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Desert Dental Staffing is dedicated to matching team members with the right team. Our informational newsletter is dedicated to helping you keep a great dental team in place.

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Personnel Placement by Design is not just a byline, it is the way we live.

 

June/July 2010

 

Good Stuff to Chew On: Intentional Value = Personal Connection
Last month, I talked about integrating your personal values with the values you bring to your practice. I’m pleased to say that what I wrote about seemed to touch a chord and I had overwhelmingly positive feedback. This month, I’d like to take that concept to the next level – bringing intention to your relationship with your patients and staff. All too often, I hear people talk about how their dentist - and other people they do business with, for that matter - seems to view them as little more than dollar signs. What, they ask, has happened to the personal connection we saw so many years ago?
I think that as competition for a limited number of dollars grows, the temptation is to focus more and more on our bottom line. As the cash flow dwindles, we watch profitability decrease accordingly and obsession with financial survival sets in. Focusing on the old balance sheet is almost like the involuntary urge drivers feel to slow down and look at a wreck in the road as they pass. It’s only natural but it isn’t necessarily conducive to safe driving. When business is off, even if we know it is only temporary, we want to do whatever we can to turn the situation around and sometimes we start seeing our patients and employees as cash flow numbers rather than individuals. But what we fail to notice is that the less we focus on the “people” aspect of what we do, the more likely we to alienate the very people upon whom we depend for our livelihood.
So what does bringing intention to your connection to your patients and employees look like? It starts with cultivating an attitude that puts you into the other person’s shoes then looking at each interaction through that filter. Think about what you expect when you take your business to someone. What tells you they genuinely care about you as a person?
  • They listen to you. They respect your fears and concerns and are ready to propose alternative solutions to address your needs.
  • They respect your schedule and limitations. As a dentist, this means being adaptable, sometimes even working nights or weekends or changing well-laid plans. One dentist I know of earned one patient’s undying gratitude in this way. The patient was just a couple of days away from losing her family’s dental insurance and needed checkups and cleanings for her entire family before that happened. Respecting her deadline, the dentist and his staff accommodated her need by contacting several patients and asking if they would mind re-scheduling their appointments so he could help her. They put the request in such a way that everyone not only felt they had done a good deed for someone else but also knew their dentist genuinely cared about his patients.
  • They take the extra steps needed to learn more about who you are and what you value. And they take that into account in their dealings with you. In short, they become connected and engaged with you on a personal level.
  • They create a sense of ease and comfort in their interactions with you. This is somewhat of an intangible quality, but it is natural for people who allow themselves to be genuine. If you’re like me, you can spot the phonies. And they always put you on your guard. Before you know it, you find yourself with one hand instinctively protecting your wallet. They difference between phony and real is that people will buy from people they believe care about them.
If your desire is to be intentional in providing value to your patients, you will need to always remain aware of your intentions. It is far too easy to slip into old habits. To avoid the trap of complacency, regularly ask yourself …
  • What am I truly here for?
  • How do I create value?
  • Am I genuine in my communications with my employees and patients?
  • When I think of my patients, what do I see – dollar signs or people?
Finally, remember this … no matter how much dollar value you offer in your services, money will get patients in the door, but caring will keep them coming back!

 

Quote of the Month

"There is a basic law that like attracts like. Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results. Conversely, if a person habitually thinks optimistically and hopefully his positive thinking sets in motion creative forces - and success instead of eluding him flows toward him."

~Norman Vincent Peale~

 

April 2010

Good Stuff to Chew On: Personal and Professional Value-based Intentions

 
Every dentist I know is deeply committed to the success and smooth operation of their practice. That is why I write so much about ways to create success. It is at the heart of the relationship we have built over the years and why I take my goal of building balanced teams so seriously. But sometimes a commitment to professional success can become so consuming that you lose sight of the personal side of your life. Many people fail to consider that their personal life and their professional commitment are usually as intimately connected as the warp and woof strands of a fine silk. Lose your way in one aspect and you can be sure the other will suffer on some level.
At the beginning of this year, I wrote about setting intentions rather than making resolutions for the new year. And I talked primarily about the intentions you set for your practice. If you want to give those intentions the greatest chance of success, they must be in alignment with your core values, the ones that you hold close on a personal as well as a professional level. For me, those values are tied to my faith. For others, they may come from a personal sense of ethics or right and wrong. No matter what their source may be, maintaining a clear focus on those values and goals will help you move through whatever challenges life may send your way. That is the beauty of living intentionally.
Health and relationship challenges are realities of life. So are the (hopefully rare) struggles with employees and patients. No matter what is happening around you, dealing with the challenges from the perspective of your own value system will give you the strength to do what you know must be done to not only resolve the challenge but to do it in a way that is comfortable for you over the long term.
You may find that relying solely on your sense of what is right in any given situation is not always enough to completely settle the issue. I have found that building a strong, reliable team of resources such as staffing agencies, mentors, coaches, writers, and other professionals whose strengths fill in where you are least strong will help you stay focused on your goals and deal with each challenge as it comes along. Of course, you want that team of advisors to be compatible with your goals but you don’t want to merely surround yourself with “yes-men” who all think exactly as you do. Rather, look for the people who will push you to stretch the limits of your problem solving and your thinking. At the end of the day, you will find that the outside “junk” can no longer distract you from your goals. Your frustrations will be less. And, perhaps best of all, you will seamlessly integrate your personal life with your professional objectives and thus discover a clear path to living a full and rewarding life.
Quote of the Month
 
