■ Accounting , Banking & Law
Continued From Page 36 enough in inventory prior to receiving his PPP loan . But now he ’ s helping keep spirits high , too .
TD Bank By Dan Croft , Head of Healthcare Practice Solutions Group ( HPSG )
TD Bank ’ s HPSG is working closely with our customers to help them navigate the challenges associated with COVID‐19 . Specifically , at the start of the pandemic , we offered our customers financial relief through loan payment deferrals and the SBA ’ s Paycheck Protection Program ( PPP ), as TD was one of the top six PPP lenders nationwide . Although many of our dental , optometry and medical customers were forced to close or only allow emergency procedures from mid-March to mid-May or early June , as a trusted advisor , we helped them prepare to pivot and transform their operations once they were able to fully reopen . This included considerations like increased customer communications , safety and sterilization protocol , implementing contactless check-in and payment processes , rescheduling appointments and rehiring staff . We developed a HPSG COVID‐19 Questionnaire to help practice owners think through their COVID‐19 rebound strategy . This questionnaire allowed practices to feel confident they had a winning COVID‐19 strategic plan in place for fully reopening and ensuring that patients were prioritizing visiting their office once again . Practice owners who were in the middle of buying , selling or expanding their practice when the pandemic hit were able to use this questionnaire to allow us to continue to support them and close on their business loans .
Continued On Page 40
Getty Images / iStockphoto
We all want to be liked and have a lot of friends . Yet , when it comes to real leadership , the desire to be popular and overly friendly can get in the way . Following are some tips for remaining focused on your responsibilities as a leader without getting caught up in a popularity contest :
Don ’ t be afraid to make tough decisions . Go out of your way to seek opportunities to make tough decisions so it ’ s clear to your team that it is more important for you to be a leader than to be well liked .
Set a goal and work backward from there . If you want to meet a specific deadline on a project , for example , press employees to keep their eye on the ball until that goal is reached . Limit the water cooler banter while working on the project and when the job is done .
Keep socializing to specific situations . This could include lunch or after work , or , in a COVID-19 world , virtual cocktail hours . Invite employees to be social with you only at certain times , rather than making the workplace into a social gathering .
Don ’ t hold back . When it comes time to review an employee , use that time to be honest and constructive in your criticism . To not do so is cheating the employee and the organization .
Don ’ t try to be a stand-up comic . There is a fine line between being funny and being crude . Use caution when joking with employees . It is up to you as the leader to maintain a level of professionalism within the organization without being a stiff .
Steve Adubato , PhD , is the author of five books including his latest , " Lessons in Leadership ". He is an Emmy ® Award-winning anchor with programs airing on Thirteen / WNET ( PBS ) and NJTV ( PBS ) who has appeared on CNN , FOX News and NBC ' s Today Show . Steve Adubato ' s " Lessons in Leadership " video podcast with co-host Mary Gamba airs Sundays at 10:00 a . m . on News 12 +. For more information visit www . Stand-Deliver . com