Do's and don'ts for making changes

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught practices anything, it is that they must be open to change and find better ways of working in both clinical and administrative areas. Rather than clinging to the way things were, take a positive approach to learning new skills and protocols. Your practice should provide training opportunities -- and you should take full advantage of them.

Make nonclinical decisions quickly. When making a choice that may change how your practice operates, ask a "golden question": How will this decision affect our profit at the end of the year? If the answer is "positively," move forward. If the answer is "negatively" or "I don't know," then consider a different option. It really can be that simple to make decisions efficiently.

Don't forget to keep an open mind. Team members will be inspired if they see their leader replacing obsolete thinking with new ideas, learning better ways to run the practice as a business, and paying serious attention to team members' comments and suggestions for change. A "my way or the highway" attitude does not signify strength. It tells staff members that they are not being paid to think. A leader inspires by listening, learning, adapting, and distributing credit where it belongs.

Dr. Roger P. Levin is CEO of Levin Group, a leading practice management and marketing consulting firm. To contact him or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit LevinGroup.com or email [email protected].

The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.