You can’t fake passion. Authenticity. Genuine caring. Nope, it’s not possible.
You also can’t fake focus and attentiveness.
There is nothing more powerful than actually looking into your patients’ eyes and listening. Hearing what they say and engaging them in emotional and intimate dialogue about their mouth and the way it matters to their health, happiness, and life.
This is expected from the doctor, it’s magical when it comes from the team.
If there was one thing above all others that will change the culture of your practice it is the time and attention your team genuinely invests into the engagement of your patients.
This is why we say every patient matters and every visit counts.
Again, this is something you can’t fake.
This past weekend my brother and our wives retreated to the mountains…Asheville, North Carolina to the Biltmore Estate to relax, recharge, and refocus for the upcoming new year.
It’s incredible. Beyond words really if you just allow yourself to be consumed by the grandness of the home, the estate, the nature, the scenery, and everything that is a majestic experience in the hills of North Carolina.
We do this every quarter; somewhere to get out of the mix and really assess where things are, where things are going, and clear out the clutter to make decisions to stay ahead of the year.
I expect and insist that my clients do this with their teams every 3-4 months and I would highly highly highly recommend you visiting the Biltmore for a Team Field Trip at some point to escape.
Without question you must be assessing where you are and where you want to go and you can’t do it in an evening, on a weekend morning, or just by taking a break – you really have to get away to do this.
The reason I’m talking to you about this today is not about the concept of the retreat or even the amazing nature, rather the first few sentences I have brought up here.
Every single person… every-person… amongst more than 2,000 employees who work onsite in some capacity or another on the Biltmore Estate were so welcoming, so happy, so interested in the guests, and above all else (and the thing that impressed me more than anything else) that every Team Member was educated, bought into, and a proponent of the history and purpose of the Vanderbilt Estate.
They were not just committed people working a job. They were passionate, convicted people who didn’t want to be anywhere else, they were part of the experience. And that is what makes the culture of any organization.
Do you see the impact?
Always smiling, always talking, always participating in the guests’ experiences and interacting with them in a way that makes it more meaningful and purposeful to the people they are serving.
The question to ask yourself is – is every Team member doing the best they can to move your patients forward? Are they making your patients happy and adding purpose to their dental experience? Are they passionate about being there and is it obvious that they WANT to be there.
This is so important; and I have to tell you nothing less than this is acceptable or should be tolerated.
I have, for years, used this expression which I have shared here before, right now pause, stop, freeze, ask yourself “on a scale from 1 to 10…what am I right now, my performance, my interaction with patients, my energy, my results, my focus” and after you have the answer if you are not a #10 you have to say…”what could I be doing better, what would make me a #10?”
You must have a Team of #10’s and it happens encounter-by-encounter, minute-by-minute, patient-by-individual-patient, action-by-every-single-action.
Culture matters. People make the culture. You can have the most amazing practice, in the best location, with the fanciest equipment, you can be the most talented dentist but if you don’t have level 10 team members that all that your patients will remember (and their tone, attitude, engagement is what determines the outcomes, results, and the prosperity of your practice), hands down nothing else will trump that.
This is why I say to you…go places, visit businesses, take field trips, it doesn’t have to be around the world or country, it can be in your own home town, find places that are inspiring, intriguing, educational, informational, and people that your team can aspire to do better.
I spent the weekend at the Biltmore Estate, we will come back many times, not just because of the scenery, not just because of the wine, not just because of where or what it is but because of the accommodating, friendly, passionate part of the experience: the people.
All great businesses have this in common. What can your practice do better? How does your team rank? Ask them what they can do to improve? Set the standard and expectation for yourself and remember this – you don’t get visits or hours or days off, you are always being judged and you are always on – there are no practice days or visits or patients that you can slack off on or who don’t matter – get, grasp, embrace, acknowledge, accept and own the reality and importance of this and you will build an organization and dental practice experience for your team and patients that is extraordinary…
Lastly – live by this statement and you will be rich in all ways because of it…
“Dentistry doesn’t make you different, special, successful, prosperous; People do.”
You can take the dentistry out of the people but you can’t take the people out of the dentistry. Team’s matter. Invest in yours, hold them accountable, lead by example, and go to work to build level 10 performance and leadership with the people who make the magic happen!
P.S. Hey, if you have never received my book on Team Transformation where on earth have you been hiding…you simply gotta read it and share it with everyone you know…smart dentists don’t try to do this all on their own, they seek my guidance, of course. There is no one on this earth who will create Practice Champions, elevate your team to #10’s across the board and achieve dramatic PEOPLE breakthroughs that are sustainable and lasting.
If you are ready, really ready to quit pretending, playing around, accepting and tolerating less than you desire and your patients deserve – do something about it – like this: http://DentalTeamtransFormation.com
