US and Asia) to cope up with meeting demands.
• Difficulties in giving fair performance reviews and growth opportunities because management may not in touch directly with performing members.
• Problems in collaboration of products that cannot be sent digitally.
• Lack of team coordination, especially when teams differ in culture, time zones, and mutual knowledge of each other.
• Limited supervision as there is no way to maintain office decorum or discipline, nor a way to determine the performance of team members.
• Complete dependency on reports generated by people who are not directly supervised.

With all of these challenges, running a multiple location team is chaotic and a recipe for disaster. However, if you understand the benefits of off-site locations (low costs, targeted skills set, wider market scope) and want to give it a try despite the challenges, then there are essential strategies to put in place.

Make Efficient Use of Technology

If today we have the ability to work with multiple teams in multiple locations then it’s all thanks to technology. Without the internet, all of this would not be a possibility. So, make the most efficient use of technology. Know that the more effective your technological systems, the better you will be at managing your team and reducing the problems of management, coordination, and collaboration. This means that you should be able to have reliable connectivity, LANs and WANs set up in place. Along with this, you also need a robust phone system that can take up on-call collaboration, teleconferencing, and web conferencing.

While setting up a strong network system, don’t forget about security systems and data sharing systems. How does the company plan to send data from one location to another? Not everything can be done via email so it’s necessary to employ cloud technology so that data access can be easy for all parties concerned. Email systems, chat systems (Skype for business), project management systems (JIRA, SharePoint, etc.) should be deployed to ensure everyone stays on the same page. For performance reviews and growth, you can have custom designed HR systems in place. At the end of the day, your hardware units, networking system, security system, communication system, and software system should all be set up well so you could avoid unnecessary hindrances to productivity.

Set Up an Organizational Structure and Culture

If you want your employees to belong to the organization, then you need to set up an organizational structure and culture. Have a theme that is duplicated across all office location. Minor things like welcome gifts, office stationery, and similar items should be the same across all offices. This even goes to the overall office theme design. The more your offices look and feel similar, the more employees will feel connected and at ease. If you want your team members to coordinate with each other without feeling culturally alien, then you need to set up a place for them to feel connected.

You can start by connecting your employees over an in-house social network that can easily be developed from platforms designed for collaboration. You can also create an in-house social network if you have the resources and the expertise to get it done. A social network will help your employees stay connected despite the distance.

Set Up a Hierarchical Structure

Even though you have offices in multiple locations, you need to have that specific location’s hierarchical structure. If you have senior management, mid-level management, and line managers in each of your office location, you will have employees who take the job seriously. On the other hand, if you have a structure that is haphazard with no management level and only resources with line managers, you will have a hard time managing productivity and retaining employees. Each of your office location should feel like an organization in itself and should not be dependent on the parent office.

Your head office should consist of the executive team that would include the CEO, the CFO, the Directors, etc. These people are your think tanks and it is necessary for them to be in one location so you may make essential decisions without any limitations. Planning an organizational structure is essential to having a smooth operating experience beyond your current location.

Visit Your Locations and Be Present

The biggest mistake you can make is to be out of sight, out of mind. People working at different locations are always eager to meet the boss or the leader of the team. It is necessary for your team members to know that you care and that you know the contributions they are making to the company. If you can’t visit your locations once or twice a month, then you can do that after every three months and in the case of countries across the continent, then twice a year is a great deal. Reach out and be involved with your team members. Have one on one meetings and get to know the people who work for you.

Keep an open door policy if you want to know what’s happening in your organization. You can use systems like BoxWire for your employees to reach you while still being anonymous. Pop in unannounced, bring in challenges, and try to remove the complacency that settles in with employees working without a direct boss.

Create Processes and Encourage Project Management

If you don’t have structured processes for executing tasks, then you’re at risk of creating chaos. Because you are not physically present, everything needs to be done via a communicative process. Implement project management systems on cloud platforms where teams can be connected, progress can be shared, and tasks can be executed easily.

When you establish processes, you remove dependency so your team members know their tasks, their deadlines, and the management expectations. Instead of sending emails over tasks, create tickets on a system like ATLASSIAN. Have your departmental team members communicate over these systems and follow standard processes of development. Everything an organization does moves through a process - be it selling to a customer, designing a product, developing a product, quality assuring a product or releasing a product. There is a specific procedure to follow through every stage of work, which leads to a resultant success or failure of the project. It’s a good way to record who missed a deadline, what problems were faced in a task and what new innovations were introduced to solve the problem. The more efficient your process, the more efficient your team members.

Managing multiple teams is a huge responsibility and has high risks of failure if it is not thoroughly planned and managed. You can eliminate challenges if you have a strong organizational development blueprint that should clearly define the minutest detail about your company, its resources and how you plan to manage them. If you don’t have this strong plan, you will end up spending more time fixing things than getting things done. And remember, you don’t have to do it all. Call in experts, let people with specific skills set do specific jobs. Get an HR expert to plan an HR strategy, a business developer to plan business development and so on. Expanding your team is great, but don’t do it at the cost of losing your peace of mind.

‍

When you own a website, especially if it is site that is used for business purposes, making sure that it is ranked well with the leading search engines is certainly important. What many people don't understand is that there are a number of factors that go into the ranking of their site. Major search engines, such as Google, utilize a very complex algorithm to determine how a site is ranked and this ranking will be a major factor in the number of visitors that find their way to your site as well as the conversion of visitors into paying customers.

Recently, Google posted an article on their webmasters blog that explains their commitment to security across their various products. This, of course, also includes a commitment to making sure that websites they recommend or rank highly in their search engine results are sites that are secure.  The best way to keep the internet safe and secure is to ensure sites are encrypted using SSL or Secure Sockets Layer. The use of SSL can help increase security across the web.

For the average webmaster, understanding the various factors that can influence how a particular site will rank with Google's search engine will play a major role in being able to build a successful site. For example, a high ranking site will drive targeted traffic to the site, ensuring it gets quality traffic that can turn into paying customers or clients. With Google's commitment to ensuring a secure online environment, they have already announced that they will be giving a slight increase in preference to sites that have HTTPS or Hyper Text Transfer Protocol with an SSL Certificate installed.

Whether your business relies on secure transactions, such as an ecommerce business or a bank offering online banking, visitors will certainly have more confidence when they know that their entire session will be encrypted with a Digital Certificate. Of course, visitors will know the site has a Security Certificate because a lock icon will be displayed indicating that the website is secure.

While these security measures are certainly essential in making visitors feel confident that their online transactions are secure, it is also an important factor in how many potential customers that find the site. While Google has already made it clear that secure sites will reap the benefits of another ranking signal that will help move the site up in the search results. Additionally, Google stated in their blog entry that they are encouraging all website owners to utilize HTTPS to help ensure a secure environment and that moving forward, they will likely place even more emphasis on a site with SSL receiving an increase in their algorithm results, which will ultimately help the site move up in the search results.

When you have a website and you want to make sure it gets the highest ranking in Google's search results, ensuring your site has an SSL certificate is extremely important. Of course, it is also important to continue adding new, high quality content as well.

Managing certificate expirations

One thing to keep in mind when adding SSL certificates to your site is that these certificates expire. They generally do every year and when they get to that point, browsers will show to your customers a friendly message indicating that your website isn't trusted because the certificate isn't valid. To prevent this, we recommend you use a product like Expiration Reminder that will notify you in advanced when the certificate will expire. Here's a sample on how to configure ssl certificate expiration reminders.

Medical credentialing is a critical process that ensures the quality of healthcare providers and their verification. It involves performing a comprehensive assessment of the qualifications and background of doctors and other healthcare professionals to ensure they meet the highest standards of care. This process can be time-consuming and complicated, but it is essential for maintaining patient safety and trust in the healthcare system. To simplify the process, we have prepared a guide that outlines the steps involved in medical credentialing and offers practical tips to help make the process faster and more straightforward.

What is Medical Credentialing?

