Winston Churchill once said, “The difference between mere management and leadership is communication.” This certainly applies to your dental practice. You can be a world-class dentist with an amazing vision, but if you can’t communicate that vision, it won’t do any good. Running your own practice means you have to know how to care for your patients and manage your business, and the root of both of these is leadership. Right now, during the wake of a global pandemic, communication is essential. That’s why Bryant Consultants came up with this list of ways to improve your communication skills when leading your practice through a pandemic.
Follow the Four C’s
1) Cues
Communication is only partly about what you say. It’s how you say it—both with your tone of voice and body language. Having the wrong set of non-verbal cues can make you appear standoffish, frustrated, or even annoyed when speaking with an employee or, worse, a patient. Make sure you’re delivering your message from a place of genuine interest and concern—with your words, your tone, and your body language. Do this consistently, and your team members will begin to do the same when interacting with each other or your patients.
2) Conscious Awareness
This means you comprehend your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to communication. Are you open and encouraging about your team members expressing their point of view, even if it differs from yours? When you ask questions, do you make a conscious effort to listen to the answers, or are you too busy crafting a follow-up in your head? You can’t assume that your employees are going to all think the same way—or that they’ll think the same way you do. Make sure you’re aware of your expectations, and that you’re articulating those expectations to your team. A truly effective leader communicates the purpose of each task and tailors the delivery of that message to the unique personality of each team member.
3) Compassion
By fostering a positive office culture and encouraging team building, you’re creating an environment where your employees are going to be connected and work together more effectively. This can even be done with virtual meetings during the pandemic. How do you create this culture? Lead with your head as well as your heart. Put your people first. Encourage your team members to do their own critical thinking instead of waiting on your direction. This is important right now as you navigate your practice through the COVID-19 shutdown. Most of all show your team members that you care about them and their perspective, even if that point of view differs from your own.
4) Courage
Be brave enough to be authentic. People can tell when someone is genuine. Your authenticity speaks volumes and will show that you understand your team members and want to help them be the best they can be. This cultivates an environment of competence and confidence throughout every member of your workforce. When you can communicate the vision for your practice as a shared goal, everyone joins in the journey, thus setting the stage for tremendous growth.
Leadership Training Services
Communicating with your team right now may be difficult from finding the right words to say to discovering ways to keep everyone feeling motivated. That’s where the experts at Bryant Consultants can help. To learn more about leadership training or to for more ways on effective methods of communication, please call (877) 768-4799, and be sure to ask about our complimentary one-hour consultation. To ensure that you receive the latest updates, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
