Dental practices, like most companies, operate on a set of policies and operating procedures which include mandated vacation days, fixed working hours and annual performance reviews.
But what happens when the practice looks less to control and more to trust?
According to Patty McCord, the iconic former chief talent officer at Netflix, corporate culture has changed, and today’s employees don’t respond well to a top-down management approach. In her TED presentation, she offers some tips to help you adapt.
- Always remember, your employees are adults. The layers of processes and rules designed to keep employees in place too often create systems that treat people like children. And they are not. Fully formed adults walk in the door every single day. They have rent payments, they have obligations, they are members of society who want to make a difference in the world. Start with the assumption that everybody comes to work to do an amazing job; you will be surprised at the results.
- The job of the dentist is to build great a great team, not control people. Build a great team and you will soon see the results. Profitability will rise. Patients will be seen on time and leave happy. Those are the metrics that really matter. Consider the big picture before you grill your staff over the small stuff: “Did you come to work on time?” “Did you meet your production target?” “Did you follow the rules?” “Did you ask for permission?”
- Trust that everyone in your practice will be able to handle the truth. When you give feedback, think about it as telling people the truth about what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong. And remember, feedback is more effective when delivered in the moment.
- Your practice needs to live out its values. And the best way to foster sound values in your team, is to set an example and live them yourself. Attend every meeting, including the morning huddle, connect with your team at every occasion. Be authentic. Take full responsibility for anything that goes wrong in the practice. That’s what great leaders do!
- Every practice needs to be excited about and open to change. Beware of the smoke of nostalgia. If you find yourself saying, “Remember the way it used to be?” – shift your thinking to say, “Think about the way it’s going to be.” There have never been such amazing opportunities in dentistry. It is an exciting world out there, and it is changing all the time. The more you embrace change, the more fun you are going to have.