Medical credentialing is the process of verifying and assessing the qualifications of healthcare providers. It involves a detailed background check of a provider's education, training, residency, and certifications to comply with healthcare standards.

Why is Medical Credentialing Important?

Credentialing plays a crucial role for several reasons:

• Quality of Care: Ensures all healthcare professionals have the qualifications to provide safe and effective care by undergoing rigorous credentialing.
• Legal Compliance: Helps healthcare facilities comply with federal and state regulatory requirements
• Insurance Reimbursement: Facilitates proper billing and insurance claims, crucial for operational efficiency.

Navigating Federal and State Regulations in Medical Credentialing 

Complying with federal and state regulations is crucial for medical credentialing services. This section focuses on specific rules impacting credentialing and highlights recent changes and compliance nuances that healthcare organizations must be aware of.

Federal Regulations

Federal regulations are essential in setting the standards for healthcare credentialing processes. 

1. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates stringent protection of patient data, which is crucial during the credential verification process. Organizations must implement robust mechanisms to ensure that the collection, handling, and storage of professional records adhere to HIPAA's privacy and security rules. For example, it is essential to use encryption and secure channels when transmitting personal health information (PHI). For more detailed guidance on HIPAA compliance, organizations should refer to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) website or consult legal experts specializing in healthcare compliance.
2. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): CMS sets forth specific requirements for providers participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Including verifying educational qualifications, licensure, and relevant experience. A crucial part of the CMS compliance is the obligation to check the Office of Inspector General's (OIG) List of Excluded Individuals/Entities. This ensures that individuals sanctioned or barred from participating in federal health programs are not involved in providing care. Regular audits and real-time monitoring of these lists can prevent compliance lapses. For additional resources and updates on compliance requirements, providers should visit the CMS official website or engage with healthcare compliance professionals.

State Regulations

State regulations often introduce additional complexities into the credentialing process:

1. State-Specific Licensing Requirements: Each state may have unique requirements for medical licenses. For instance, states like California require a specific number of continuing education hours for license renewal. Credentialing services must have systems to verify and document compliance with such state-specific requirements. Organizations should regularly consult state medical boards or professional licensing agencies to stay informed about the varying licensing requirements across states.
2. Scope of Practice Laws: States vary significantly in their laws defining the scope of practice for different healthcare professionals, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Credentialing processes must include verifications that ensure a practitioner is licensed and qualified under state law to perform the specific services they offer. This involves understanding local regulations and possibly consulting legal expertise to interpret scope-of-practice statutes correctly. Credentialing teams should reference state government websites or collaborate with local healthcare attorneys for detailed and up-to-date information on scope of practice laws.

Recent Changes and Compliance Nuances

• Telehealth Credentialing Challenges: With the rapid expansion of telehealth services, credentialing has become more complex. Providers need to meet the state's regulatory requirements where they are licensed and where the patient is located. This dual credentialing is essential to ensure legal and professional compliance when providing cross-state telehealth services. For comprehensive guides and updates on state-specific telehealth credentialing requirements, healthcare providers can consult resources such as the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC): This initiative simplifies the licensing process for physicians wishing to practice in multiple states, facilitating quicker multi-state credentialing. The IMLC is particularly beneficial in telehealth, where providers may need to extend their services across state borders quickly. Credentialing professionals must stay informed about which states are participants in the Compact, as this impacts the verification process significantly. The current list of participating states and details about the application process can be found on the official IMLC website. Additionally, the American Medical Association (AMA) offers resources and advocacy information regarding the expansion and implementation of the IMLC.

Implications for Credentialing Practices

Healthcare organizations must stay up-to-date with regulatory changes and understand their impact on the credentialing process. It's essential to provide regular training sessions for credentialing staff on regulatory compliance, covering updates comprehensively and providing practical examples to illustrate how new regulations affect procedures. To maintain compliance, updating credentialing software to include checks for new requirements is crucial. Active memberships in professional organizations can also help institutions remain compliant by providing access to a network of experts and resources regularly updated with the latest regulatory changes.

To enhance the educational value of the credentialing guide and ensure that readers are well-equipped to navigate the intricate regulatory landscape effectively, it's essential to incorporate a detailed exploration of regulatory specifics. Healthcare organizations should consider attending workshops and seminars offered by professional credentialing associations and subscribing to industry publications focusing on regulatory trends and updates for further resources. As an option, setting up Google Alerts for keywords like "HIPAA compliance updates," "Medicare regulatory changes," and "healthcare licensing requirements" can provide real-time updates and help organizations stay informed about important regulatory developments.

Modern Credentialing Approach: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Gathering and Uploading Documents

Begin by collecting essential documents for healthcare provider credentialing, such as valid medical licenses, proof of board certifications, and malpractice insurance certificates. Consider using platforms like Expiration Reminder. This tool allows sharing a link with employees for self-onboarding, streamlining document management, ensuring timely updates, and enhancing operational efficiency.

Step 2: Verifying Credentials

Thoroughly verify each credential to ensure compliance and maintain high standards of care. Use the following methods and tools:

• Primary Source Verification: Contact issuing institutions such as medical schools or specialty boards like the American Board of Medical Specialties to confirm qualifications.
• NPDB Queries: Use the National Practitioner Data Bank to check for malpractice history or disciplinary actions, providing comprehensive information on a provider's professional conduct.
• Automated Verification Services: Use services like HealthcareStream to automate the process. These platforms access various databases to quickly and accurately confirm credentials, reducing the administrative burden.

Step 3: Committee Review and Decision-Making

The decision process after verifying credentials may vary depending on the organization. More extensive facilities typically have a committee of healthcare professionals, administrators, and legal advisors that reviews each candidate's credentials against organizational and regulatory standards. On the other hand, smaller practices may have a designated official, like a medical director, who reviews credentials to ensure they meet standards and align with practice needs. The decision-making criteria generally include regulatory compliance, organizational fit, and risk assessment. The outcomes of this process can range from approval, conditional approval, or denial, which ensures that only qualified professionals are allowed to provide healthcare services.

Step 4: Ongoing Monitoring and Re-Credentialing

Maintaining high standards in healthcare requiresongoing monitoring and re-credentialing. The steps below should help you improve your operational efficiency.

• Ongoing Monitoring:

Regular monitoring is crucial to ensure that healthcare providers consistently meet professional standards. Automating the tracking of provider's credential expiration reminders can greatly reduce administrative burdens and minimize human errors. It provides clear oversight of compliance statuses, enabling healthcare facilities to maintain high-quality care and operational efficiency. This streamlined approach minimizes the chances of oversight and keeps the administrative process efficient and error-free.

• Re-Credentialing:

Re-credentialing involves periodically verifying that healthcare providers' qualifications and credentials are current and compliant. This process is vital for maintaining compliance and ensuring that healthcare providers remain competent and qualified.

Additionally, implementing self-serve onboarding features allows providers to update their details directly, reducing administrative overhead and empowering providers to maintain their credentials proactively. This hands-on approach not only simplifies the re-credentialing process but also enhances the accuracy and timeliness of the data maintained.

• Maintaining and Monitoring Certifications

As part of our comprehensive guide on medical credentialing, it’s crucial to have a robust system for tracking and monitoring the certifications of your healthcare staff. Effective management of these certifications ensures that all practitioners meet current standards and regulatory requirements. For more detailed strategies on maintaining these records efficiently and ensuring that certifications are up to date, we recommend reading our dedicated blog: How to Track Employee Certifications. This resource provides essential tips and tools that can streamline the management of employee certifications, reducing the risk of compliance issues and enhancing overall operational efficiency.

Step 5: Integration with Insurance Networks

Integrating credentialed providers with insurance networks is essential for seamless billing and reimbursement. This step ensures that providers are recognized by insurance companies, which is critical for operational efficiency. Integration typically involves submitting updated provider credentials to insurance networks and ensuring their systems are synchronized with current provider statuses. This synchronization allows for accurate and efficient claims processing, reducing delays in billing and enhancing overall financial workflows.

