Dentists are incredibly busy, often at the expense of their practice. One of the most frequently overlooked aspects of being a leader is the need for alignment, but it’s incredibly important. Without that alignment, even the most well-intentioned leaders can create confusion and frustration within the team. When that happens, inefficiencies and miscommunication increase, and everyone becomes more prone to burnout. However, creating alignment doesn’t have to take up more of your time—with just a change in your focus, you can get started right away:
- Make your Vision and Core Values visible. Your Core Values are your most important tool, so keep them alive in your practice! I love the idea of displaying your Core Values and Vision in team areas, as well as making them a focal point of your meetings. When you start your huddles, highlight how you’ve seen the team embody a core value—this shoutout will encourage more behavior that aligns with your values!
- Create consistent communication rhythms. The more you prioritize communication, the more likely it is that you’ll get your team to buy in. What’s more, by holding regular huddles, meetings, and check-ins, you’ll create a system that shows how important alignment time is.
- Lead by example. You can hand out expectations left and right, but if your own actions aren’t aligning with those expectations, no one is going to listen to you. It’s like Kirk says: “As goes the leader, so goes the team,” so be the model of the behaviors you want to show up in your practice. Remember, it’s up to you to be the Chief Reminding Officer and your practice’s source of inspiration!
The beauty of these tips is that they don’t require any extra time—just your intentional focus. You also don’t need to implement them all right away; pick one, try it out, and then build on it! As you build more alignment in your practice, it’s going to have incredible results: better team morale, a stronger patient experience, and less stress for you!
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