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By Rhonda Savage, D.D.S.

Throughout my years as a dentist involved with leadership and practice management, I've conducted an informal survey of my colleagues, including acquaintances, clients and friends. When asked what their three most common frustrations are in the practice of dentistry, many dentists respond: staff, staff and staff!

Rhonda Savage, D.D.S.

In speaking with staff, however, I often get a different answer. When asked the three main frustrations for staff, the responses have overwhelmingly been: lack of communication, lack of training and lack of appreciation.

It's hard to develop that smooth, well-knit team that communicates and functions like clock work. Yet isn't this the dream of all dental professionals? Imagine having the ability to go into your office, focus on your patient care and not worry about your stomach lining because of internal strife within the office. When I asked one doctor about his five-year goals and vision for the future of his practice, he pulled out a giant Costco-size bottle of Tums and said, "One day I want to be free of eating these things."

Office turmoil typically results when any sort of change happens; this is true of group dynamics at all levels, whether the group is the size of two or 30. But turmoil can also result from inadequate training or a lack of effective systems in your practice, as well as an inability on the part of the doctor to evaluate and measure the performance of staff. Frustration and miscommunication happens when the doctor holds staff accountable for performance and the doctor hasn't first clearly defined his or her expectations or trained the staff.

So how do we do all this for our staff when we are under pressure to perform on a daily basis? I would submit to you that one of the most effective, inexpensive, stomach-lining saving ways to improve your practice and decrease your stress is to invest in staff training. Training your staff will not only educate them; training improves communication and shows your appreciation.

What is appreciation? It's probably easier to talk about what it is not. Appreciation is not flattery. It's not saying, "Nice X-ray" or "Nice tray setup." It's not saying "Thanks for working so hard" as you're running out the door to meet your next commitment at the end of the day. Appreciation is best expressed sincerely, honestly, eye-to-eye and smile-to-smile; and it is incredibly powerful if you say how you feel in front of another staff person or a patient. Is appreciation easy? I would emphatically say no. But this is what your employees need, and they need it daily.

In fact, a needs assessment survey in over 1,000 offices defined the four main motivating factors of staff to be:

1. Appreciation and recognition;
2. A close-knit team;
3. Responsibility;
4. Wages and benefits.

Continuing education will help you meet the needs of your staff. Many offices do provide the doctor and hygienists with CDE benefits, but neglect the assistants and front office staff. Some doctors have told me, "Why should I invest in my staff? What if they leave?"

It's far more costly to your office to not train your staff.

Another complaint I hear is: "We went to a meeting and the staff only attended half of the session. It was a waste of my money."

Doctors, you have a right to set your expectations for the meeting in advance. Set your standards for dress code, attendance and participation, and then hold your staff accountable to these standards. Besides the clinical courses, visit the exhibit halls and review the new products and equipment. Send your staff out to research and bring back new ideas for your office. During the clinical sessions, I hope you all have asked your staff to note their three best ideas from each speaker.

I also hope you have reserved a half-day for a staff meeting to discuss these ideas and their implementation into your practice. Write them down and select two to three goals from the list. Take each goal separately. List the steps necessary and ask for volunteers to complete each step, writing down a completion date with each step. Create expectations and accountability, and then follow through.

As you complete a goal and cross it off, celebrate. This is the most often forgotten part of completing a goal. Once you complete a goal, decide on your next one. Only focus on two to three goals at a time, remembering that too much change is worse than no change at all.

Our upcoming Washington State Dental Association Pacific Northwest Dental Conference in July is one excellent way to meet the needs of your office and your team. The Staff Appreciation Luncheon is very popular; make your reservations as soon as possible as this event is sold out every year. With time, energy and investment in your team, you can pursue your vision, improve communication and very directly show your staff the appreciation they deserve.

Dr. Savage is a member of the Washington State Dental Association's Editorial Board and immediate past president of the WSDA Board of Directors. Her comments, reprinted here with permission, originally appeared in the February issue of The WSDA News.