Insight into HR Practices: Streamlining Credentialing Tasks in Hospitals

Credentialing in hospitals is a crucial task that involves multiple departments and personnel, all coordinated by the Human Resources (HR) team. Understanding how HR teams manage and streamline this process can provide valuable insights for healthcare organizations looking to enhance their credentialing practices. This section will explore the roles of HR and other key departments in the credentialing process, highlighting how each contributes to a seamless and efficient operation.

Role of the HR Department

1. Central Coordination: The HR department typically acts as the central hub for credentialing, coordinating between various departments and the medical staff. They ensure that all necessary paperwork is collected, verified, and processed by hospital policies and regulatory requirements.

2. Document Management: HR maintains organized records of all credentialing documents. This includes initial applications, proof of certification and licensure, continuing education records, and background checks. Utilizing digital systems, HR can keep these records secure and accessible, streamlining the retrieval and updating of information as needed.

3. Compliance Monitoring: Ensuring compliance with internal policies and external regulations is a key function of HR in the credentialing process. They keep up-to-date with changes in healthcare regulations and implement them into the credentialing process to ensure compliance.

Interaction with Department Heads

1. Verification of Credentials: Department heads often play a crucial role in the verification stage of credentialing. They are responsible for reviewing the credentials in the context of their specific departmental needs and ensuring they are relevant and sufficient for the clinical responsibilities the provider will undertake.

2. Assessment of Fit: Beyond verification, department heads evaluate how well a provider fits into their team and aligns with the department's operational dynamics and culture. This assessment is crucial for maintaining a cohesive and effective team environment.

Coordination with Credentialing Committees

In larger facilities, credentialing committees usually comprise healthcare professionals, administrators, and legal advisors. HR facilitates the interaction between these committees and the various departments by:

1. Organizing Meetings: Scheduling and organizing credentialing committee meetings, ensuring all necessary documents and reports are prepared and available for review.

2. Communicating Decisions: Once decisions are made, HR communicates the outcomes to relevant parties, including the department heads and the applicants, and handles any follow-up actions required.

3. Maintaining Records: HR maintains detailed records of all committee proceedings and decisions, which is critical for audits and regulatory reviews.

Role of Legal and Compliance Teams

1. Regulatory Guidance: Legal and compliance teams provide essential guidance to ensure that the credentialing process adheres to state and federal laws. This includes navigating complex issues such as the scope of practice regulations and interstate licensing for telehealth services.

2. Risk Management: They assess potential risks in credentialing decisions, such as the implications of credentialing a provider with a complex malpractice history.

Enhancing Efficiency through Technology

To further streamline the credentialing process, many HR departments now leverage advanced credentialing software solutions that automate many tasks described above. These tools can handle document storage, expiration alerts, and automated verification checks, significantly reducing the manual labor involved and minimizing human error.

By integrating these roles and technologies, HR teams in hospitals can manage a more efficient and compliant credentialing process, ensuring that only qualified and suitable professionals are allowed to provide care. This not only enhances patient safety but also contributes to the overall operational efficiency of the hospital.

Overcoming Common Bottlenecks in Medical Credentialing

Despite meticulous planning and execution, bottlenecks can frequently occur in the medical credentialing process. These issues can delay credential approvals, affecting a healthcare organization's ability to onboard new providers efficiently. This section will delve deeper into troubleshooting common bottlenecks, such as dealing with incomplete applications or unresponsive educational institutions, providing advanced tips to resolve these issues effectively.

Handling Incomplete Applications

1. Proactive Communication: Implement a system of proactive communication with applicants. Set up automated reminders that notify providers about missing documents or information shortly after receiving their application. This can minimize delays and prevent applications from sitting incomplete for long periods.

2. Checklist and Templates: Provide applicants with a detailed checklist and templates for required documentation at the beginning of the application process. Clear instructions and examples of adequately filled documents can reduce the frequency of incomplete submissions.

3. Streamlined Submission Portal: Utilize a user-friendly online portal that guides applicants through each step of the submission process. The portal can be designed to allow submissions once all required sections are completed, ensuring that applications are only submitted once they are fully complete.

Dealing with Unresponsive Educational Institutions

1. Advance Planning: Request documentation as early as possible, ideally as soon as a new provider is hired or during the preliminary hiring stages. Early requests give educational institutions ample time to respond before the provider's start date.

2. Direct Contacts: Establish direct contacts within the administrative offices of major educational institutions that regularly verify. Having a go-to person can significantly speed up the process compared to standard request channels.

3. Utilizing Professional Verification Services: For persistently unresponsive institutions, consider hiring professional verification services that specialize in obtaining educational verifications and have established relationships with university and college administrations.

Leveraging Technology to Resolve Bottlenecks

1. Credentialing Software Solutions: Invest in advanced credentialing software that includes tracking features for each stage of the credentialing process. These features can alert you to bottlenecks in real-time, such as when verification has been pending for an unusually long time.

2. Data Analytics: Use data analytics tools to identify bottleneck patterns. Understanding whether certain documents or institutions are consistently problematic can help you prioritize where to focus your troubleshooting efforts.

3. Automation of Routine Follow-Ups: Automate the follow-up process with institutions and providers. Scheduled emails or messages can be sent automatically to remind parties of pending requests, reducing the manual effort required and ensuring consistent communication.

Establishing a Contingency Plan

Every system is flawed, and sometimes, despite all efforts, delays occur. Having a contingency plan in place is crucial. This might include having interim permissions for providers whose credentials are in the final stages of verification but are delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. This ensures that services are not disrupted and providers can begin contributing to their new roles under supervision until full credentials are verified.

Incorporating advanced troubleshooting strategies into your credentialing process minimizes delays and enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of your medical staff onboarding. By proactively addressing these common bottlenecks, healthcare organizations can maintain high care and operational excellence standards.

Optimal Steps to Expedite the Medical Credentialing Process

To make the medical credentialing process as efficient and quick as possible, healthcare organizations can adopt several strategic actions:

1. Start Early and Be Proactive: Begin the credentialing process well before the provider's intended start date. Starting early provides sufficient time to address any unexpected complications or delays. Additionally, setting specific deadlines for each phase of the credentialing process helps maintain momentum and keeps the process on track.
2. Maintain Organized Records: Use a systematic approach for document management by utilizing digital folders and maintaining a detailed checklist of all required documents, such as licenses, certifications, and proof of education. This organization speeds up the process and simplifies information retrieval when needed.
3. Leverage Technology: Employ credential management software with document storage, expiration alerts, and automated verification checks. Tools like CredentialStream or Modio Health can significantly reduce the manual labor in tracking and updating credential statuses, streamlining the entire process.
4. Regular Follow-Ups: Set up a routine to check in with both the credentialing bodies and the healthcare providers being credentialed. Regular communications ensure that requests for additional information or necessary corrections are handled promptly, avoiding delays.
5. Seek Professional Help: Consider engaging a professional credentialing service for complex credentialing scenarios or when expanding operations. These services are adept at navigating complex requirements and can often speed up the process due to their established relationships with primary source verifiers and insurance networks.

By implementing these steps, healthcare organizations can streamline their credentialing processes, reduce the time required to credential providers, and lessen the administrative load on staff, ultimately enhancing operational efficiency and accelerating the integration of healthcare providers into their new roles.

Team building games and activities are a good way for your team to get better at communication between themselves and also to increase their skills at problem solving. Not every activity works fine for all team members so it's important that you choose which ones makes more sense to the team.

Below you can find a list of 25 activities to choose from and all can have a fun twist in them:

1. Use What You Have
2. Back to Back Drawing
3. Silence
4. Turning Over A New Leaf
5. Created Economy
6. Watch Where You Step
7. Organizational Jenga
8. Pencil Drop
9. Dream Trip
10. Lily Pads
11. Blind Square
12. The Egg Drop
13. Geocache Adventure
14. This Is Better Than That
15. One Question
16. Three Truths And A Lie
17. Alaskan Baseball
18. Frostbite
19. Tire Pass
20. Human Knot
21. Idea Building Blocks
22. What's My Name
23. What Makes You Tick
24. What's On Your Desk
25. Classify This

Team Building Activity #1: Use What You Have

In this activity, you'll divide your team into groups with the same amount of members. You'll create a challenge that they'll need to complete within a specific amount of time. The challenge can be as complex as having them build a walking robot out of set of lego pieces or as simple as creating a paper airplane and the one that stays in the air for the most time wins.

