Why Dental Practice Success Can’t Be Bought: You Have to Build It

It’s too easy to throw money at problems. Money actually creates more problems rather than solving them. It dulls thinking and blocks creativity. Take for instance that sterile tech you were forced to hire because you were sick of hearing your dental assistant come up with reasons why they don’t have the operatory set up correctly or your dental hygienist didn’t get their full 60 minutes for lunch. You hired someone to do a task without taking a hard look at the task itself. Your staff will find every excuse in the book as to reasons why things can’t change. It’s not because they disrespect you (maybe) but rather because they’re afraid of it. 

EMPOWER YOUR TEAM

What if you gave them an assignment? What if you asked those same staff members (full of excuses) to come up with a better system for sterilization without hiring someone else? They had to work as a team, each with their own assignment and present the solution in one week. Who will accept the challenge? Anyone who doesn’t jump at the chance... can find another place to work (in my opinion). How would that kind of thing be received in your practice? I can think of a few core values that would apply to this kind of challenge: Accountability, Teamwork, Efficiency, Innovation, Creativity, Motivation, Positivity. 

Your team was motivated to make a change, and you empowered them to come up with a solution. Leadership is about motivation. It is much easier to grow a dental practice when you have an “all in” team. Staff cohesion is a critical component of a high-performance practice. You cannot grow your practice alone. The results are in the numbers. 

“Just Say No To Major Distractions”

Don’t do more of the same thing. You need a new approach. Set everyone up for success by defining your practice game plan, their role, and what happens when they win. Your practice goals should be aligned with individual goals. Focus on attaining goals versus incentives. We use Heart Charts™ to keep this on track.

Heart Charts are a way to show people a path to growth, clearly outline expectations, and keep them accountable. You need to lay them out! Have them displayed loud and proud. You need clear, transparent, group-oriented systems for sustainable, scalable, repeatable staff improvement - growth ladders 

….and always, do dentistry and lead by example. 

For help on how to set your practice up for success and help you attain your practice goals while growing your people, schedule a meeting! But you might want to hurry - as practices are emerging from COVID shut-downs, an increased number of dentists have invested in Efficiency Training, and availability is limited.