If there is one way to ensure that you never achieve the results you deserve to have as you find yourself plateauing in your practice year after year, look no further than…
Your Leadership.
That’s right. Every day I tell my doctors you have two responsibilities above all others: motivate the team and diagnose the patients. Without both of these as your core focus, you will be a very frustrated doctor.
Now, I have a much different take on leadership than you might think. You see, the majority of all the doctors coming to me say, “I am not a very good leader,” or “I want to be a better leader,” or “I don’t know how to lead my team.”
The reason you are not a good leader OR perhaps better stated: not as effective at leadership as you are capable of being and that is necessary for your success and the goals you desire is because you suffer from either one of two issues…
1st – You never have had the experience, coaching, support, guidance or even ambition to become a great and inspiring leader before.
2nd – You could have been following someone else’s leadership style, a random seminar, book, course, box of ‘you know what’ that you picked up from some management company or you are listening to one of those “newsletter” guys.
Leadership has to be natural. It can’t be faked or forced. And you don’t have to be someone you are not.
Sure, there are key things that you must embrace if you are going to be effective – but aside from that – no one else is going to give you a cookie cutter plan for your own practice management and team leadership that is going to actually work for you unless it is created for and embraced by you.
To start with, let’s be clear about why leadership matters…
Because your team will never be you and they aren’t suppose to be. You are the doctor. They are the team. It’s your practice; they know that. They have a life. They see dentistry as yours. Therefore, no one else is ever going to work as hard or care as much as the owner. And they shouldn’t. We shouldn’t expect them to.
You want career-based team members who continue to grow and develop along with your practice.
And there in lies the key…
Not just more patients.
Not just new procedures.
Not just fancy equipment.
Not just any one thing or every thing is ever going to make you as much money, help as many patients, provide you with a healthy practice that is enjoyable to be at, work in, call your own…
Other than YOUR LEADERSHIP with your team and your commitment to personal (not just professional) development of your people. They are the magic inside of your practice.
Team Members and all people (including YOU), need inspiration, challenges, purpose and direction.
This matters. That is what Leadership is about.
You can do all the other things right and yet without this you will be fighting an uphill battle.
Here’s what you must do, five keys…
1 – Decide and commit to the importance of leadership
2 – Remember that the best way to lead is – BY EXAMPLE
3 – set up structure so that you can lead effectively and you don’t fall back into old or bad habits
…This requires you to listen to your team members, have individual meetings with them, keep your commitments and follow through on what you say (they notice, believe me).
4 – You want to help each person set individual and team goals and have a plan to achieve them
5 – You want to bring personal development through books, activities or other things into your practice
You don’t have to lead alone. There are many tools, resources and strategies to do this with. My doctors would all say one of their greatest benefits and personal changes is how much more responsibility they take over their own success by way of being a better leader in their practice, with their team, for their business.
Just remember you don’t have to be anyone else. You have to be you and figure out what your right and best approach is. Your attitude, energy and mentality are the fastest, easiest and most impactful ways to lead your team without even trying that much.
You can’t not lead though; because no one wants to work (let alone do well, go above and beyond, and take extra initiative), for someone who doesn’t want to win and who doesn’t take their own success serious.
Know this: you are being watched. Everyone notices what you do or do not do – what you say or do not say. Put the last couple week’s Weekly Reports together and you will see that leadership boils down to this…
Are your actions congruent with your goals? Does your behavior match with the vision you say you want?
Leaders give others confidence by having confidence in themselves and in those around them. Go to work on yourself and your team. You will be amazed at how much more successful you become without any other gimmicks or bright shiny objects in your practice.
