How to Develop a Team 'Ownership' Mindset

When we talk about the kind of mindset we want to see among the people on our team we tend to use phrases like "being invested" and "taking ownership." We want people to be naturally motivated toward high performance and not just trading hours for a paycheck. We want people who care.

As it turns out, that's what just about every team member wants too. Almost everyone is looking for a sense of purpose in what they do. It's not even about being happy all the time.

 

There are plenty of people—emergency room medical personnel, for example—who have many days they would not describe as happy but nonetheless they come away feeling a sense of true accomplishment.

I am glad to say I have seen evidence of this on the team I have had around me over the years. I can point to many occasions where the deadlines were tight, the stakes were high, and the pressure was intense. Ask anyone involved during the middle of one of those "crisis mode" times if they were having fun and you would have gotten a strange look. But those are also the moments we look back on as a team with the most fondness. That's what a sense of purpose will do. It inspires people to want to add their discretionary energy to something—even if it feels hard at the time—because they like being a part of something meaningful.

So where do you find people like that? In my opinion great employees are not born, they are created and nurtured. Sure, you want to start by finding people who have the right values and basic sense of commitment. But after that, a lot depends on the dentist as the leader of the practice to establish an environment where everyone's contributions are valued and everyone understands how what they do matters.

The roles in a dental practice lend themselves to compartmentalization, where everyone is doing his or her job in relative isolation, never really seeing the big picture or fully understanding the "why" of what they do.

This is why you have to communicate to the team the spirit of what you do. When you complete a major case, celebrate. If you have a day that goes particularly well, or there is a birthday or anniversary to note, mark it with style and energy.

To do this right you must put the right framework in place. It's important to get together with your team regularly in quarterly strategy meetings, and have annual educational retreats. It's necessary to create the right flourishing work environment. You have to put the right structure in place day by day and give every member of your team a reason not to be afraid to try.