Do's and don'ts for practice leadership: Become a better leader

Efficiency, productivity, and communication are all reflections of your leadership skills. A mismanaged practice is a stressful place to work, but dentists who work to improve their leadership skills can measurably reduce the stress in their practices.

Bring out your inner "coach." The relationship between a leader and a follower works best when it's like that of a teacher and a student. Rather than just giving orders, give guidance. Work to bring out team members' better qualities and help them develop new skills.

Don't forget to model good behavior. How you conduct yourself has everything to do with the way your staff members act at the office. If you want them to be patient-centric, cope well with stressful situations and display a "can-do" manner, show them how it's done.

Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the founder and CEO of Levin Group, the leading dental practice consulting firm in North America. For the complete list of dates and locations where you can attend his latest seminar, visit www.levingroup.com/gpseminars.

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