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March 13, 2009

By Laura A. Boone, BS, MBA

One of the most important elements for creating an outstanding dental practice is leadership. Without it a practice will lack a strong culture, motivation, and dedication, and this will ultimately affect the bottom line of the business. The greatness in people can be brought out if a leader gets creative.

Leadership comes in different forms, styles, and actions. As an executive coach for Fortune Management, I have coached many top clinical dentists who struggle to lead their teams. Here are some leadership tips for being whom you need to be to attract and keep the right team:

1. Become a teacher — Be a role model. Be an example. Practice what you preach and be committed to the goals.

2. Delegate — Surround yourself with a team whose abilities you can respect and trust. When people sense great things are expected from them, they tend to be challenged by that expectation and work hard to live up to it.

3. Encourage independent thinking — Stop enabling and allow team members to think for themselves. Ask them to become solution-focused rather than problem-focused.

4. Build a team — The most effective teams are comprised of people with diverse skills and personalities.

5. Listen — Listen with the intent to understand, rather than reply.

6. Set an example — People rarely learn from what they are told to do. More often they learn from example.

7. Accept responsibility — Take blame away and be accountable for the results at all costs.

8. Share the spotlight — Give credit where credit is deserved. Feeding the emotional bank account can be rewarding.

9. Plan, plan, plan — Always be prepared. Good planning involves a sense of strategic direction. Once an action plan is adopted, make sure the team has the resources in place to execute the plan.

Remember that the key to success is to produce a common synergy within your team. To do this you must create an environment with excellent communication. As Anthony Robbins, a recognized authority on peak performance, stated, "The level of success that you experience in life, the happiness, joy, love, external rewards, and impact that you create are the direct result of how you communicate to yourself and others. The quality of your life is in the quality of your communications."

Creating excellent communication takes work. It takes creativity from your leadership team. Make your team meetings count and involve the team. Have fun. Play games that unite. Get "out of the box" with your meetings on topics such as production numbers, policies, and everything the team is not doing right. There is an appropriate time to have a board meeting where department heads must discuss what is working and what is not. However, you will not bring a team together by always talking about "systems."

A healthy culture where your team feels empowered to come up with solutions is the best answer. What does a "healthy culture" look like? It is one of unity, safety to communicate openly and honestly, and finally, it is a team that completely understands the doctor's vision and makes sure that each decision reflects that vision. Remember that when someone on the team says it, he or she owns it. Have mastermind sessions and be flexible enough to recognize that no idea is a bad idea.

Laura A. Boone, BS, MBA, is an executive coach for Fortune Management. Since 1980, Ms. Boone has worked clinically, in management, and continued with her education in business leadership. She has worked in hundreds of businesses nationally as a business coach, inspiring teams to solidify their visions and achieve greater success. Through her years of coaching and speaking, she has lectured on topics ranging from bottom-line business solutions, teamwork, profitability, leadership, effective systems, marketing, public relations, practice transitions, and effective communication tools that create a strong, supportive work environment that truly embraces the vision of the doctor. Ms. Boone has been a guest speaker for the American Academy of General Dentists and the California Dental Association/Anaheim, as well as a lecturer at study clubs all over the country. You may contact her at lauraboone@fortunemgmt.com.

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