After specifying the challenge and dividing the teams then you'll need to have a table with the supplies that they're allowed to use. Indicate that they can only use supplies available in the table and no other. Make sure they know how much time they have so they plan themselves and use some project management ideas. After they're done, then each team just have to show how they solved the problem and have some good fun with the reveal.

The purpose of the game is to have the groups collaborate between the members and do team work. It'll also help them learn about task and time management and how communication is essential during the start, execution and close of a project. It also has the fun factor in it about how the solution will look like and how to get to it with the limited amount of supplies on hand.

Team Building Activity #2: Back To Back Drawing

In this game you'll first divide your team in pairs. Then, they'll seat back to back. You'll give to one of the members of the team a picture of any kind. To the other person of the team, you'll give him a piece of paper and a pencil. The team member with the picture on hand must not show the other one the picture. Instead, they need to describe to the other what the picture looks like without using words that directly give away what's in it.

For example, one of the members in the team can have a picture of someone jumping from a plane with a parachute. That person must describe the other that scene without saying the words plane, parachute, jumping, etc. The other one tries his best to draw that picture with the clues given.

The purpose of the game is to promote communication. They'll notice how even if they're talking about the same thing, it's difficult sometimes to get the message across using words that come from one of the members perspective. Also shows how different is the interpretation of what's being said between the team members even though specific words are being used to describe the picture.

Team Building Activity #3: Silence

For this activity, one of the members of the group will do a presentation for the rest of the team. The presentation can be on any topic. The person doing the presentation will stand up in front of them, tell them about the topic and do a big build about it. After that, the speaker will go silence for at least 30 seconds.

During the 30 seconds the speaker can walk around the room looking at everyone or simply can keep looking at the presentation notes. After the 30 seconds have past, the speaker will ask everyone what they've learn. There's a high chance that the listening members will be all confused about what's going on. The answer to the question what did everyone learned is simple, nothing.

The purpose of the game is to show the importance of communication. If we stay quiet, without saying anything, our point of view and our ideas will never get noticed. Watching in silence how everything moves around will just keep things in status quo, the same as they were yesterday. After braking the silence, the participants in the presentation will feel relieved as they'll know that you aren't picking on them. They'll also see that, as you're doing the talk, you're also the one taking all the risk.

Team Building Activity #4: Turning Over A New Leaf

in this activity, you'll place a sheet of a carpet on the floor and then ask all the team members (or divide into groups if there are a lot) to step into the sheet in the floor. After they're on the sheet, they need to turn it over the other side without anyone stepping off the sheet and without carrying each other.

They'll need to figure out a plan and a strategy on how to move forward. If there are more than five members in a team, it'll be better to use some piece of carpet that can be better manipulated.

The purpose of the game is to have everyone in the team to figure out the plan on how to do it and also to collaborate in the final solution. They'll also need to be in constant communication on what step to follow next. At the end, every one in team will have put their own grain of salt to get to the solution.

Team Building Activity #5: Created Economy

In this game, team members will replicate a mini aspect of a society and create an artificial economy for it. Rules will need to be drafted around how the economy will work. Members of the team will need to get together, collaborate and get into an agreement of what the rules will look like.

Team members will need to come up with ideas on how their mini society will live, what they'll sell or manufacture, how it's going to be marketed and how the income received will be distributed among the members and what projects it'll be invested to keep the economy growing and healthy.

The purpose of the activity is to get everyone together and on board into a common goal of making things work. Also the collaboration for creating rules and how some team members are willing to follow them and how others will look for legal ways to circumvent them to get to their goals will show what team members are willing to do to get the job done. It also has components for project management, problems and how to approach them for finding a solution.

Team Building Activity #6: Watch Where You Step

For this game, you'll draw on the floor, using tape, a shape in the form of any polygon. It needs to be at least twelve feet long and seven feet wide. The shape needs to be in a form that allows people to get from one side to the other. Inside the shape you'll place some squeaky toys and you'll also place some paper sheets marked with an X. The papers with the X are land mines.

Then, at least two persons will enter the shape and try to make it to the end. They both will be blindfolded and the rest of the team members will try to guide them using only their voice. If any of the members step on a sheet with a land mine they'll become frozen. To unfroze them, the other team member must step on one of the squeaky toys. They cannot go outside the boundaries of the shape either and both need to make their way from start to finish.

The purpose of the game is to encourage communication between the team members and also the ability to trust one another. They'll also learn how to give guidance at the right time so the ones that are blindfolded can reach to the end.

Team Building Activity #7: Organizational Jenga

For this activity, you'll use an actual game of Jenga and mark the blocks depending to the hierarchy in your company like for example: some are the marketing department, some are the sales department and others HR. Some blocks will be shaped as managers and other as support staff. The marked blocks will reflect how your organization is structured (for example, 10% of the staff is marketing, 25% are sales, etc.).

Then, you'll divide the team into groups and give them the same amount of blocks. Then, you'll instruct them to build any kind of structure that they want or you can provide guidelines of what you want them to build and they must do it in a specific amount of time. When the time is up, you'll then inform them that they need to remove the Jenga blocks one at a time and, taking turns from the team, without destroying the structure. Don't tell them ahead of the game about this part.

If you have more time, you can repeat the excersise. This time, they'll find a better way to build the structure.

The purpose of the task is show how every department in the company is necessary to complete a task and how, if everyone isn't in place, everything can fall apart. Also allows the team members to visualize what teams (the blocks) are necessary and which aren't to create a structure that can be later deconstructed without falling apart.

Team Building Activity #8: Pencil Drop

For this activity, take a pencil and attach two pieces of string around the eraser part of the pencil. Divide your group into teams of two and tie one piece of the string around the waist of one of the team members and the other string around the waist of the other member.Then find a water bottle, a can of soda or any other type of recipient and have both members try to lower the pencil inside the bottle or can without using their hands.

The purpose of the game is for the team members to collaborate between the two and also to establish clear channels of communication to achieve a common goal.

Team Building Activity #9: Dream Trip

For this activity, you'll divide the group into teams of two. Then each member of the team will tell the other what they would do if they are offered a month of paid leave and an unlimited budget to travel anywhere they want.

Each will explain where they would go and if possible go a step further and do an itinarary of the things and places that they'll visit and do during the trip. After both team members are done, then one of them will explain what the other will do during their paid leave.

The purpose of the activity is that each team member gets to know the other and what are their ideals and motivation to work. It'll give each one a better understanding of their personalities and the chance to create better relationships.

Team Building Activity #10: Lily Pads

On this game, also called the river, the goal is for team members to cross a river a cross marked areas called lily pads. These lily pads can be a sheet of paper, cardboard, a plastic plate, etc. All participants most cross the rivers by stepping into the lily pads. The goal is for all of them to cross the river.

The rules are that none of the participants can step on the river, and if they do, there can be big consequences (everyone in the team must start over). At any moment in time a lily pad will stay without contact of the participants. There is no running or jumping into the lily pads.

The purpose of the activity is for the team members to have communication between one another about crossing the river and stepping into the lily pads. As the pads must always be in contact with the team members, they need to coordinate how to step in one and how two members must be in contact with it before moving forward. Even if there are various members on the team, all of them need to be synchronized toward the end goal as the one in the front cannot move until the ones on the back are ready and are stepping in the right direction.

Team Building Activity #11: Blind Square

In this activity you'll ask the team to gather together in a circle and to sit down. Each member of the team will then put on a blind fold. Then you'll provide them with a rope that is tied together on the ends and each member will hold it on their hands. Then you'll instruct them to form a perfect square with the rope on hands without removing the blind fold. After they believe they've formed the square, you'll ask them to remove the blind fold and see the results.

