management
MORNING HUDDLES
Take Control Of Your Dental Practice
by Dr . Sharon Tiger
Being a leader who communicates effectively is a skill that is critical for building and maintaining a successful dental practice . Communication is about getting things done , while also keeping the team engaged and connected . Dentists must establish practice goals and know how to communicate priorities to the team . Designating a time for productive conversations with your employees will help increase their confidence with daily tasks and patient care .
This type of communication can be accomplished by having a morning huddle , a daily meeting where the entire team prepares for the day . Although many doctors might not see the initial value of this meeting , I have found throughout my consulting experience that the most successful practices recognize the importance of a powerful morning huddle .
The morning huddle is a brief 15-20 minute meeting which occurs before the first scheduled patient of the day . This is an opportunity for the dentist to set the tone for the day by showing up in a positive frame of mind . An essential part of being a leader is to be fully present for your team throughout the entire day and not distracted by any outside concerns . A team is a mirror image of their leader , and depending on the doctor ’ s attitude on a specific day , the staff will often reflect the attitude they observe . This is a powerful image for a leader to keep in mind .
1 . ORGANIZING YOUR MORNING HUDDLE
The dentist should choose a different team member to lead the morning huddle each month . The leader must be upbeat and organized since he / she will be accountable for leading the daily meeting for the entire month . The following month , the dentist will choose a different employee to lead .
The team will stand in a huddle in the break room or any other available quiet area . If everyone begins to sit in their chairs , the meeting becomes unfocused and begins to drag . There is no eating breakfast during the meeting . By standing , the team can remain energized and motivated in moving the meeting along .
The dentist should be the first one there , arriving 5-10 minutes before the morning huddle .
All team members will bring a pen , a highlighter , a copy of the day ’ s schedule and the route sheets for the patients they will be taking care of that day .
The route sheets should be replacing the need to bring patient charts to the meeting since they contain all the necessary information for your patients . For example , if the patient has family members who are overdue , it will be displayed on the route sheet and serve as a reminder to your team to schedule those family members . If the patient has unscheduled treatment , the hygienist or clinical assistant can address it in the operatory . When the dentist enters the room , he / she can reinforce the treatment concerns mentioned to the patient . This system is critical to increasing case acceptance !
All team members should review their route sheets the day before to be fully prepared for the morning huddle . Clinical team should also be prepared to know which patient will be shown an intra-oral picture of unscheduled treatment .
The dentist should be engaged in the meeting as well .
22
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www . northtexasdentistry . com