North Texas Dentistry Volume 7 Issue 2 NTD 2017 ISSUE 2 DE | Page 20

Leading
Through
Change
practice leadership
Develop trust:
The essential key element necessary for voluntary
change to occur is trust. Unfortunately trust takes time to develop.
New practitioners, especially those that have purchased a mature
practice, should avoid the fatal mistake of introducing significant
change within the practice before establishing a bond of trust
with the staff. This scenario will often lead to failure, frustra-
tion, and potential loss of staff.
by Joel Small, DDS, MBA, ACC, FICD
Leading our staff through
periods of change and uncer-
tainty is one of the most critical
roles for us as leaders. We must
recognize that not everyone is
comfortable with change and that
Speak with one voice:
The entire leadership team must be unified in their
support of change. For solo practitioners, this is a
simple task, but when a practice manager or other doctors are in-
volved, it is imperative that all key players present a common mes-
sage in support of the suggested change. Division among the
leadership team will send a negative and confusing message to
the staff.
what we may perceive as minor
change may be viewed as a
major upheaval for certain
members of our team. It is
important that we introduce
new and different ideas or
processes in a manner that reduces
Be perfectly clear:
Nothing incites confusion, concern, and push back
more than poor communication about a desired change. In the ab-
sence of clarity, the staff is left to draw their own conclusions about
the nature of change and its impact on them. Unfortunately, when
this lack of clarity occurs, the staff is more likely to assume the
worst possible scenarios regarding the desired change.
staff concerns and ultimately staff
push back. Here are a few tips
that may assist you in bringing Present the vision:
about orderly and peaceful clear vision of what the change will look like once
change within your practice.
If we expect change to occur, we better have a
it is implemented, and we need to be able to com-
municate the vision so that it is shared by our staff. Included in a
well presented vision is an explanation of why change is neces-
sary, what will need to change for the vision to become reality, and
how the change will benefit the practice and staff.
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