You can variate the game by asking a team member not to speak. As you increase the number of members that are muted the game becomes more challenging. You can also let the team to come up with a plan before going blind but they cannot talk when building the perfect square.

The purpose of the activity is to have the members to communicate with each other in order to reach the common goal of building that perfect square. If there isn't enough communication between then the results won't be the desired one. Also, as team members start to go mute, everyone will notice how much harder it becomes to reach the goal. As they cannot communicate, they basically don't know in which direction that person is going so the other team members are unable to correct the course on time.

Team Building Activity #12: The Egg Drop

For this one, you'll divide the group into two or more teams and let them build a package that would allow a raw egg to be drop into the floor from 10 feet high. The package can be made out of paper, duct tape or any other material you can find.

The teams will compete into creating a package that will stand the fall and not break the egg. If more than one team creates a successful package, then the one with the least amount of materials used wins. Like for example, the one that use the less duct tape or the less amount of sheet of papers.

The purpose of the game is for everyone to work as a team towards a common goal. It also forces the team to communicate with each other in an effort to create the package and use the less amount of materials.

Team Building Activity #13: Geocache Adventure

This game is much like the scanvenger hunt but it's done using a GPS device. The group is divided into teams of two or more and then they need to find a specific number of items that are hidden somewhere, for example, in a field. Then they'll use a GPS that will guide them into finding the items. The device basically indicates into what direction they need to go. There are also apps for most mobile phones that can also do the same as the device.

The team that finds all of the items or most of them wins the adventure.

The purpose of the game is to get the team to work together into finding the items. There's also some thinking and strategy that needs to be defined between the members of the team to find the item once they get close because the closer they are the harder it gets to find it. Also they need to be in agreement about the directions to take.

Team Building Activity #14: This Is Better Than That

For this activity, bring the team a set of four objects of the same type like for example four coffee mugs or four pair of socks. Then you'll write up an scenario that describes what the perfect item would look like. Although none of the objects are perfect, and because they're all different, one of them should be closer to perfection. Then you'll read the write up to the group and allow them to pick which one of the four objects is perfect for them.

The important part of the game is to make the scenario complex enough that picking the best of the objects is a difficult process.

The purpose of the game is get everyone talking and deciding which one of the objects is a better fit for the scenario. This is also directly related to any activity in which the team is working and they need to decide what is the best solution that applies to that project.

Team Building Activity #15: One Question

For this activity, you'll need to come up with an scenario for which a person will be chosen to. For example it can be for marriage, or specific project coming up, a product launch or president of a country. Then each member of the team needs to come up with one question that will determine if the person to be selected is the right one. Then at the end, all questions will be discussed and the best one selected.

The purpose of the game is to have everyone thinking what the best question is to be ask to this person. Then sharing the question with the other team members will help understand how others think and what are their priorities. This will also help on getting everyone to know their colleagues better.

Team Building Activity #16: Three Truths And A Lie

For this activity, you'll tell each team member to write in a piece of paper three truths and one lie. The one lie most be something that's believable. Then you'll ask each person to read their truths and lies in random order and the other team members must decide between themselves which one is the lie.

The purpose of the game is that each team member gets to know each other by speaking about personal things. This works good for the members of the team that generally are more quite and introverts and is really hard to know them better. They'll learn facts about themselves and about that lie that isn't related to them.

Team Building Activity #17: Alaskan Baseball

For this activity, you'll divide the group into two teams. Then, using a large fitness ball, a rubber chicken or any other rubber object, Team A throws the object as far as they can then Team B has to get it. After getting to the object, Team B will form a single file line and will start passing the object from start to the end starting at the front. The person in the front must pass it over their head, the second between the legs, then the third over the head again and so on. While this is happening, Team A is gathered around together while one of their team members runs around them. Every time he or she does a full circle, a run is scored.

After the object reaches the end of the line on Team B, the last one will yell STOP and throw the object as far as they can. Then Team A must go get it and form the single file line again. In the mean time, Team B will gather together and one team member will start running around to score runs. At the end, the team with most runs wins.

The purpose of the game is for the team to act together to pass the rubber object as soon as they can so the other team doesn't score that many runs. They need to work together and coordinate their movements. They also need to identify their abilities as for example, the one that throws the farthest will always be the last one in the line and the one that runs the fastest should be running around in circles to score runs making everything a team effort.

Team Building Activity #18: Frostbite

For this game, you'll divide the group into teams of five or six. Then everyone will pretend that they're in the artic and that they need to survive. They must elect a leader that will guide them through the process. But the leader is suffering from frostbite so the rest of the team members need to build a shelter in order to live. The team members must pretend that they're under a snow storm so they can't really see what's going on. For this, they'll have their eyes blindfolded. They'll need to listen to the leader for instructions on how to build the shelter.

The purpose of the activity is to listen for instructions clearly in order to get the goal. The leader must also practice management skills by assigning tasks and supervising the project and correcting as necessary. Getting everyone involve and, in the correct path, will make the team achieve their goal.

Team Building Activity #19: Tire Pass

For this game, you'll hang a tire from a branch or ceiling above five feet from the ground. Tie the tire to four other sides so it's completely secured and it doesn't move from it's place. You'll then instruct the team that they need to go through the center hole of the tire without touching the sides.

They must come up with their own strategy on how to get to the goal. If someone touches the sides of the tire, the entire group must start over. There should also be designated persons that will be in charge of crossing the first and the last person.

The purpose of the game is for the team to get together and come up with strategies to accomplish the goal. Communication will be vital between the one crossing the tire and the rest of the team so they can get through without touching the edges.

Team Building Activity #20: Human Knot

For this activity, you'll divide the group into teams. Sizes of the team must be at least 4 but can be 8 or 12. You'll instruct them to get together and form a circle. Then ask them to raise their right hand in the air and then grab the hand of anyone. Tell them to do the same thing but with the left hand.

Now that they're entangled, they must find a way to untangle themselves while still holding hands together. If they don't, then they have to start all over again.

The purpose of the game is to collaborate together in looking for a solution. It'll also need leadership as one member in the team must be at least looking after how they can all get untangled and figuring out what the next steps are.

Team Building Activity #21: Idea Building Blocks

For this activity, create a fictional problem. This can be of any kind and can be a riddle or very complex problem. You'll then ask the group to come up with a short solution to the problem (two or three sentences). When they're done, you'll then present the solution to the team.

You'll then ask them to the pass the idea to the team member on left and ask for a solution to the problem based on the idea. You can continue to do this for several rounds. At the end, you'll present the final result to everyone.

The purpose of the game is that everyone in the team have a chance to pitch in their idea to fix the problem. Sometimes in real life scenarios, when coming up for ideas to fix a problem, often the ones that are expressed by members of the team that have more dominant personalities are the ones taken into account while others just stay quiet when in fact their ideas might be even better. In the game, everyone gets a chance to express their own perspective on how to approach a solution for the problem.

Team Building Activity #22: What's My Name?

For this game, you'll get team members to write on a name tag the name of a person. This person can be anyone that is famous, a celebrity, a wealthy person, a homeless, a disabled person, etc. Then the members will place the name tag in the back of another team member so they can't see who they are but the rest of the group can see.

Then the team members will go around the room asking questions and answering others questions related to their names until they find out who they are. The questions and answers must be stereotypical to the name in the tag. After a member knows who they are, they'll leave the game and let others figure out their names.

The purpose of the game is to have the members confront each other with the stereotypes of the person they're tagged with bringing to light how we sometimes treat each others this way and also sometimes have narrowed views of another person. This activity is also good as an ice breaker for people that doesn't know each other.

Team Building Activity #23: What Makes You Tick

In this game, you'll get each team member to get to know others personalities so they can prevent clashes between themselves as they will know what makes them "ticked off". For this you use can personality test like DiSC or True Colors that will define a member's personality and will give them guidance on how to deal with another person's personality type. It would be even better if you can get a speaker to talk about the tests and the personality types.

