Dr. Hayes Blog

Jerry Hayes, OD presents a variety of tips and tactics designed to
bring more dollars to your bottom line. You are invited to
comment on the topics we cover.

Sponsored by Red Tray Purchasing Alliance and HMI Buying Group.


Article Archives


 Advanced search


Staff Meetings: In One Ear And Out The Other

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/27/2010 - 10:09 am

Have you ever had the experience of telling your staff how, when or where to do something, only to have the instructions misunderstood or totally ignored?

Of course! We all have. 

Use The Mirror Technique To Be Heard




Staff Meetings: How Often Should You Have Them?

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/27/2010 - 9:35 am

Assuming that you are a working owner who is actively involved in the day-to-day management of your eyecare practice, I think you need to meet with every staff member at least once a week.

That may sound like a lot. But it’s not. That’s particularly true for newer employees who need your guidance and feedback.

The exception might be if you have ten or more employees. In that case, you can delegate some of the meetings to a full time office manager. 

But, for the typical practice with one to nine non-OD staff members, I think meeting once a week is about right.




Why Is drhayesblog.com Now Password Protected?

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/25/2010 - 11:44 am

Dear Jerry,

I love the blog. But, I don't like having to sign in with a username and password each time I want to read your blog. What gives?

From Several Doctors

Dear Readers,

I do understand and regret any inconvenience related to having to sign up for drhayesblog.com. 

I decided to password protect drhayesblog.com for no other reason than to protect your confidentiality. That allows us




Your Practice Brand: Don’t Name Your Practice One Thing And Call It Another.

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/21/2010 - 2:23 pm

It’s a mistake to name your practice one thing and call it another.

This happens a surprising amount. It’s like the kid whose real name is James, but everybody calls him Buddy.

If the name on your exterior sign, front door, letterhead and business card all read River City Eye Center, your receptionist should not answer the phone “Thank you for calling Dr. Hayes’ office”.




Your Practice Brand: Create A Consistent Look And Feel

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/20/2010 - 12:52 pm

The lack of a consistent look and feel is perhaps the single biggest mistake made by ODs who design their own educational and advertising pieces.

By that, I mean all your printed materials should have




Your Practice Brand: The Importance Of A Good-Looking Logo and Stationery

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/19/2010 - 10:03 am

If you don’t have a professional looking logo for your practice, you need one. A logo is the visual anchor that holds all your marketing, advertising and communications pieces together. 

Think Starbucks, IBM or Nike. Just the thought of any of those logos instantly brings to mind




Frequency Of Staff Reviews: Quarterly Vs. Annually

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/14/2010 - 8:43 am

Dear Dr. Hayes,

I agree with your advice on staff evaluations but, would go even further and recommend quarterly performance reviews. 

I started out with traditional annual reviews and felt it just took us too long to improve our staff. If they know what goals they need to work on and what is expected of them regularly, there will be less stress on both of you.

In my practice, quarterly reviews literally take about 5 minutes unless we have a problem employee.




How To Make The Staff Performance Evaluation Process Less Stressful

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/11/2010 - 11:30 am

Dear Jerry,

What are your suggestions for how to make the staff performance evaluation process less stressful for my staff and me?

Dr. Sommers

Dear Dr. Sommers,

It’s a great question! Particularly for practice owners doing it for the first time or ones with problem employees. Here are some points to consider.




Sample Staff Performance Appraisal Form

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/6/2010 - 4:05 pm

Here are my suggestions for doing written performance appraisals in your practice.

Be low-key and give your staff some advance warning. Let them warm up to the idea that you are ‘trying something new.’

If you have never done performance appraisals in your practice, one way to ease into them is to let employees use your version of the form below to evaluate themselves and then compare their self-appraisal with yours in a day or two. 

Keep all discussions private and confidential. 

If you have a small staff, which means you serve as your own office manager, the appraisal should be




Using Performance Appraisals To Improve Staff Productivity

By Jerry Hayes OD | 1/4/2010 - 11:42 am

According to Tom Peters, well-known management guru and author of the mega hit, In Search Of Excellence, the key to improving staff productivity is:

a) Money
b) Praise
c) Fear
d) None of the Above

According to Tom, the answer is d — None of the Above.

He says the number one motivator of people is