Some Team Members Only Shine When They Step Into A New Environment
There’s a powerful truth that every podiatry business owner needs to hear:
“Some people don’t appreciate someone’s value, contributions, or potential until they see them succeeding or being celebrated in a different environment.”
Most podiatry businesses don’t lose team members because of money. They lose them because their value wasn’t recognised.
TAKE A LOOK AT MY UPCOMING EVENTS
And here’s the uncomfortable part:
Sometimes the person overlooking their talent… is the clinic owner.
Are You Taking Your Best People for Granted?
When someone has worked with you for years, it’s easy to focus on their weaknesses instead of their strengths. You become familiar with their quirks, their habits, and the small mistakes, and you forget just how good they really are.
You stop noticing the:
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patients who specifically ask for them
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way they calm anxious people
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clinical excellence they deliver daily
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extra effort they put in without being asked
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loyalty they’ve shown your business
Meanwhile, new environments see them with fresh eyes.
They are noticed by other business owners at conferences and workshops.
Suddenly they’re praised, noticed, appreciated… and valued.
Not because they changed, but because someone finally saw them.
Most Staff Don’t Leave Because They’re Unhappy, They Leave Because They’re Unseen
As a clinic owner, the greatest risk isn’t losing a bad team member. It’s losing a great one… simply because you got too comfortable.
People thrive where they’re valued.
And they drift away from places where their contribution is overlooked.
If you’re not regularly acknowledging your team’s strengths, publicly and privately, you create the perfect conditions for another clinic to swoop in and benefit from the talent you helped develop.
A Simple Leadership Question
Before you assume your team is “fine,” ask yourself:
Have I actually told them? Have I shown them? Have I recognised them?
Because appreciation isn’t silent. If they can’t feel it, it doesn’t exist.
Your Clinic’s Success Depends on Keeping Good People
Retention is a leadership skill.
Culture is a competitive advantage. And appreciation is one of the most powerful retention tools you have.
Give praise, when and wherever you can.
Celebrate wins publicly.
Acknowledge effort.
Be like a CIA recruiter and spot potential early and build on it.
Call out strengths regularly.
Please don’t wait until a team member leaves for another clinic, wins an award, or gets recognised elsewhere for you to realise how good they actually were.
If You Want a Stronger Team, Start With Stronger Leadership
If you’d like help building a clinic culture where people feel valued, supported, and motivated to grow, please reach out.
I work with podiatrists every day to improve their leadership, retain great staff, and build practices people don’t want to leave.
Leadership isn’t just about strategy; it’s about seeing the gold in the people already standing in front of you.
Below is a link to my online calendar.
You can schedule a free 30-minute Zoom call with me to discuss any aspect of podiatry. You may have business questions or need career advice; regardless, I’m here to help where I can.