The biggest “one thing” that I have found driving practices of all sizes is the staff. The staff is the all important middle man between the patient and the doctor. They are the buffer zone. They are the point of contact with the patient. And, furthermore, they are the “one thing” that can make or break a practice.
Think about it. If the doctor is a little too timid, maybe someone on the staff can pick up the slack by being more assertive in helping the patient schedule or book a procedure. If the doctor is too forceful, the staff can be calm and assuring to let them know that it is going to be all right. I can’t tell you how many staff members have told me that once the doctor finishes explaining things to the patient and leaves, that the patient will turn to the staff member and ask one of these questions.
- “What did the doctor just say?” or
- “What do you think I should do?”
Let’s check our egos and step outside of our fancy white coats and big college pedigrees for a moment.
It is a FACT. A large portion of your patients thinks more of your staff’s opinion and expertise than they do of yours. Let that soak in.
So, what next now that you know that your staff can absolutely make or break your office?
I’ll tell you what next. You have to figure out what makes your staff tick. What makes them happy and sad? What makes them want to get up in the morning and drag into YOUR office instead of someone else’s? What motivates them? What secrets are they hiding from you?
Secrets? Yes, you heard that right. Your staff has secrets. Some of them you may have already guessed. Others, maybe not. I’m suspecting that a lot of doctors out there are totally oblivious to the fact that their staff’s minds are not in total lockstep with theirs 100 percent of the time.
This is not always a bad thing. In fact, it would be a very boring office if everyone there felt and thought the same way. However, as the head honcho, you need to know what might be holding your staff back from taking the vision of your practice and implementing it. As dentists we just cannot look the other way and ignore performances on our teams that are not 100 percent committed.
I wish I could just say, “Good enough is good enough,” and go on with my life. But, I’ve seen the light. I know the day is dawning where we as a profession simply cannot hang a shingle and be as successful as we want. I think you are already seeing this everywhere. But what can we do about it?
I’ll tell you what. We can tap into our greatest resource (our staff) and find out just how good our practices can be. We just have to figure out their secrets first.
Once you discover the secrets that your staff members are hiding, you can break down the barriers that have sapped productivity and caused squabbling in your practice for so long. One of the greatest findings of Dr. Griffin during his consultation with dental practices has been that once everyone is aware of the few little things that have been nagging at them, they can resolve longstanding issues and enjoy fun, profitable growth to superstar levels. You can get your free CD explaining the 5 most common Staff Secrets at www.dentalstaffsecrets.com.