The purpose of the game is to get to know the personalities of others. This will give each team member the necessary tools to deal with other members when reactions come into play. If they know how a person works best, they can determine for example what information or questions bring into a meeting so they can get the best results possible.

Team Building Activity: #24: What's On Your Desk

In this activity, you'll tell each team member to bring an item from their desk. Then, tell them that this is going to be a new product and they need to come up with a name, slogan, logo and a marketing plan to sell it. This can be done alone or in groups.

Then, they'll present to the group the product as if they were selling it. The presentation should be time limited, for example, two minutes. Then discuss all together what products were sold and why.

The purpose of the game is to come up with a plan on how to sell the product. The team comes together into figuring out how to sell it and how to approach a market. It also promotes teamwork as each one can bring something different to the table.

Team Building Activity #25: Classify This

For this one, you'll collect a number of items that are different from one another. This can be office supplies, toys, games, kitchen utensils, etc. You'll need around 20 objects for each group.

With the groups formed, have each one try to group the objects together into four different categories. They can come up with the categories they want but each object must belong to one. They'll write their grouping in a sheet of paper. After time is up, a spokesperson for the team will read their groupings and explain why they came up with that result.

The purpose of the game is to have an idea how each team member sees things differently and how one object can be group in different ways depending on the point of view of the person.

Thanks for reading!

Reminders are essential to the workflow of any business as every person is living on a very busy schedule and sometimes renewals and appointment dates slip and just pass by. Either if reminders are going to customer and clients or just to internal employees, these need to be written a way that promote the user to take action and also feel that help is being provided by receiving the reminder. This is even more important now as the communication channels are switching to be electronic (this is email or SMS messages) and adding a personal touch to them will go way further and achieve the final intention.

Below you can find some simple tips on how to make these emails even better:

Make them personal

Even if it's for a dental appointment, an upcoming surgery or an employee drivers license renewal, people are looking for ways to receive that information as if it was coming from a real person and not a machine. It makes a difference to just don't look excited or worried if they miss it, just transmit the information in a practical way.

Take for example this text for a friendly reminder:

Hey Joseph,

Writing just to let you know that your passport is coming for renewal on October 5th.

Please give me a quick reply if you need information on how to renew or where to get the forms. If you don't have time, let me know so we can help you with the paperwork.

Have a great day!

Now compare the previous message to this one: "Your passport will expire on October 5th. Please renew by the specified date. Thanks." It's pretty obvious the first one is more inviting and it really shows like it isn't coming from a computer.

Go directly to the point

Most of these reminders will be read when the employee or customer is doing other things like at work, meeting, having lunch, etc. so they may not be able to read a lot when getting the reminder

So make the best of it and try to get to the point as fast as possible when sending the reminder. Be specific about the dates and what is that is being reminded.

Include any items that might be beneficial to the employee or customer like steps to follow to renew the passport or what to do to confirm the appointment. Or if there's a special offer going on, you can include it in the reminder but just after you have stated what the email is about.

What information should be included

The information included in the reminder email is essential for customers and employees to remember what is they're being reminded about. Mostly on the side of appointments, people usually forget pretty quickly that they had one.

Useful information to include are:

• Time and dates: Clearly state the time and date for an appointment reminder if this is the case. For renewals, clearly show when is it up for expiration so the customer has a clear idea of how much time it has to go through the renewal process. It's also useful to include this kind of information for a second time at some other place in the reminder.
• Location: This is important so the user knows where to go in case of appointments. If you're a business with multiple locations this is even more important.
• Preparation: This is where you state what information is required from the employee or customer to actually do the process for which he or she is being reminded about. For medical appointments this can be for example to bring insurance documents or ID. For renewal reminders for example this can show what is the process that needs to be done to actually renew.

These tips will help you create friendly and useful reminders that your customers will actually enjoy and feel grateful. Remember most of them forget what needs to be done because of the busy live we all have. Remember to always add that personal touch so your reminders look genuine and that the real goal is just to keep them informed.

Every year there comes a time when you'll need to remind your users to renew their membership. It's important that you update this email or letter every year so you can provide your customers the most up to date information about your business. Remember this letter is critical to keep your members engaged and motivated to renew again. It's basically the most important reminder you'll send so you need to try to be as much personal as possible.

Below you can find some tips on how to write your membership renewal letter or email:

Be personal

Be as more personal as you can when writing that renewal letter or email. Being personal makes members feel that they have a connection and are an important part of the organization. It should also have a powerful message that makes them feel good about the value that the organization brings to their personal or professional life and it also reinforces the commitment the company has with it's members and why it needs their support.

One way of being personal is to think about how you'd like to be approach when receiving a renewal letter or email from the company. What aspects would make it feel more welcoming and that your members will also feel the same.

Custom message

This is also part of being personal but in this area you'll try to include information that is specific to the member. For example, you might categorize the membership level like for example: active, retired or student. You could reach your student members highlighting the benefits they get by being a member and you could include some kind of offer for all members in the retired category to encourage them to come back and renew.

If you also have other information about them like if they participated in a certain activity or used certain services that you offer, you could also include this in the reminder email so the customer again feels is coming with a personal touch and that they can get this same kind benefits during the next year if the renew.

Salutation is important

The introduction in your letter or email is one of the most important things as this is the first line your members will read. Try again here to as personal as possible. Avoid using "Dear member" or using "Mr. Ms. Mrs, etc" as most of the time this information isn't valid as it changes through time. A safe bet you can always use is "Dear [first name]". It's personal and it always works.

The benefits

The benefits is the most important part of the reminder letter or email. In this section you'll explain why the member should renew again with your organization and what are the benefits they get in their life for being part of the company. Be sure to outline which they are but don't make it too long either as some benefits might not apply to everyone.

One thing to also keep in mind is to focus on what the outcomes are of being a member. No only mention that they have access to the pool and the gym. You can mention that by renewing they'll be able to continue to stay fit by practising swimming and by running in the gym. Clearly states what it is they're getting out of the organization by staying as members and it'll make it easier for them to figure out why they signed up in the first place and how they'll continue to receive them by renewing.

The sense or urgency

After the welcoming and stating the benefits of renewing then you need to ask for the sale. You need to remind them that the next step now is to renew and how to do it. One tactic you can use to encourage the renewal faster is to include some kind of discount if they go ahead now and renew before a certain date. You can inform them that prices will increase after the expiration date.

Make it easy to renew

Now that they know that they need to renew, the next step is to provide them with the way to do it. If it's an email, the easiest way is to provide a link that drives the user to a page where they just enter their credit card information and their email and you just charge them. There are a number of ways you can do this automatically on Internet without having to incur in big costs. One way is to use Wufoo forms + Stripe payments to get every thing rolling.

You can find more information about this here

Automatic renewal

If you have customers enrolled in a process where they're automatically charged for the renewal fee, then at least try to send them a renewal notice or their renewal invoice so they know that they were charged. Also take the time to remind them about the benefits about staying as a member. Take the opportunity to connect with them and don't just charge them and continue with the next one.

Say thanks

Don't forget to says thanks at the end of your renewal email and for their valued support. You could mention future activities and events coming up in the organization that they could take advantage of. Also mention what you were able to accomplish with the funds you received from them during the past year.

Use the closing to offer a genuine thank you and try to personalize it with their name or same other information. Remember to keep that personal connection alive.

Job descriptions play a vital role in the recruitment process; they make it easier to attract talented and well qualified candidates. A good description clearly outlines various aspects, including key areas of responsibility, the requirements, qualifications and term of employment. This helps candidates evaluate the nature of the position and ranking order within the company. To understand how write a job description, it is important to avoid any exaggeration and to ensure that it does not contain any gender or age implications. Composing a description that stands out allows recruiters to compete favorably with other companies, particularly when seeking highly specialized talent. The write-up should not be vague or too descriptive. Recruiters need to use clear language that outlines the culture of the company. Bulleted lists make it easier for candidates to skim through various sections and identify key points. A vague outline may not inspire interest since it makes it difficult for prospective applicants to imagine themselves in the listed role. The writing style must embody the company's ethos. The job title needs to accurately define the work involved; it should also reflect the organization's culture and industry standards. A brief summary of the listed role provides a succinct overview of the main responsibilities. In the skills and qualifications section, it is crucial to list all mandatory qualifications in addition to supplementary or preferred credentials. Also list the required years of experience, technical proficiency and certifications.

