practice management
Emotional Intelligence
THE EXTRAORDINARY POWER OF
L
Leadership & Case Acceptance by Feel
ike it or not, dentists need to
manage the mood of their practice. Moods are less intense sustained emotional states. Gifted
dentists accomplish this through a blend of
psychological abilities called Emotional
Intelligence. They recognize their own
feelings and those of others, plus manage
their emotions in a way that positively
influences others. We constantly interact
with and respond to the emotions of others. This is called interpersonal limbic
regulation. It’s so powerful that when
three strangers sit silently facing one
another for two to three minutes, the most
emotionally expressive person affects the
by Bob Frazer, Jr., DDS
emotional state of the other two.1 And, no
words were spoken! Research has shown
that the leader’s emotions have the
largest influence on the emotional climate of any group. When leaders drive
emotions positively, it’s called resonance.
When negative, it’s dissonance.2 Our
office’s emotional climate has a huge
impact on our patients’ sense of safety and
trust, directly affecting their acceptance of
our treatment recommendations.
In the early ‘60s, a study utilizing a patient
survey to better understand patient
perceptions of excellence was done by
SRI. The Academy of Dental Practice
Administration identified 25 finest prac-
18 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
tices. Those practices included the likes of
Drs. L.D. Pankey, Bob Barkley, Harold
Wirth, etc. SRI randomly surveyed one
hundred patients in each practice, asking
them a series of questions including the
perception of doctor’s competence, punctuality, availability, communication ability,
satisfaction with fee, caring, etc. I remember Dr. Barkley recounting this research.
With such outstanding practices, all scores
were high, but by far the highest score was
given to one statement in the survey:
“The doctor and his staff genuinely
like one another.”