Do’s and don’ts for team leadership

One of dentists’ major shortcomings as team leaders is their tendency to micromanage. Beyond short-circuiting staff development and diverting you from exercising your special professional skills, this habit also limits your practice’s productivity. You generate revenue when you’re chairside, not when you’re hovering over team members or taking administrative matters into your own hands. To grow, you need to focus on dentistry and delegate the rest.

Use training and targets to upgrade staff performance. To enable team members to handle their new responsibilities well, and to achieve the best results from delegation, you need to arrange for task-specific training. You should also assign performance targets to staff members. These targets will motivate them to excel and make it clear that everyone plays a role in the practice’s success.

Don’t slip back into bad habits. If you tend to micromanage others, you need to make a conscious effort to give delegation a chance to work. Rather than taking over when team members seem to be struggling or thinking about how you could perform the tasks better, leave the work in their hands. Offer advice or provide more training, but don’t revert to your old ways.

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.