How do you foster growth within a dental practice when we have a less-than-ideal economy? The catalyst is effective leadership. But what makes a leader effective?
Someone once said, “A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader; a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” Dentists who are great leaders inspire their dental teams to have confidence that new ideas will meet an open set of ears and concerns can be addressed without fear of retribution. Great leadership therefore creates fertile ground for innovation.
We have all experienced meetings where innovative ideas go unsaid, where healthy debate and discussion are tabled to give way to a leader’s pride. We have also witnessed situations where encouragement and positive feedback are non-existent. What type of attitude does that create? Certainly not an attitude for growth.
I have been stunned at times by the innovation that pours out during dental team meetings; creative ideas that contribute to the success of the practice. This occurs in practices where the dentist’s leadership style fosters an attitude for growth. And this help build a team made up of more than just clock-punchers.
If you are interested in growing your practice, look no further than the mirror. Consider how many times your reaction or inaction potentially stifled creativity and innovation within your team. Or how many times you focused your leadership efforts on making the team have confidence in you. Effective leadership requires more than that. If you want to take your practice to the next level, consider the steps you can take with your team to inspire an attitude for growth.