As a former CDA and team member, now a dental consultant, the Covid-19 pandemic has me thinking about my value as a team member when I was in that role. What value did I bring to the team that would make me someone the practice “needed” in times like this? I want to share with you some of my thoughts.
As a member of a team in the dental practice, there are many ways to make yourself invaluable. Please note, I said, “invaluable,” not “irreplaceable.” I say that to clarify my number one point…Attitude is everything. You have to approach your team members, doctor, and patients with an attitude of “service” and “compassion.” Always ask yourself, “Is it best for the patient?” and “Is it best for the practice?” If you answer yes to both questions, you are likely in the right mindset. Your attitude will determine your success, as well as the practices.
With the “service” mentality, I always approached my job in a very direct way. I wanted to know every single aspect of my role in the practice down to the fine print. And I wanted to know “why” my tasks were so crucial, so I understood the consequences to the practice and patients of me failing in my responsibilities. I took an “ownership” mentality. If I failed, the practice failed. And that simply was not an option. Because of this mentality, it made me want to learn in detail the aspects of all my team member’s roles in the practice. I wanted to understand what every single person brought to our success as a practice and team. In doing this, I learned every person’s value and that it took every single one of us to make it happen daily. It created a RESPECT for each person. This creates a healthy team mentality and a true appreciation for one another and what we each bring to the job.
I wanted to learn anything that would bring more value to me as a team member. What could I learn that would help anyone out? What could I learn so when someone had to be out for a day? (This is reality, after all…people get sick, people take vacations, etc…). I could step in and help to keep stress low and the office functioning at a normal pace. In essence, I wanted to cross-train to help out in all areas I could.
Obviously, I could not clean teeth (by law), but I could know the recare system and how to work it to keep the hygiene schedule full. I could learn the latest procedures or techniques our hygienist was using to work the unscheduled treatment list out of hygiene. I could know what instruments were used in hygiene and how they should be properly sterilized and cared for. I could learn how to properly take phone calls in my practice and appropriately schedule a new patient. I could learn our confirmation systems and software so that if we ever needed someone to fill in administratively, I knew how to step in and help. This creates a situation of “shifting gears,” rather than “stalling out” when someone is out for the day. In essence, when I, as well as the rest of my team, cross-trained in all areas, we created an “insurance plan” for the practice. That insurance plan being, we were all prepared to come in and help out wherever needed in order to keep the practice running on an even keel.
The current Covid-19 pandemic is the perfect example of how crucial it is to have a team that is cross-trained and ownership-minded. Offices are being mandated to close except for emergent care, and doctors are trying to figure out what to do to support the safety, health, and financial stability of their practice and teams. They are also tasked with making sure they do all they can to ensure their patients are taken care of effectively and safely. A team that has an ownership mentality is prepared, as well you can be, for situations like this. They will shift from a patient mindset now into a business mindset. They will work to prepare the practice and schedule for when the mandate is lifted. They are focused not on the problem, but on what they can each do to help set the practice up for success in recovering from the problem. A team with this type of mentality and drive to be trained to help the team and practice in all areas is absolutely invaluable to a dentist. I encourage each of you to take this mentality on your team. It is not about “I,” it is about “WE.”
Dentists, if you are not proactively training your team in all areas of the practice, I encourage you highly to do so. Please do not wait for times like these to realize you need to do it. Act with a mindset of preparedness, rather than reactiveness. It will make all the difference in the long-term success of your practice. It could, in reality, be the difference between success and failure to survive a situation such as this. Contact Sherri directly for more information on how you can make a difference in your dental practice during the coronavirus pandemic, and create value both now and in the future.