The responsibilities section outlines essential functions associated with the listed position. Clearly spelling out the major tasks allows candidates to how much they will be performing certain roles (the duties are best represented as a percentage - filing 35 percent, data entry 65 percent). The company overview should provide sufficient details about the organization's goals, mission, brief history and industry. Location details are a vital component of any job description and they should be accompanied by information surrounding any travel associated with the position. The type of employment section is aimed at informing candidates about whether the position is part-time or full-time. Internships should indicate whether the position is unpaid or paid. The benefits and salary range is optional and can include a wide range of benefits, including vacations, 401(k), dental or medical insurance. Omitting the recruiter information section undercuts the purpose of the job posting. It is common for recruiters to forget including this vital information.

Human resources experts recommend avoiding the tendency to rely on the position's history to compile a good description. Recruiters should focus on the position's current needs as as well as long-term objectives. The outline should reflect some of the company's ongoing priorities. The tasks listed must combine into achievable responsibilities. This makes it easier to attract the right candidates. A job description is considered a legal document, hence the need to eliminate any reference to nationality, religion, disability, age, race or gender. The inclusion of working relationships and reporting lines in the description is a crucial aspect that helps ensure clarity. This allows candidates to gain much-need insight into the company's hierarchical structure and plays a key role when it comes to compliance issues. Describing the working relationships is aimed at ensuring that candidates understand the nature and size of departments in addition to levels of interaction. Incorporating a organizational chart is a practical way to outline relationships and reporting lines. The best way to indicate the applicable salary is to include a remuneration range as opposed to the precise amount. This allows for variations based on experience and education. A well-written job description can be used as a vital reference when disciplinary issues or disputes arise. Employers can use the description to measure performance over time.

The need for driving is increasing every day that goes by. Our growing population means that new kids are getting age ready to be able to drive and someone needs to be there to help them during the way. Another factor to take into account is that our society is build around roads and highways. If we want to get from one place to another, we'll be better by having a car of our than taking public transportation in some cases.

Also, in some states and provinces, drivers will get a discount from their insurance if they're able to demonstrate via a certificate that they've taken driving lessons from an official driving school. Even more, if the learner driving is under the age of 18, some of these states will require the user to go through a driving school program.

These and more other reasons are why starting a driving school business can be very lucrarive. Below you can find the a guide on what to take into account for opening a driving school.

Franchise or go on your own

There are multiple franchises available out there that allows you to start without having you to figure out things on your own. They will give you all the needed materials and processes but most of the times they charge a large fee. So shop around and ask before going in.

DMV certification and instructors

Contact your local to verify what are the local requirements to become a driving instructor. Every state have different laws so you should get familiar with them. If you're going to be an instructor, then most probably you'll need to pass an exam. With this also, you'll make sure the driving instructors have the required licenses to operate in your new business.

Business incorporation

Consider incorporating your business to protect your personal assets. This might need you setup the driving school as a limited liability corporation instead of a sole proprietor company. For this, you'll need register your name and register the company in your local state or province. For this you can contact a representative from SCORE, a nonprofit small business education resource or just contact an accountant that can guide you.

Create a business plan

The business plan isn't completly necessary but will give you an idea of the costs and everything you need to run the driving school. In the plan you'll acount for startup costs, incorporation, location, equipment and promotion. You should contact your local state for regulations related to starting up a driving school so you've an idea of how much money is needed to operate. For example, some states require to have a specific type of insurance for the vehicle with specific limits on property damage, bodily injury and death of a person.

Get a license from the DMV

This is the license that will allow to operate as an instructor in the school. Keep in mind that will also need this license even if you'll be hiring other instructors. The costs of the license can go up to $10,000.

Get a car or cars

Keep in mind to get the proper insurance for the vehicles and required signage for a student driver car. It is a good idea to install a secondary breake system and instructor perspective mirrors.

Write the lesson plan

Setup a practice area where there's minimal traffic and it's safe to students just starting out. You'll need to get certified DMV teaching materials that will serve as a guide to your students.

Promote your driving school

Get your business card and brochures ready to start promoting your business. Consider print, radio and Internet advertising. You can also try advertising in local schools and universities to get young students to know of your driving school.

Where can you find perfect managers? The best decision is to pick up someone from your current staff of employees. They’ll know your business better, so they can manage to provide a special type of leadership. Indeed, becoming a manager and working between the owner and the employees isn’t easy. Unfortunately, many small businesses do not give importance to training their employees for future management roles. If employees are good workers, then they can be promoted to take on tasks that are more challenging.

Plucking employees randomly and dropping them in directly to perform as managers isn’t right. You should begin with training them to become not just managers, but good managers. The basic approach is to consider their qualities for becoming good managers, and then provide them the opportunity to enhance those qualities.

To begin with training, you must always try creating a culture of learning on the part of the employee. By this, your employees will have an attitude where they will push themselves to perform at their best. Management is incomplete without a person’s bent towards training and always wanting the best method or technology to work better.

Train Your Employees in More Than Just a Specific Job

Training your employees for a specific job isn’t the right way; it is a short-term solution, because employees will become perfectly trained only for one specific job — but won’t learn anything more than those particular job requirements. Give them a chance to discover more than just their job.

Help Your Employees in Learning

Encourage your employee to learn something that isn’t immediately associated with their job, by creating a learning culture. Knowing how to learn is also a skill; a manager should have these skills, since they will face various situations that will need quick understanding and resolution.

No Need for Expensive Training

Providing training doesn’t have to mean a big expense. You can opt for an affordable training system, so outlining resourceful and low-cost methods can be used to encourage learning. In case you cannot offer an in-house training, provide incentives to your employees so that they learn themselves.

Support Time Management Systems

Managers should also be time managers, so help your employees in learning how they can use their time wisely. This will embed principles of time management in them, so when they’re managers, it will help.

Delegation

Ask your employees to learn how they can break their job into smaller responsibilities. By doing this, they’re learning to delegate time for themselves to become more productive. So, when they are managers, they will be able to easily delegate responsibilities to others.

Prioritization

Lend a hand to your employees in learning to discern the tasks that are important and should be done first. You can begin with prioritizing the tasks and explaining why you’ve arranged them in that manner for them. As time passes, allow them to prioritize those tasks by themselves.

Goal setting

Well, goals can be number-based or an overt time management system. Again, you start with setting some benchmarks for your employees and eventually allow them to make their own goals. In meetings, ask them about their daily or weekly goals that they’ve set and how they’re going to accomplish them.

Build Communication Skills

Help your employees to communicate more with your other staff employees before you ask them to manage everything. In spite of everything, communication is the key to success, once broken it can get you and your business into horrendous problems. You can ask your team to turn their meetings into some communication exercises and allow the employees to lead the entire meeting, or some part of it, by turns. You may accompany that communication meeting with a Slide Share presentation or TED talk as well. Having a suggestion box isn’t a bad idea, too; you can then feature one suggestion or question to discuss at each meeting. Let the employees get hold of real-world training with communication and encourage them so that they lead the entire discussion.

On the other hand, you, being the boss, should try to familiarize your employees with the company’s jargon. Keep in mind that industry terminology or jargon isn’t required just to make decisions. It’s a key factor to understanding what is happening in your business. Persuade your employees to use all the technical terms related to your business. This way, they will learn faster and make it a practise to use those words when they get promoted to the management section.

Encourage Leadership Practice

You cannot opt for a disaster recipe without encouraging leadership skills in your manager. Help your employees to view themselves as good leaders, despite their position in the company. Whether they work full time or part time, you can instill an understanding of leadership in them.

