Practice Production Prioritized: 3 ways to improve team performance

There are three principles that every dentist should apply to achieve a phenomenally successful career:

1. Increase practice production every year

2. Build a world-class team

3. Create a plan to achieve financial independence

In this article, we're going to focus on the second principle. When you have a world-class team, your team members operate independently, understand their job descriptions, excel in their roles, and achieve targeted goals proven by specific measurements. Great businesses operate this way-and the same applies for great dental practices; any practice has potential to consistently and continuously improve their team's performance.

Since a world-class team fosters an exceptionally successful practice, it can also pave a pathway for financial independence for the dentist.

Today we are faced with a staffing shortage-some may even consider it a crisis. So in a challenging hiring environment like this one, trying to hire world-class people right out of the gate isn't the best approach. Instead, it's important to develop outstanding leadership skills yourself, and then mold employees into world-class team members.

In their role as practice leaders, every dentist needs to be able to do three things.

1: Motivate team members to strive for success

A great leader is upbeat, enthusiastic, energizing, and can motivate the people around them. Their enthusiasm and positivity should be contagious to influence the character and behavior of their team. Coming to work every day with a positive attitude, thanking team members for their hard work and contributions, and recognizing them as individuals on a regular basis are at the heart of this motivational environment.

2: Regularly assess the skill set of each team member

Take time to focus on what skills each team member needs; not everyone has the same strengths and weaknesses. Develop a culture of continuous improvement and work with each employee to develop their skills incrementally. Extraordinarily successful doctors know how to delegate tasks, but in order to do this, their team needs to know how to do specific jobs within the practice. Consider arranging training or access to educational content for each team member to bolster their performance and skill set. Sales representatives can be great teachers when it comes to products and services-and often come at no cost.

3: Stop holding performance reviews with team members

Treat your team members like adults. They don't need performance reviews-they need regular conversations to determine how everything is going, what they can work on, and how the practice itself can be improved. Consider asking team members what they think the doctor can do better. Not talking down to your team members begets mature conversations and shows how employees can rise to higher levels of thinking in both delegated conversations and in their overall jobs.

Building a world-class team is not an option if you want a great practice. It is essential.