Qualities of a Great Leader in a Dental Practice

As many experienced dentists know, learning and applying the technical aspects of dentistry is only half of what it takes to be successful. Whether a doctor is running his or her own solo practice or working as an associate alongside many others, leadership plays an enormous role in setting the course for your professional career as well as the future of your practice as a whole.

Here are some leadership qualities we often see successful dentists portray in their own practices:

1. Have a clear vision - If a patient were to walk into your practice a year from today, what would be different? What about five years? Or ten? Having a written, clearly-defined vision for your practice not only help set future goals and objectives for sustaining and improving patient care, but it also gives your dental team a target to shoot for each and every day.
2. Get your team motivated - Motivate your team in a style that matches the vision of your practice. Setting clear goals and measuring success through performance targets is a great way to increase productivity and keep everyone on task. Learn how your team responds to different stimuli as well. If you sense your morning routines are becoming drab and motivation is low, consider having special days, change in dress, or activities that involve patients to help shake things up. 
3. Don’t settle for less – With competition at an all-time high in the dental industry, now is not the time to sit back and coast when it comes to providing excellent care each and every time a patient is in the chair. Excelling in all areas of your practice, from friendly customer service when a patient walks in the door to the dental treatment itself and your own bedside manner, will all play pivotal roles in determining the success of your practice.
4. Continuing education = continuing success – Continue to challenge yourself to grow professionally and personally every day. Whether its books and articles, classes, or professional peer groups, find a way to continually develop and hone your leadership skills.
5. Be a good example – When it comes to your actions, attitude, and reactions, how you control your own emotions will become a clear indicator of how the rest of your team should control theirs. Maintaining a positive energy and treating each team member with respect are key elements in developing your role as a successful leader.
6. Clearly communicate your expectations – This is an area where many dentists (and bosses in general) really struggle. Developing great policies and procedures for your practice is great in theory, but if none of those ideas and expectations are communicated effectively, they become useless. Reinforce your expectations in employee handbooks, morning huddles, and one-on-one meetings with staff regularly. Hearing the same expectations daily reiterates their importance and helps keep everyone on-track.

Becoming an effective leader doesn’t happen overnight, and it most certainly doesn’t come without intentional effort. How successful you are at becoming an effective leader ripples through every aspect of your dental practice, and can in many cases make or break the success of your team as a whole. With some patience and practice, though, any dentist can mature into a great leader and set their practice on course for many years of success and prosperity.


ETS Dental is a Dental Recruiting firm specializing in finding and placing General Dentists, Dental Specialists, and Dental Staff throughout the United States. www.etsdental.com

Don’t Do This on Your Next Interview

Interviewing for any job requires a few steps, and most of the time the early steps in the interview process determine if you continue to move forward.  While many of the dentists I speak with understand that they need to “sell” themselves, others jump right to questions or make statements that will leave me or any potential employer wondering if we should even waste our time moving forward.

Here are some common examples of things that end your chances of moving forward in the interview process with a Dental Practice.

1. Not showing a spark of excitement and interest.  You have to do more than say things.  A great attitude and personality will get you everywhere.  Monotone and uninterested will end it before it even starts.  Everyone is saying they have great patient rapport, strong communication, and that all their patients love them.  Skills can be taught, personality and attitude cannot.

2. Trying to negotiate compensation during the phone interview. While many dental companies, groups, and practices may have set compensation models, I assure you that if you are really worth it, they will be willing to negotiate the package.  However, they will not and cannot do this without first meeting you in person and thoroughly understanding you and how you may fit into the organization. 

3. Leading with a list of 20 questions regarding the practices history, current staff tenure, compensation model, if they will pay for interview travel, copy of fee schedule, etc. The point of the phone interview is threefold: Make basic introductions, share a summary of the practice opportunity, and communicate why you should be interviewed in person.  Phone interviews lead to face to face interviews.  Face to face interviews are where all the details are shared with you.

4. Complaining about the poor ethics or criminal acts of your current/previous employer(s).  We have all had poor experiences at some point in our careers.  However, you have to craft a professional response as to why those previous employers were not right for you.   I recently interviewed a general dentist who stated ethical concerns he had with his past 3 employers.  It is hard to believe that he won’t use that reason for the next.  We start to think the problem is the doctor and not the practice.

5. Making your current economic situation the practice’s problem.  Interview for the job.  Help the practice owner understand why you are the best dentist for the practice by focusing on your skills and how you will benefit the practice.  Don’t tell the owner you need a job because you need money.  That does not show long-term commitment.  It just shows you need a paycheck to get by right now.

Written by Carl Guthrie, Search Consultant for the Western U.S.  Carl can be contacted at cguthrie@etsdental.com, 540-491-9104.