Sally McKenzie, CEO McKenzie Management Printer Friendly Version

Renew Your Practice Goals Starting Now
by Sally McKenzie, CEO

I have a guarantee for you. The sun will come up tomorrow. You will start another day. What you do with that day, however, will be wholly and completely up to you. I want you to consider the following questions: Will you trudge into the office dreading what the day has to offer? Or will you charge in eager to embrace the challenges and the opportunities that are yours for the taking? Yes, it may sound cliché but the reality is that your attitude as well as your actions create or derail your personal and career satisfaction.

You don’t need a new year to create a new mindset. Each day offers the opportunity to renew your commitment to making the most of your career, your relationships, your strengths, your team, and your practice. I recommend you start with the following:

#1 - If You Can See It, You Can Create It
It’s called creating your vision and goals. In terms of the growth and success of your practice, as well as your own professional satisfaction, where do you want to be by year’s end? Share this with your entire staff and involve them directly in spelling out the plan to ensure that everyone is aiming for the same target, namely total practice success. Over the next several weeks during your monthly two-hour team meetings, you and your team work through various aspects, including:

• Improving communication skills and establishing dialogue.
• Providing a non-threatening forum for the team to evaluate strengths and weaknesses.
• Clearly defining jobs and responsibilities of the members.
• Assessing individual roles in the group and understanding how each contributes to the overall practice objectives.
• Developing specific team processes such as decision-making and conflict management.
• Improving problem-solving strategies.
• Creating a culture of accountability.

#2 - Specific Priorities
Take the broad goals and objectives and translate them into specific priorities that are individualized for each person. For example, define the priorities of the business team. Spell out how each person’s responsibilities and objectives, and help to achieve those priorities and how they fit into the larger practice goals. Discuss the efficiency of the clinical team and key systems such as production, scheduling, and treatment acceptance.

#3 - Open The Lines Of Communication Wide
Feedback, celebrating progress, group problem solving and troubleshooting all involve ongoing constructive communication. But it is more than keeping everyone informed. Open and effective communication is the cornerstone of a culture of respect, trust, and shared accountability. Encourage staff to offer ongoing constructive suggestions, input, and insights aimed at moving the practice forward.

# 4 - Set The Example For Your Team
Pay close attention to your own actions, behaviors, and decisions daily to ensure they are consistent with practice values and priority. Do not expect your team to follow you if you are not willing to live by the same principles and uphold the same standards that you require of others.

#5 - Cut The Deadwood And Enjoy Smooth Sailing
Deal with the problem performers on your team. These are the people that you and your star performers have been carrying for far too long and at far too great an expense. There are few things more demoralizing to top-flight employees than a boss who looks the other way when one or more members of the team consistently disregard office policies, bring poor attitudes to work, generate conflict, make excuse after excuse for why they were late, why they were sick, why they simply cannot get their jobs done. Yet the deadwood workers that everyone is stepping over and forced to just “deal with” get the same pay raises, same vacation time, and the same perks as top performers on your team. Understandably, your capable staff will only tolerate this for so long.

As Vince Lombardi once said, "There is nothing more unequal that the equal treatment of unequals." You want a team of people eager to help you and your practice reach the pinnacle - not derail your efforts.

Now, what are you waiting for? Take action.

Sally McKenzie is CEO of McKenzie Management, a nationwide dental management, practice development and educational consulting firm. Working on-site with dentists since 1980, McKenzie Management provides knowledge, guidance and personalized solutions that have propelled thousands of general and specialty practices to realize their potential.

Interested in speaking to Sally about your practice concerns? Email her at sally@thedentistsnetwork.net or call 1.877.777.6151.

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