"Six essential qualities that are the key to success: Sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdon, charity."
~William Menninger
 
Create the Best Team for Your Practice with Desert Dental Staffing
At Desert Dental Staffing, one of our primary goals is to serve as your advisor to create the best team for your practice. Our success is linked to yours. Make your practice the one that succeeds with permanent or temporary team members we match to your office.
Click here now to place an order ...
For temp staff, Please give us a call today at 602-840-4703.

 

 February 2010

 

Look for Desert Dental Staffing at the Dental Convention!
Will you be attending the big Western Regional Dental Convention that is being held here in Phoenix this weekend from March 4th to the 6th? If so, please stop by our booth (#918). We’d love to see you and catch up on what your intentions are for 2010.
Good Stuff to Chew On: Staffing with Intention – A Strategic Plan
If you’re like me, you have been following the country’s economic news closely. After all, what happens in the nation affects every small business owner. That means you and me. The great news is that there are signs of recovery. Even unemployment seems to be improving. You may be about ready to increase your permanent staff, so now is the time to be thinking about how you hire people.
Most employers, dentists included, are very careful to develop a strategic business plan, but all too often they are totally unprepared for hiring a new employee. Imagine the results you could achieve, the harmony you could encourage in your office if you were as intentional about staffing as you are about every other aspect of your business. It’s really not that difficult to do and the rewards are huge.
I’m sure you have given much thought to what you are trying to accomplish with your practice (if not, do it now!). But you should also consider what you are trying to accomplish with your staff. They are the engine that propels you to achieving your primary goals. If they do not function at peak performance, you may still get there, but like a Nascar driver with a sick engine, you may be forced to limp across the line. Wouldn’t you rather finish in front?
As you consider future hires, first consider what you are striving to achieve in your office’s environment:
  1. Strive for balance. You want your employees’ gifts and talents to complement one another. In some positions, for example, you need a person who is highly focused and on task. In others, you need someone with a gentle approach, one who is diplomatic and completely people-oriented. The two could be the same person, but most likely they will not be and they will have very different styles. Hiring with intention helps you put the right person in the right job.
  2. Strive for commitment. A dental staff is often much like a family. If everyone is committed to a common goal, the rewards come more quickly and are usually richer. A committed staff is key to those rewards.
  3. Strive for teamwork. Teamwork helps achieve harmony and makes cross training much easier. As a result, you’ll find your office working like that well–tuned engine with everyone pitching in to make things happen. I could write for pages about teamwork, but the most important thing to remember is that teams are made up of individuals who, when they work together, can achieve far more than any of them can achieve alone. The team must be able to work together effectively so strive for that collaborative working relationship. You’ll be rewarded by clear communications and, ultimately, patient satisfaction. 
  4. Strive for service. Today, more than ever, your patients are people expecting a return to the standards of service many thought were lost. They respond to a genuine desire on the part of you and your staff to make their experience at the dentist a positive one. Foster an attitude of service in your staff and you will be amazed at the results you see.
So if balance, commitment, teamwork and service are your intentions with your staff, how can you shape your hiring plan to achieve them? First of all, have a plan. Know how many people you need and what functions they will perform. Then define the roles each person will assume. Finally, once you are ready to hire, rigorous screening is crucial to evaluating the candidate’s capabilities. You want to be sure each individual’s personality and behavioral style fits not only the position they will fill but also the culture you have cultivated in your office. Having a certified DiSCâpractitioner evaluate your existing team and any potential candidates is an excellent and painless way to assure a team that agrees on the standards of balance, commitment, teamwork and service you want to encourage.
DiSCâ profiling is one of the best tools around for evaluating behavioral styles and personalities. As a model of human behavior, it helps people understand why they do what they do and it ultimately helps develop better communication and builds stronger relationships among co-workers, managers, doctors and patients. Most importantly from a staffing perspective, it helps you achieve optimum staffing goals and, on a very basic level, makes order out of what might often feel like chaos.
The bottom line is that staffing with intention can help you create an office that runs like a perfectly tuned sports car that wins every race. The right people in your office will attract new patients and they will help you keep your existing patients not only coming back but also referring others to you. The choice is yours but that shiny sports car sure does feel good and it is within your reach.
Quote of the Month
"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives."
~William A. Foster

