Chris Barrow discusses why fun and motivational environments are key to creating a strong team and alleviating day-to-day pressures.
For the first three months of 2024 I’ve been on my quarterly workshop tour, hosting the one and only Michael Bentley presenting his ‘Reception Masterclass’ to my clients.
We invite great speakers every quarter and I’m singling out Michael for a special mention – simply because our audiences have been the most populated since The Extreme Business 100 began in January 2022.
It reminds me that dentists, treatment coordinators and managers may sometimes take courses and conferences for granted because they get to attend them regularly.
But this is not the case with front of house teams, whose feedback from Michael’s sessions has been tremendous.
Motivational environments
Firstly, Michael is one of the most talented and original speakers currently on the circuit, with a unique style.
Secondly, he has the authenticity of having done the job – a qualified dental nurse, experienced treatment coordinate and practice manager – he has walked the talk.
Thirdly, the material is priceless, a complete ‘how to’ on reception, with laughs all the way.
I’ve had the opportunity to sit at the side of the room in seven locations around the UK and just looking at the faces of my audience has been a pleasure.
So, listen when I say that you need to ask yourself how you are creating environments in which all of your team members can decide to become motivated by their future in dentistry.
We spend a lot of our lives at work, and in a world of challenges with recruitment, retention and remuneration, it is incumbent upon you to generate some fun to alleviate the day-to-day grind of getting through the patient list.
By the way – my clients have been bringing their team members to my workshops for over two years now (in my current coaching programme) and I’ve had feedback that dental nurses in their practices are asking ‘When are we going to get to go to a Chris Barrow day?’
With that in mind, I’ve agreed with Michael that he is going return in 2025 to deliver a dental nursing masterclass and, frankly, I cannot wait.
Making dentistry fun
When I look back at the best dental teams I have worked with over the past 25 plus years, the characteristics include:
- A genuine sense of appreciation within the team for each team member and the contributions they make. That will include periodic performance and behaviour reviews, from appraisal to personal progress interviews, but please don’t forget the simple ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ at the end of a challenging day. And get yourself a ‘Politeness Manifesto’ in place
- Remuneration that is attractive – top quartile for similar skill sets in our postcode. If your pay is peanuts, you know what you’ll get
- For those who have ambition, the opportunity to grow their career
- Fun!
It’s that last throwaway word that I just want to expand on – what does ‘fun’ mean when you are working in dentistry?
Days can be tough – with that I certainly agree – so, ‘fun’ is about providing memories and moments that your team can recall to counter-balance the moments when it becomes unbearably tough.
Dancing, doughnuts, days out
Here are some of my ‘fun’ list suggestions:
- The occasional coffee and doughnuts at your morning huddle won’t go amiss
- And maybe like Dental Rooms in Wimbledon, you will play dance music at every morning huddle and have a boogie! (Go and see their Instagram account)
- Recognising birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions and achievements in and out of work
- Spotting people doing great things and recognising them for that
- Booking tickets for social events – a local amdram concert or play, a summer BBQ or a Christmas pantomime
- Hiring a minibus and travelling to dental trade shows to spend the day attending lectures, looking at dental toys and enjoying a sleepover in a conference hotel
- Coming along to see great speakers at roadshows and workshop tours.
Trips out create legends – stories about ‘the fun we had’ that will stand the test of time and provide the counter-point to the hard days.
I’m always looking forward to my next guest speakers (this year, Sarah Buxton, Laura Horton and Ashley Latter) because I know that teams will have marked them in the calendar as red-letter days in their busy working lives.
Teams that can do that, stay together for longer.
Catch up on previous Dental Business Coach columns:
- Are you worried about your practice’s financial position?
- Don’t hide from financial planning
- Is your list half empty or half full?
- Planning for a profitable exit when selling your business
- A guide to setting your goals for 2024.
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