It’s been incredible watching Teams come back together. The energy, the freshness, the ambition, and the overall genuine feeling of gratitude that is present when everyone is happy to have each other.
You know I’ve called this your “daytime family” since my first days in Dentistry because it really is the truth. In usual times, you spent more hours awake with these people, your dental team, than you do everyone else throughout the week.
That means that this group of people has the opportunity to have the greatest impact on the rest of your life in terms of the culture, morale, attitude, energy, personal development, friendships, consistency, and the list goes on.
That said, it’s often so busy that you just show up every day and hit the ground running. You start with your huddles, see patients, close out your day, and rush home to start the process all over again tomorrow.
The dynamics that are experienced by having a great team and being in an enriching environment helps you to thrive, challenges you to think, and inspires you to want to be better. It’s usually taken for granted because you just don’t think about it – you were so used to it – it’s just what you do.
You might not have noticed or been as aware until now. Having so much time away, with most teams not physically being present in the same space with each other all at once for a month or more, provided you the opportunity to take time to reflect. You realized just how enriching a place, how rewarding a role, how fulfilling a team that you are walking into every day was for you.
The human spirit yearns for things to think about, be challenged by, in pursuit of, people to interact with, to make a difference for, to be of service, and contribute in some way.
Yes, it’s what fills you up. I know you’ve missed it. And I know it’s brought about an appreciation in you that will bring you back into your practice in a more substantial and meaningful way than when you left it.
You know, it’s interesting and yet not surprising to me, that the most common statement to me from any Doctor or Team Member who has been open for a week or two from patients is – gratitude.
Patients are excited to come back, they are grateful for your role in their lives, they love being there, having a dental home, people they know they can trust, and individuals who care about them.
In every case, the feelings of the patients resemble the feelings of the best teams too.
When you are grateful to be back, patients are grateful to be back; when you focus on building trust and a relationship, patients respond with trust and a relationship; and when you focus on health, patients focus on health.
There is a saying that ‘like attracts like’ and it’s certainly true. It’s such a powerful thing when applied in a positive way.
Your world around you will be reflection of you. We can’t control the great big giant world out there but you can always control the world close to you and that’s because you get to set the tone, choose the attitude, have the energy, and be the person you want others to be.
As you are going back into your practice, I’m confident you’ll be a stronger team than ever before and you’ll have a greater appreciation for those people who add so much to your life – just like you add so much to theirs – especially for the leadership and the vision your Doctor represents.
It’s a place like no other. That’s why patients can’t wait to come back. And I’m very pleased, though not surprised, that you can’t wait to come back either.
I’ll be here next week with more insights from Dentistry’s Comeback. Stay tuned.
