Written by: Roger P. Levin, DDS
There is a literal mountain of literature on how to improve yourself. Over one thousand books come out every year. Many of them have excellent points, but they tend to focus simply on improving oneself. But what if you are seeking to improve the lives of a group—namely, your dental team? Can you really lead your team to improve?
I believe that any of us can become better leaders if we study leadership and leadership principles. I also believe that leadership is situational, in that one style of leadership might work in one situation and not another. My favorite example is that a good dentist leader during a strong economy—when things are easy—might not be as good a dentist leader in a challenging economy, where people are much more careful about accepting treatment.
Building the World-Class Team
I have no doubt that the first step in building a world-class dental team is for the leader to work on the leader. Here is the thesis:
If you can only improve team performance so much by simply giving new skills, what is the best option to build a world-class team? The answer is for the leader to improve dramatically, and as the leader improves, the team will improve as well.
Here are several leadership skills, concepts, and steps any dentist can take immediately:
1. Build a positive culture starting with the dentist
You cannot mandate a positive culture. You cannot force team members to behave in a positive manner in the practice. You have to lead it. You must arrive at the practice every single day with more positive energy and enthusiasm than the previous day. If you take this step and no one on the team says something like, “You seem to be in such a good mood today,” then you haven’t gone far enough.
2. Implement the best possible proven systems
Dental practice management is actually simple. You develop or access proven, highly efficient systems and teach them to the team. The team learns them and follows them. All systems have measurements and results that the team understands and can work toward. Practices need a different type of dentist leader who can improve his or her performance by implementing the best systems for today. As the wonderful saying goes, the results you are getting today are because of the systems you had yesterday.
3. Communicate, communicate, communicate
Often referred to as the three Cs of communication, leaders must communicate with fervor. Here’s how:
- Start conversations with a topic sentence.
- Then explain the key theory behind what they are about to say.
- Make very specific requests and explain the “why” behind each.
- State what outcome is expected.
- Be open to questions and feedback so people feel comfortable and confident.
This style of communication allows the team to know exactly what is expected, and they will not be confused. They can carry out exactly what has been communicated. Communication for dentist leaders is critical, and there is no such thing as a great dentist leader who builds a world-class team without communicating well.
4. The dentist must demonstrate caring about the team
The more the team believes that the dentist cares about them, the harder they work, the more focused they will be on great results, and the higher level of pride they hold in the practice. Team members do not want to disappoint a dentist who they believe really cares about them.
The key is to demonstrate caring. Ask questions every day about how people are doing. Recognize a job well done. Tell people that you appreciate them and the work they do. Say “thank you” all day long. Put in bonus systems to reward the team when the practice performs well. Dentists often state that their team is like their family. Treat them that way.
Dentists have not been trained in leadership. They do not realize that you can only push a team so far by giving them new skills. The key to building a world-class team is for the leader (meaning the dentist) to continue to improve his or her own performance. A positive attitude, excellent time management, complimenting and recognizing people, and demonstrating caring all go to the heart of building a world-class team. The most amazing thing is—you can do it in about a year. The earlier you do it, the longer you will benefit from incredible results.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the CEO and Founder of Levin Group, a leading practice management consulting firm that has worked with over 30,000 clients to increase production. A recognized expert on dental practice management and marketing, he has written more than 60 books and over 4,000 articles and regularly presents seminars in the U.S. and around the world.
To contact Dr. Levin or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit www.levingroup.com.
