Dos and don'ts for leadership: What's so special about your practice?

You need to differentiate yourself and stand for something to have people attracted to your practice because of qualities that make it unique and interesting. After all, why should people come to your office rather than another? The answer lies in the competitive advantages you are able to establish and sustain.

Decide what your competitive advantages are:

• Do you have an incredible staff in your office so that when patients walk in, they are overwhelmed by how nice members of your team are?
• Will your team go the extra mile for all patients?
• Will your practice communicate in every way to patients that serving them is a pleasure?

Don't be a generic dentist. You may have superior clinical skills and remarkable test scores from dental school, but your patients may never know that. While you can't tell them that, your staff can. If patients can't see how you differ from other dentists, their loyalty to your practice will always be minimal.