 

 

 

January 2010
 
Good Stuff to Chew On: Intentions Instead of Resolutions
 
Did you make New Year’s resolutions again this year? Have you kept them? If you’re like most people in the world (yes, me included), the chances are that about now, the resolutions are beginning to slip a bit. The thing about them is that they are usually about stuff you want to change or correct in your life. They reflect a decision you have made to behave in a certain manner and they often tend to be based on deprivation in some form or another. And so, most of us tend to view resolutions as a list of “shoulds,” something most of us subconsciously resist. That can set you up for failure.
What if you chose instead to focus on your intentions for the year? I like to believe that our intentions are broader and more hopeful at heart than resolutions. They are the things you want to do, to achieve, to accomplish. They reflect a course of action you intend to follow. They are based on abundance and possibility while resolutions look at trying to change many of the things we have already had difficulty changing.
I know the difference between resolutions and intentions may be subtle so think of it this way. Some resolutions for your practice, for example, might be: answer all telephones by the third ring; grow the practice by 10% in 12 months; reduce expenses by 15%; lose 50 pounds. OK, I threw that last one in because just about everyone resolves to lose weight. Of course, remember that most people fail on that one and make the same resolution year after year. That’s the thing about resolutions. As often as not, they fail.
An intention for your practice, on the other hand, might look something like: make this office a place where people enjoy coming to work and patients feel welcome; create a practice that sets the standard for patient service; inspire word of mouth referrals. You get the picture. Achieving such intentions means addressing every facet of your practice, from staffing and motivation to the way you market and interact with your patients. Intention, very simply, can change the culture of your entire practice and positively impact the way you do business on a very basic level.
So this year, instead of making the same old stale resolutions for your practice, perhaps you could consider stating your intentions to manifest the beating heart of your practice. Then try this:
  1. Every day, take some purposeful action and do something different to achieve your dreams. You’re not sure what those dreams are, you say? Many people don’t. Now is the time to figure them out. Where do you want your practice to be at this time next year? In five years? In ten? Be realistic, but don’t limit yourself to the safe and the proven path. The key is to become clear on what your intentions are and then take action.
  2. Write your intentions down – quantify them. This will make them real to you and to your staff.
  3. Make a map that starts with “You are here.” Imagine someone telling you to get to Timbuktu. Do you think you could get there if you did not know where you are right now? But once you know where you are, you can plan the trip. The same is true of your practice. Know where you are. Know where you want to be. Then think about the details of what comes in between the two. You might consider starting with a year end review for 2009 and ask yourself what worked last year and what did not.
  4. Prepare yourself to let go of where you are and then let go. The only way you can get to where you want to be – ever – is to let go of where you are right now. 
  5. Take baby steps. Every marathon starts with running the first mile – and then the one after that, the next one, and so on. With your intentions, map out what you and your staff need to do each day, each week, each month to get you to that final goal.
  6. Be a turtle. There’s an old saying that goes something like, “Behold the turtle. He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out.” That means you may need to take some risks to get where you want to be. You may have your share of failures, but you will ultimately make progress if you are willing to take the necessary risks.
This year, one of my intentions is to focus many of my newsletters on intention and how being intentional about the various aspects of your practice can help you reach the pinnacle of success you so richly deserve. The trip should be both fun and rewarding. Will you join me?
Quote of the Month
"Believe Big. The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success. Remember this, too! Big ideas and big plans are often easier - certainly no more difficult - than small ideas and small plans." 
~ David J. Schwartz
 
Be Intentional with Your Staffing . Desert Dental Staffing Can Help.
Staffing with intention is easier than you can imagine with our help. We will be your partner in bringing people into your practice who can share in the dreams your intentions represent. For about the price of a single crown, we will provide the ideal person to fit the intention of your practice. Make your practice the one that succeeds with permanent or temporary team members we match to your office.
Click here now to place an order …
For temp staff, Please give us a call today at 602-840-4703.