Reveal the Picture

Help your employees in understanding your business in a better way, because this is part of supporting their corporate skills, and an important aspect of leadership. Build a better attitude about an employee’s value. They can have a mindset that management does not want them to get the big picture, and so they just clock in at the office and do their jobs as assigned. This type of attitude won’t work for any type of a manager; they need to know their responsibilities as well. So, let them understand that they need to fit into the larger plan of action. Inform your employees about their goals and the kind of work they’ll be involved in. If you have part time employees, even they should know about your valuable plans and their place in that particular plan. If you make them see the big picture and where they actually fit, their attitude will change and they’ll see more than just a narrow picture of “that is not my work or job”. Instead, if possible, go out of your way and see that everything is understood well by your employees. By doing, this your employees will finally become management material.

Alternatively, try to assist them in understanding how success can really affect them and their lives. An employee always gets motivated when they have a pay-check in hand, so they will work more efficiently and diligently. After all, they’re at your company to work and get paid, right?

Any responsible employee will always want to see your business flourish, because if the business succeeds, they know they’ll succeed at the same time. They understand that getting paid isn’t the only motivation. So, they will strive hard to become part of the business and its success. On the other hand, an employee will also help your company grow by taking care of the lost sales, loss prevention, unsatisfied customers and all the daily things affecting the company.

The most excellent technique to teach employees to value how success can affect them is to reward them when your business achieves a successful milestone. From a small catered party after any huge sale to an increase in pay as soon as goals are reached, directly collecting the benefits of the success of your business motivates them to work more. If you and your business rely entirely on the employees, not giving rewards will definitely dishearten them completely.

The conclusion is, whether you have a service, retail or staffed business, all these techniques should be carried out. A mindset alone won’t make a responsible manager. You’ll have to give your employees a chance where they are able to build their management skills and practises before they actually sit on the managerial chair. In the process of following all the above guidelines, you will very easily make out which employee is truly capable of being an awesome manager. Fundamentally, you’re seeing them employ their skills and knowledge in the “sandbox”, prior to their actual need. Training your employees isn’t an easy job, so make sure you’re determined so that you can reap the rewards in your business in the future.

Your top performers jumping board? Your competitors hogging them? Don’t worry. There are a number of things you can do to keep your employees from switching to the competition. The million dollar question would be, are you willing to go the extra mile to keep your employees from moving out?

Most companies refuse to acknowledge the fact that employees today no longer feel restricted to be part of an organization that doesn’t help them grow or move on to their desired career path. Companies also refuse to acknowledge that employees today are empowered with knowledge, accessibility to education, and plenty of opportunities to build their skills. If you’ve taken your employees for granted, it’s high-time you change the professional landscape or you could risk having your best talents doing wonders for your competitors.

On the other hand, some companies will blatantly go ahead and prevent their employees from joining competitors by bad-mouthing about them, spreading lies and gossips or by using some form of implicit threats to make the employee stay. Some may even burn bridges, cut down on benefits, cause unnecessary delays in providing experience or reference letters and go on to spread false information simply because they are mad at the employee for joining hands with the enemy. In the end, these companies don’t realize the damage they are causing to their own brand and the leverage they are providing competitors. Your employees are your asset and letting your best employees go to your competitors is like literally handing over the secrets, the strengths, and the weaknesses of your organization. And if you happen to have an attitude like this, you’re not earning a very reputable name out there in the market.

Note though that you can’t stop your employees from leaving your workplace or joining your competitor. What you can do is to try to develop your company culture in such a way that they would not want to leave in the first place. You may feel reluctant to take a step in rearranging your environment and may be tempted to display corporate ego, which implies that companies don’t need employees, employees need companies. But in this day and age, is it really true that employees need companies or full-time jobs? Not really. The Internet has empowered millions of people with the ability to earn their own bread and butter and so if you don’t respect your employees, they may either join your competitors OR they may become your competitor. Don’t want that to happen? Here are a few things you could do to prevent your employees from joining your competitors.

Create a Workplace Culture Your Employees Will Fall in Love With

Employees don’t often look for more money when they jump ship. They are basically looking for a positive culture, a place where they are loved and appreciated for who they are and what they bring to the table. Companies that have flexible work schedules, organized hierarchy, pathways for growth, responsible management, and a productive work environment see a high retention rate. Comparatively, companies with a toxic environment see a high turnover rate. If your company has a high turnover rate, it’s time you re-evaluate your organization. Remember, pushing people too hard, playing workplace politics (or allowing it), or creating a controlled work environment will not work to your benefit. Successful companies create rules and boundaries, but they also allow their employees a productive, happy, and relaxed work environment. Create a culture your employees will fall in love with and they’ll never leave.

Treat Your Employees as Partners

Treat your employees as your partners. Allow them to provide input, to share insights, to help you steer the company’s direction. Allow them to be your partner in strategy, in direction, in accomplishments, and in rewards. Show that you trust them and train them to be accountable. Employees often leave a place to gain more exposure, more responsibility, more challenges, and perhaps more growth. Identify your best talents and figure out what they want on their career graph. Provide them with opportunities to explore their core skills, to use their strengths, and to have the kind of experience that would make them proud. Don’t treat your employees as mere payroll numbers, but reward them with profit shares, bonuses, compensations or any other valuable incentive that your competitors may not be able to provide - which leads us to the next point.

Know Your Competitors like the Back of Your Hand

You have to know your competitors well in order to modify your environment. Be ten steps ahead of your competitors. Have information about their value, their environment, the kind of people they are looking for and the incentives they offer. Of course, you are not to use this information to create false news or spread gossip; instead, it is for you to be able to modify your company culture. So for example, if you know your competitors have a brutal late-hour culture, begin offering your employees flexible work schedules. If you know they have a penchant for overworking their employees, begin offering work from home opportunities. If you know they don’t have any bonus or reward system, begin offering quarterly bonuses. These little changes go a long way in keeping your best employees working for you. Know that it’s not always about the high salary, so if you haven’t been awarding them with these minor incentives, begin now.

Practice and Encourage Modern-Age Leadership

Gone are the days of authoritative and directive leadership. If you’re still a manager or a leader who believes in micromanaging, creating a controlled environment or pressuring your employees into becoming next-gen workaholics, you’re actually driving away your best employees. Millions of people across the globe jump ship simply because of their manager or their boss. All of them cite the age-old problems - controlling bosses, chaotic environment, favoritism, nepotism, no work-life balance, pushing people too hard and so on. In fact, leaders like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk are famous for their brutal workforce strategy, but these guys get away with it because of their brand name. If you’re not Apple, Google, Facebook or Tesla, you might want to change your leadership strategy and understand that your employees cannot thrive if you don’t practice modern-age leadership. Leadership today is not about micromanaging, but about instilling accountability. It’s not about imposition, but about training and mentorship. It’s not about success, but about tolerating and learning from failure.

Provide Employees with Flexibility and Non-Monetary Incentives

Your employees are human beings with needs. They have kids, they have dental appointments, they have mental breakdowns, they have vacations, they have days where they simply can’t get out of bed. The same applies to you. Treat your employees with empathy and provide them with the flexibility that they need to balance their life and their job. Provide them with non-monetary incentives such as a workplace with leisure activities and amenities, a gym membership, a yoga-membership - anything that shows you care for their well-being and their health. Provide them with paid vacations for achieving a big milestone. Arrange for quarterly parties, lunch, birthday celebrations and so on. Create a culture that thrives on celebrating the effort and contribution of your employees and watch as they stand by you through thick and thin.

Employees are not the greedy, needy people the way companies want to portray them. Employees are smart, talented people who choose to work hard to fulfill someone else’s dreams because they need to pay bills. Employees are people who look forward to creating meaning out of their life and their jobs. Sure you can’t please everyone, but you can do your best to ensure that your workplace is considered as one of the best amongst all your competitors. You should strive to create a workplace that people would dream to work at and would think ten times over before they leave. And guess what? It’s never difficult to create a dream workplace. All you need is empathy, ethics, and a balanced approach where you don’t sacrifice people for success and profit.