How to Create Reliable Team Alignment

"I wish I could get the right people on my team," is right up there with "I wish I could get the right patients," among the most common dreams of dentists. Naturally, you want team members who are motivated and engaged – you want to be surrounded by people who "get it." But just as I wrote in a recent article, “Where to Find the 'Right Patients'”, the best patients are the ones you develop from within the practice, and the same goes for team members.

It's not just a matter of finding the right people; it's about giving them the right coaching, training and environment to succeed. Whenever I hear a dentist say that they feel there is a disconnect between what they are trying to achieve and the level of support they are getting from the team, I always ask the same thing: Do you provide your team with the opportunity to get as excited as you are about the practice's possibilities?

When you attend an exciting course you have the advantage of getting out of your usual environment. This can inspire a fresh way of thinking. You can spend a whole weekend immersed in learning things that truly excite you, in the company of others whose enthusiasm matches your own. This is great, you think. When I get back there is going to be some changes. Then you come home you try to communicate those changes in a morning meeting, and you sense resistance. But how can you expect the team to be as excited as you are? They weren't there; they didn't share in the transformative experience. To them, it's just another Monday, except this time they have new disturbances to their routine to deal with.

If you want the people on your team to feel engaged, you have to provide them with something to get engaged with. If you want them to be excited about possibilities, you have to give them something to get excited about. And the most reliable way to get them excited and on the same page is with a team educational program. When you get back from a course, take a few hours to share with them what you have learned and give them a chance to see why you are excited about where the practice is heading.

This is a big reason we created Spear Online. It's a tool for dentists to easily share a sense of that excitement that comes with learning something new and powerful. I have seen it often enough to know: If you really want to grow, you have to have a team around you that grows with you.