Gail Neeson, September 2004 - In part 1 of this 2-part article on creating a healthy worklife balance we asked you to review a checklist to see where you were on the balance scale. If the balance is right we find ourselves using the words ‘passion’ and ‘work’ in the same sentence. We also looked at the dentist getting the passion back in their work/business by looking at where they are in regards to clinical and leadership skills, financial state, family commitment and outside interests. We then outlined the need to create a business plan and budget, and review the number of days you will work for the next 12 months. The number of days will depend on the changes you want to make to your lifestyle with regard to increased time with family, hobbies and your current financial circumstances.

This is the first step in creating the foundation for a healthy work-life balance. But it’s not just you, as the owner of your business that wants fulfilment, satisfaction and a balance. We will now look at how to increase the level of your team’s involvement and passion by examining the practice culture and your leadership skills.

The culture of a practice relates to how staff behave with each other and with the patients. The interaction of staff with each other reflects their interaction with patients. The ideal situation is where staff take ownership for their performance, ie., they see how their actions influence the success of the practice and take pride in the results. How can you have a team with this attitude?
Many dentists assume that if they pay enough, they will get staff with this sense of responsibility. It’s a topic very well researched and the results show that while money is important, its consistently low on the scale. Appreciation, recognition, autonomy, no conflicts, always rate higher than money. Here are 3 simple steps to follow:

Step 1:
Daily meetings of no more than 10 minutes, to plan each day. Each meeting has a defined agenda and structure. The full details of how to structure such a meeting is beyond the scope of this article but done properly and combined with modern appointment book system of pre-blocked appointments you will be able to schedule predictable stress-free days-every day! Now you and your team will have lunch on time, go home on time and be on time all day. That reduces stress. It’s just not possible to have motivated efficient staff if they are overwhelmed with stress.

Step 2:
Display appreciation for work well done and do it often. Make it clear that you appreciate their efforts and do it both publicly, in front of patients, at team meetings, and privately. Make it a habit or rewarding desirable behaviour in public and only correct undesired behaviour in private.

Step 3:
Encourage a culture where constructive feedback is actively encouraged. Recent research revealed that a culture where leaders and employees consistently provide constructive feedback to each other – not only during formal reviews, but also informally, leads to an increase of 37% on the bottom line.

Values of teamwork, passion and professionalism are the makings of an inspired team and if respect, support and celebration and fun are not a constant in your practice then this may explain why you haven’t been hitting the mark. To create a passionate team you need to exhibit the same behaviour.

If the culture of your practice is to create a safe, professional and fun environment where patients are actively involved in receiving the best treatment, clinically and in the service that you and your staff deliver at every point of contact, to meet and exceed their needs, then what behaviours would you expect of both your staff and patients. The expectations start with you! By setting goals for the practice and in turn breaking these down into individual goals, with specific tasks and actions, you set clear expectations on what you require your staff to achieve.

Your role as a leader will be instrumental in creating a team that is involved in the decision-making and therefore finds solutions. In providing a strong direction for your staff and ensuring they have adequate support in the form of technology and processes the greater chance of high performance. Staff who perform well are more likely to be motivated.

As a leader you set the tone of the practice, the style, the mood – as Phillip Palmer, Prime’s Director often tells our newly enrolled clients – your practice reflects who you are, both the good and the bad.

So what are some of the characteristics of an effective leader? They:

• Manage people, not tasks
• Look at where they want to get to, without the restraints of ‘business as usual’
• Communicate at a superior level – the message is constant and simplistic – and they are patient in delivering the message over and over again.

Harvey Golub, CEO of Amex says that it’s just when he complains, “ I’m getting so tired of repeating this message so many times", it’s just then that his PR people say – Great, Harvey, the employees are beginning to get it.

While goal setting is crucial, feedback and recognition/reward are the key to creating motivation and passion within your team. Your role as a leader, facilitator will set an example of the type of behaviour you want in your practice. Coach your team to be successful and everyone benefits. But don’t forget to give your staff feedback in how they are going, if they’ve got there, and if not what they need to do. Mistakes will happen, ensure there is a learning outcome. We can be quick to point out what went wrong but it takes good leadership to identify and acknowledge what is working well. Above all make sure you reward your team, both with verbal praise, and ideally in front of others, and also on a monitory level. If they have an impact on the bottom line, share the financial benefits.

At the end of the day it’s about making a difference. In the world of dentistry you have a great impact on not only one of the physical functions of an individual, but an impact on their whole persona. As we move across the various dimensions of our daily life we need to be aware of what truly give us contentment. Self awareness is perhaps one of the strongest aspects of a true leader; “self-awareness, is knowing what we are feeling and using this to guide our decisions. This includes being able to make a realistic assessment of our abilities and having a grounded sense of confidence”. (Grow Your Personal Capital– Hilary Owen)

One of the key elements in creating a stress free work environment is recognising you have control over the work you do and the way you do it. Working with hundreds of practices we can tell you that the passion and excitement your staff exhibits in the practice will directly correlate to your level of passion and excitement.

[Published in Australian Dental Practice September/October 2004]