It is true that mistakes provide the grounds for sound learning. However, it is still better if you can learn from the experience of others and not make critical mistakes, to begin with – especially when their impact is detrimental to the success of your practice. Misunderstanding leadership is one of those big mistakes that can easily be avoided with little guidance.
So what do we strive for when we talk about leadership? My favourite definition is:
“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he/she wants to do it.”
Leaders help themselves and others to do the right things. They set direction, build an inspiring vision, and create something new. Leadership is about mapping out where you need to go to “win” as a team or an organisation, and it should be dynamic, exciting, and inspiring.
However, there are some common mistakes that I see being repeatedly made. The following are, in my experience, the five biggest leadership mistakes:
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Misunderstanding Motivation.
When this happens, many practice owners get hallowed into team bonding exercises and treats. They think that if they can get the team to do a fun activity, then it will create a single combined, cohesively working unit. This cannot be more further from the truth. Other dentists think that successful leadership is all about financially rewarding their team alone. When practice owners develop this mindset, then every decision after that becomes focused on money for both the practice principal and the team. This can work for a short while, but it can also create longstanding disruption in how your team perceives you or how willing they eventually become to follow you. Crack the whip too often, and you will get frustrated about why everyone else isn’t as motivated. So do you know what truly motivates your team? Here’s a hint: chances are, it’s not just money! Many leaders mistake assuming that their team is only working for monetary reward. However, it’s unlikely that this will be the only thing that motivates them. It might be work/life balance; for others, it might be appreciated.
LEADERSHIP TIP: The key is to figure this out what truly motivates individual team members by taking the time to understand their personal goals and aspirations.
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Confusing Micro-Management.
One of your team has just completed an important project you set them. The problem is that she misunderstood the project’s specifications and your expectations, and you didn’t stay in touch with her as she was working on it. Now, she has completed the project in the wrong way, and you’re faced with more resource allocation and perhaps more expense. Micromanagement is like a dirty word to some leaders, but too much macro-management with no micromanagement is not suitable for the business either. Hence it is critical that some of the most important projects, especially those that have a direct impact on your bottom line, are somewhat micromanaged by the leader. This can be done by the clarity of your expectations. However, micromanagement is exactly that managing the small stuff that makes a significant impact. It does not mean doing micro-work. Also, do not confuse micromanagement with delegation. Some managers don’t delegate because they feel that no one apart from themselves can do key jobs properly. This can cause massive problems as work bottlenecks around them as they become stressed and burned out. Delegation does take a lot of effort up-front, and it can be hard to trust your team to do the work correctly. But unless you delegate tasks, you’re never going to have time to focus on the “broader view” that most leaders and managers are responsible for. What’s more, you’ll fail to develop your people so that they can take the pressure off you.
LEADERSHIP TIP: Work on your business via macromanagement but don’t forget the small stuff that often creates the biggest impact on your business.
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Having no direction.
If the practice owner doesn’t know where he/she intends to steer the practice, then there is little chance that the team will know or understand. Also, even if there is a vision, often it is more a dream, and the person doesn’t believe in it wholeheartedly. When this happens, the vision is merely a point on a wish list. It then becomes difficult to turn it into a reality. Therefore you need to define goals for the entire team. When your people don’t have clear goals, they muddle through their day. They can’t be productive if they have no idea what they’re working for or towards. They also can’t prioritise their workload effectively, meaning that projects and tasks get completed in the wrong priority order.
LEADERSHIP TIP: Review your Vision, Mission and Goals with your team on a regular basis to stay on track.
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Selling without leadership.
Thinking that it is possible to get a “yes” from patients for large, high-value comprehensive cases without true leadership can lead to frustration. This is because higher value treatment plans often require more teamwork and greater cohesive efforts in order to deliver more value to the patient. Also, higher value comprehensive cases are often more complex than simpler cases and thus, better communication, organisation and coordination are required amongst the entire team. Thus, high-value case acceptances need effective and efficient leadership from practice managers and principal dentists.
LEADERSHIP TIP: Team preparation via morning and weekly meetings can gear up the entire team to execute a flawless case acceptance process. Also, enhanced communication skills within the team can help to gain greater case acceptances.
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Thinking that your team will follow you just because you are the boss.
It is essential to be seen in the business interacting with your team. When you’re a manager or leader, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in your workload that you don’t make yourself available to your team. You may have essential work that needs to be done, but your team must come first – without you being available when they need you, your team won’t know what to do, and they won’t have the support and guidance that they need to meet their objectives. Management via “walking the floor” is a great way to be involved in your practice. This is when you walk around the practice whenever you can (taking notes on how to improve the practice) and talk to team members to make sure that they understand their roles fully. This interaction can help your team feel that you are available to them and foster creativity.
LEADERSHIP TIP: It only takes about 5 minutes a day to “walk the floor”. Nurture innovative ideas, practice humility and take the time to listen to your team. You never know where the next creative idea can come from and every business needs to think outside the box.
It’s true that making a mistake can be a learning opportunity. But, taking the time to learn how to recognise and avoid common mistakes can help you become productive and successful and highly respected by your team.
Talk to us about how we can help with leadership skills to improve your dental practice. Get in touch with us today.
