How To Develop Champions

Every Practice needs a Champion! You probably know who yours is right now. And you might have two or three and that’s even better. Still there is usually one person who always rises up.

They show up early, they stay late, they go above and beyond. They study Dental Educational Material, they push the limits, they ask questions, they want to learn more…from you, from your patients, from each other, from reps.

This person is hungry.

And they need fed.

Challenged.

Pushed.

A Champion is noticed and then bred. Think of them like the star athlete on the team. You want to identify their zest for life, their talent as a person, their hard/smart work ethic, their ambitious passion for over achieving and harness it and let it drive your team forward.

This person is capable of selling more dentistry than anyone else, they are as close to a “YOU” as can be. They can come in all forms, shapes, and sizes, ages, and positions.

I can think of my highest performing top 5 Practices right now…two are office administrator, one the treatment coordinator, one a hygienist turned doer-of-all-things, one an Associate…it’s about attitude and drive.

The reason this person is so important is because Your Team needs to have a healthy competition amongst them and it can’t always be from you.

And perhaps more importantly – YOU NEED PUSHED TO PERFORM, to stay focused, and to stay hungry on a daily basis. This is critical. Don’t feel bad about it and don’t disagree, it’s just true. You fall into complacency of your day because you are carrying all the weight of everything and you have a ton of things going on. To most Practice Owners Dentistry becomes more like a job than a business…that’s a problem…when you are trying to run the business for success and profit.

When you have a Champion, they help keep you inspired and focused.

And here’s the great news…a Champion will attract another Champion and once you have two – you’re pretty much set for the fastest progress possible. Once a Practice has a tag team, no matter how big or small, you now have at least 3 people driving the growth and progress of the Practice and that’s moving from a car to an airplane.

The reason my clients get such dramatic results, bigger growth in months than they’ve had in years, in addition to their expectations, it’s because we move past motivation to empowerment.

And we create Champions!

Remember this…

Champions want to win…they are attracted to winning teams…they won’t stay engaged or in your employ if you don’t let them have the ball and run with it.

Too many times I see Team Members too scared to color outside the lines…too afraid to make any mistakes or mess up and that also means too afraid to succeed too.

Think about it, you don’t grow unless you take risks, try new things, the first time you do a new procedure on one of YOUR patients for REAL – you take risks, you go outside of your comfort zone, Champions needs this too, and they need an environment and culture that allows and encourages it.

In most Practices I see the Team hasn’t been given room to grow, opportunity to succeed and fail, and perform.

It’s like having a Champion and keeping them on the bench.

NO! Give them the ball, support them, let them score points and hone and expand their skill.

…have a conversation with your Champion and ask them what else they want, how you can better help them to achieve their goals, and what they’d like to try in the practice, what ideas they have, and how you can get them more involved.

…after you do that, I’ll take my turn next week, and show you how to have a team full of Champions and what to do next once you’ve got ‘em on your Team.

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