{"id":2424,"date":"2023-05-19T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-19T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dentalsuccesstoday.com\/blog\/?p=2424"},"modified":"2023-05-20T15:59:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-20T15:59:59","slug":"the-most-detrimental-mistake-that-undermines-practice-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dentalsuccesstoday.com\/blog\/the-most-detrimental-mistake-that-undermines-practice-success\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Detrimental Mistake That Undermines Practice Success"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the past few weeks, I have showcased how to go from powerless to powerful by laying out the three most harmful behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens in most practices (usually because of the four mindset saboteurs\u2026 self-limiting beliefs, preconceived ideas, negative self-talk, and pessimistic attitudes \u2013 more on these another time), is the team gives up their ability to dictate outcomes and actually works against their own objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You give up your power when your behavior, attitude, actions, and habits are not in alignment with your mission and goals. Even if you do a number of things correctly, you counteract any potential progress being made. You\u2019ve surely experienced this at times when you feel like you\u2019re taking one step forward and two steps back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first breakthrough in any practice happens when what they stop making the mistakes and missteps that detract from your goals. This, more so than even the addition of better tactics and systems, has the most significant impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, I broadened the \u2018giving up your power\u2019 with examples of how every practice undermines their own success with inconsistencies. I called this your kryptonite because it paralyzes your power to impact your patients and achieve your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If every patient interaction in your practice delivered on continuity, congruence, and consistency from start to finish, you would be amazed at the opportunity you actually have and the success you would instantly achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you eliminate contradiction and confusion from your practice, you\u2019re ready for the next power-building shift which is designed to eliminate the most detrimental mistake a practice that undermines success\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Outcome-Focused, Not Task-Oriented<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a team\u2019s ability to focus on what really matters and avoid the busyness trap. The degree to which you are successful at this will determine the value of the output and the degree of success the practice can achieve. This is how you compound daily victories that move your closer to your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some very obvious examples\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A clinical team member being in such a hurry they miss the triangle of trust or completing an appointment without a defined next step, stage, component on the pathway to health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A hygienist so busy and pressed for time that they shortcut or short change more valuable education, diagnostics, photographs, and discussions that will really make the difference in the patient experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A doctor running behind schedule and fails to make a comprehensive diagnosis, therefore minimizing the patient\u2019s opportunity to achieve optimal health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This of course goes for phone calls, insurance claims, money collected, and on and on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these examples miss the entire point and purpose of the team member\u2019s responsibility in that moment. Yes, they completed the task at hand, but did they achieve the victory?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, it\u2019s not about the task it\u2019s about what the result of the task. It\u2019s not about checking off a box or filling up an hour of time or occupying oneself to appear busy or getting the patient in-and-out as quickly as possible \u2013 it\u2019s about the results that transpire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequently revisiting this and assessing everyone\u2019s performance comparatively is absolutely crucial if you want to achieve your goals and reach your potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This should be brought to life in a future-focused visualization in every morning huddle for every patient throughout the day. What is the outcome we expect from each patient interaction? How does one team member set up the next? It is each person\u2019s responsibility to elevate the patient experience and bring it full circle from start to finish \u2013 not just of the experience \u2013 of the patient outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these are examples that make you powerless and in doing so you give up your greatest response-ability to influence patients, to control outcomes, and to help more people get healthy in more meaningful ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all comes back to how you define success. If a victory is complete patient health through comprehensive dentistry \u2013 then everyone is judged on their contribution to that goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there should be zero tolerance for diversion. No one person gets to decide on how they will execute the patient experience or what is important today based on mood or if they get to pre-judge this patient or that patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right now, think about where you stop short of success, where you fall short of realizing your practice mission. Because success is determined only by what you accomplish, not the time that has passed or number of tasks completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You must not stop at an exam or at problem-based dentistry or at x-rays or at insurance or at a no. What is the real result you are after?<\/p>\n\n\n\n