Power Up Your Leadership

*NOTE: Please download the attached PDF file for the complete version.

Leadership is a continual conversation in the business world. Hundreds of leadership books are published each year. Here are ways to Power Up to become a more effective leader in your practice.
Leadership is the ability to move yourself and others toward a stated mission or goal.
This definition implies that to move others you must first move yourself. Effective leaders are able to show up every day – no matter their personal life issues – and be there for the team. This sets an example for the followers who watch everything you do, say, have and are.
Effective leaders balance relationships and business. Least effective leaders over focus on one or the other. Dentists often hyper focus on the clinical quality area and neglect critical relationships and the business of the practice.
Other managers/dentists buy into the excuses, blame and shortcomings of team members all because they are NICE people (the manager/doctor and the staff members are nice). This niceness leads to not holding the staff member accountable. The manger/doctor won’t confront the shortcomings directly and therefore, lives with under par performance way too long. This process alone makes them ineffective leaders in the eyes of the other team members.
Effective leaders know that you cannot set it and forget it. Dental leaders want to hire an experienced staff member – to avoid learning/teaching time – and to send the experienced person off to do the job they were hired to do. This can be a recipe for disaster. New hires need to bond with the leader and build a relationship. New hires need the mission, philosophy, culture orientation only the leader can provide. Give them training wheels with a “fun ” video of your practice owner(s) for your orientation of new hires. Then create a job-specific training, orientation and feedback protocol for every position in your practice. Hire a local college student in the cinematography or photography department to come and video your training. Let them video your best practice employee. Let the employee explain all the steps on the video.
Effective leaders marshal the team to get results. If there is no clear goal, showing up to work is BORING!! And apathy sets in quickly. Goals keep your personal life moving forward and likewise for the practice. Goals do not need to be money related but they can be. Think about doubling or increasing one service by 20 percent, (bleaching cases, sealants, perio, CERAC, 6 Month Smiles, etc.) The human mind and energy is pre-programed to work toward goals. Feed the natural instincts of your team. Create contests, prizes and excitement for your team when they reach a goal.
Effective leaders admit their own mistakes and take the responsibility for the practice results. They lead without blame or excuses. Effective leaders know that the buck stops with them. There are no bad patients, no poor market for dentistry, and no unmotivated employees. Effective leaders take 100 percent responsibility for the results that they are getting. If not, they are admitting they can do nothing and that is surely ineffective. There is ALWAYS something that can be done to turn things around. Step one is to take 100 percent responsibility.
Effective leaders stay on TRACK. In a busy practice, priorities are critical. Getting sidetracked by things that are not critical drains energy to get the goal accomplished. What daily actions are central to the success of the practice? What sidetracks you? Many mangers/dentists are putting out fires and losing track of the goal. Firefighting is best left to the professionals in the red trucks. Effective leaders know how to delegate, empower and STOP rescuing the staff. If you are firefighting, go back to training, delegation, feedback and accountability.
Effective leaders grow the potential and the leadership in others. At the core of effective leadership is the belief you place in the higher level that any one employee can attain. Your coaching, encouragement, and commitment to their success will inspire them to do it or you can begin a process to let them go. Effective leaders help people become better than they think they can be, even if it means being like a mama bird and pushing them out of the nest (comfort zone) at times.
Effective leaders know that they must grow themselves to grow the team. They grow their own personal effectiveness, communication and leadership abilities continually.
Effective leadership is not a destination; it is a journey, one not for the faint of heart. Effective leadership comes from expanding your very being continually.
What are you doing to Power Up your leadership?