The Power of Appreciation, In and Out of Your Practice

Perhaps there is no greater power in our society than the power of appreciation.  I’d put it up even against love because often love isn’t openly received by someone especially if they don’t love themselves very much.

Yet, appreciation cuts through, it softens, it soothes the soul, and it reminds someone just how important and valuable they are.  The more they are reminded by this the more they are encouraged to repeat and replenish all the good they bring others.

One of the most common threads and consistent pieces of feedback we get from every practice (regardless of how successful), is that their communication could always be improved.  It’s certainly true because communication is never finished; even if communication was perfect today, tomorrow it starts fresh again.

I would argue that no matter how effective communication is, no matter how much we work on it, no matter how detailed we script it, and no matter the amount of practice – the one part of communication that we could always use more of is appreciation; whether it’s praise, gratitude, or recognition.

Now, before you jump to thinking this is just the doctor I’m talking about.  It is everybody’s responsibility to give feedback in both directions – and by the way it is also an incredibly powerful concept for patients as well.

I always tell you that a founding principle of everything we do at Dental Success Today is: if you want to grow the practice you must first work on growing the people.  It is always about people and their relationships and experiences.

To me there is nothing more valuable in a relationship than appreciation for it and for those that make it up.  Additionally, there is nothing that makes an experience more meaningful and impactful than deciding in advance to make the most of it – to appreciate the opportunity you have – and to genuinely be grateful for it.

Now, it happens to be the month we celebrate Thanksgiving in America, and there is great significance behind the reason why.  It’s an important holiday, but I challenge you to make it a daily way of life by doing everything you can to strengthen your habitual behavior and muscle memory around simply being a more grateful person and routinely expressing your appreciation whenever possible.

Today, my message to you is simple… appreciate yourself, appreciate others, and appreciate the opportunities you have.  This happens by understanding that one of the greatest traits of a leader (doctor, team, parent, spouse, or anyone else) is to come from a place of gratitude.

The sentence I preach more than any other is, “You get more of what you focus on.”  If you want more positivity, focus more on the positive.  Now, you can’t completely neglect or ignore the opposite but there will be less of it and more effort by others to do a better job simply because of the intrinsic power of appreciation.  Besides you tend to attract people and behaviors just like you and yours.

So, there you go, in this month’s spirit of giving thanks.  Next, ask yourself in what ways can you improve with gratitude, what do you wish to say to those around you right now, and how can we improve the overall culture of your practice to be one of appreciation?  You can think through the same things for your life as a whole as well.

Enjoy, it should be a very therapeutic discussion and stimulate more of the right kind of energy that enhances everything else – this all by itself.

And if you need some help with your team huddles, just ask because we are here for you and appreciate you very much.  It is an amazing gift and opportunity you give us to serve, guide, lead, influence, and impact your life.  Thank you!