How can you do more than less? It starts with simplification. Aeronautical and systems engineer Kelly Johnson, considered American’s best-known aircraft designer, is cited as the originator of the KISS principle. “Systems work best if they are simple,” he said. This principle is best exemplified by the story of Johnson and a team of design engineers. The challenge? The jet aircraft they were designing must be repairable by an average mechanic in the field under combat conditions with only a handful of tools. (Wikipedia - KISS Principle).
Why do dentists over complicate things? I don’t have the answer. I’ve known docs to make sitting down complicated. The actual dentistry is supposed to be the easy part. If you have ever heard your staff say, “there’s too much to do”, or you’ve told yourself, “there’s just not enough hours in the day,” then it’s time to get a handle on your practice and remove the pandemonium.
https://www.slideshare.net/siegelgalebranding/nm-arch-webinar-jun2015-v4
What is simple? It’s supposed to be doing dentistry, right? I mean that is what you spent all that money and all those years preparing yourself to do. I have a challenge for you doctor. Remove everything and pretend it’s you and the typodont. You get to focus on what you do best - dentistry. Wouldn’t that be great? Before you read any further, you have to believe this to be true.
What is complicated? Business ownership. The moment you have to remove yourself from your art, it gets complicated.
What is complex? Now, factor in hiring staff and actually running a practice.
What is chaos? Chaos happens when the complicated and the complex compromise the simple - and simple is doing dentistry. I can’t let you forget about that!
In Fronetics’s blog post on October 19, 2017, the author shares, “The average company loses 25% of its productivity to organizational drag, processes that waste time and prevent things from getting done.” In a dental practice, it’s over 50%. Ask me how I know.
Guess what, everybody? It’s Chaos Prevention Month (well, not officially..but it should be!). And what’s one of the best ways to control Chaos? Implement Lean principles! Do more with less. Start small if you need to. Look around: do you really need 4 different types of bonding agents? Pick one. Then do it again with something else. Eliminate waste and breathe! That sounds simple, doesn’t it? Simple systems are the key to empowerment, standardization is the key to continual improvement. Applying lean principles to your practice takes time, but the rewards will last. You can always give us a shout if you need help. That’s what we’re here for! We’re the experts after all.
Reboot Practice Productivity Training is the key to eliminating chaos. When you are ready to get serious about taking your practice to the next level - maximize what you have and reduce the waste, called chaos, you need to call us. Simplification is a great way to start. We know your struggles when you can’t see them. This is what we do.
Expect life-changing results. Whether you are hearing this for the first time or you’ve heard me say it before, “short term pain for long term rewards.” Well, I meant it! It’s stupidly simple!
- Katie Russel, “Investing in Your Employees Can Increase Productivity, Wages, Time and Energy,” Fronetics (blog), October 19, 2017, https://www.fronetics.com/investing-in-your-employees-can-increase-productivity-wages-time-and-energy/
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