5 steps to developing your team

You can’t run your clinic alone. Whether you are a large center or a small clinic, you likely will need to manage both professional and support staff. You may need other dentists, specialists, hygienists, office managers and front desk personnel to be part of the team.

This staff may come with a wide range of educational backgrounds and, depending on the

individual positions, may require varying levels of supervision. This article will focus on

tools to set goals and to track performance of the clinic’s staff and use the results to

empower your workforce so you can meet your financial and clinical goals.

Sikka Software has worked with dental practices to find ways to grow their businesses for

the last 11 years. We make apps that help dentists set goals, find new sources of revenue

and interact with patients. You can find out more about our products, including tools to set

goals to track your clinic and staff’s performance, at sikkasoft.com/dental.

Also by the author: Key statistics and best trends in dental practice management: 2012 to 2014

1. Think about what you want to accomplish: Before you can encourage change, you must have an idea of what you want for your clinic. Think about how you want yourclinic to grow: financially, by number of patients or by more personnel? What wouldit take to meet those goals in the clinic? Also, think about the time it will take to scale up your operation.

2. Determine your metrics: Once you have your general plan, set goals for individuals in the clinic that align with your overall goals. Whether your goals for the clinic are large, like growing the number of locations or providers, or small, like increasing financial security, you need to build a measurable roadmap for reaching those goals. Metrics may be varied. For a visiting specialist in a practice, you may find that you require a certain number of procedures to make the relationship feasible.For hygienists, their goal be may number of cleanings completed and rescheduled. The most important part of determining your metrics is to make sure your goals are measurable. If you cannot track progress, it is easy to get sidetracked and miss your timeline.

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3. Share your goals: Your staff needs to be aware of your expectations. Make sure you sit down with each member and discuss his or her importance to the team and how he or she can facilitate growth. This is also the time to discuss what results or outcome will be tied to performance on the metrics.

4. Measure performance: Keep track of performance over time to let your staffmembers know how they are doing. This also lets you know if you are on track tomeet your timeline.

 Related reading: 4 ways dental assistants can increase their value in the practice

5. Reward: As your team members progress and meet your goals, have an incentive for their success that you have agreed upon together. This may be as simple as tying salary to performance or providing additional financial incentives for increased production or goal completion. Rewards will help engage your team members and make them feel included, incentivizing them to help you meet your practice goals.

You have dreams for that practice, but reaching your goals can be challenging. Knowing where you are going and how you will get there is key to success. Your team will be with you every step of the way, and their contributions to the practice will be integral to reaching those goals. Each team member has something to offer, from increasing the number of booked appointments to building your marketing program to completing treatment plans. Using the goal-setting process with them will direct their efforts towards your trajectory.

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