The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

HOW CAN I HELP MY TEAM MEMBERS GROW PROFESSIONALLY?

Several years ago, a consulting client of mine called to ask me that question. She felt that her team was stuck in neutral, doing a passable job, providing quality care for patients, but without enthusiasm or satisfaction in their daily work.

She said something to the effect of, "I want a bullet point list of ideas I can use to stimulate my team, to recapture the fun and excitement we felt when the practice was just beginning and we were all much younger." She added, "Please don't tell me to read this or that book or to attend this or that seminar. Just tell me now, in as few words as possible, what can I do to rekindle the enjoyment we used to feel in our office?"

So I came up with the following list, on the spot, at that moment. She has told me several times since that initial conversation that implementing this set of concepts has rejuvenated the zeal, the "Let’s do this together!" attitude that had faded from her team.

1. Be clear in your expectations. Your staff members are not mind-readers. They need to hear you articulate a description of the office ambiance as you choose it to be. Furthermore, they need to understand what you expect from each of them individually to assure top-quality patient care and full office productivity.
2. Work with your team as a wise coach works with a sports team. Teach, challenge, and encourage your team members, rather than critiquing, deriding, and demonstrating frustration.
3. Provide frequent opportunities for CE and new skill development. Use a few minutes of each staff meeting as a tutorial time to teach and to train or retrain. Think about the constant training our military forces undergo. Transfer that concept to your dental office so that training, learning, skill growth, and pride in achievement become a constant.
4. Express appreciation to your team members, loudly and frequently. From frequent expressions of gratitude to bonuses based on a share of practice profits, expressing your appreciation for the efforts of your staff cannot be overemphasized as an absolute necessity for well-oiled, successful teams.
5. Choose to have a positive attitude as you walk into the office each morning. Realize that you, the doctor, set the atmosphere of the office on a daily basis. Over the years, many dental office teams have told me, "We can tell what kind of day we're going to have by the way our doctor enters the building in the morning." That's a heavy responsibility, but a positive attitude is an invaluable contribution to the enthusiasm and pure enjoyment your team will sense and display to patients.

Be sure to check out our Free Resources for Your Practice for additional insights, information, and practice management tips.