Guess what, dentists? You are a green bean!
That's right. In public's eye, you are a green bean -- a commodity. They see each of you the same. You ...
- Graduated from dental school
- Have a dental license
- Perform identical procedures
From the outside, you’re lined up on the same shelf as every other dentist in town. But there is one thing no other dentist has: Your practice’s work culture.
Your work culture is your practice’s most powerful and distinctive competitive advantage. It's what can make your practice soar above all other practices. It is unique to you, your team, and your practice. No other dentist can buy or duplicate it.
What is work culture, really?
Sandy Baird, MBA.
Work culture isn’t just “team morale” or “how well everyone gets along.” It’s far deeper than that. Work culture is the feel of the practice -- it is something patients sense instantly and that employees experience daily.
Your operating systems determine what your team does. Your culture determines how they do it. Practice management experts can evaluate and help develop the following characteristics:
- How the team treats each other
- How, together, the team treats patients
- The team’s passion for what they do
- How they communicate
- Their attitudes
- Their team spirit
- Their punctuality and attendance
- Their customer service
- The pride they take in their work and the practice
Think work culture doesn’t matter? Think again
Maybe you are thinking, work culture? It’s “undefinable,” “touchy-feely,” and unimportant for you and your practice. You think the elements that elevate your dental practice to its highest potential are your dental skills, technology, and deep knowledge.
Think again. Technology is available for any dentist to purchase; that is no advantage. And how can patients even distinguish good clinical skills from excellent clinical skills? The answer is, they can’t. What makes your practice worth their loyalty and referrals is how your practice makes them feel.
- Do patients feel welcome?
- Do you see them on time?
- Is the team helpful, friendly, and personable?
- Do patients get your undivided attention?
The ROI of a healthy dental work culture
Developing and maintaining a healthy work culture takes time, resources, consistency, energy, and intention.
So what’s in it for you, your team, your patients, and your practice? Well, some of the benefits of a positive work culture include:
- Increased team loyalty and retention
- Deepened patient loyalty and compliance
- Increased productivity and revenue
- Established team accountability
- Boosted team morale, energy, and engagement
- Enhanced reputation and patient referrals
- Reduced team drama, leadership headaches, and daily stress
- Increased patient reviews
- An ability to attract and retain higher-quality employees
The building blocks of a healthy work environment
Dental practice leadership
Your culture mirrors the practice management’s actions, words, and leadership skills.
Culture begins with what leaders say and do, even when they think no one is watching. When a dentist speaks with respect and empathy about patients, that energy ripples through the entire practice.
The opposite is also true. Cynicism, gossip, or frustration -- even in private -- quietly erodes trust within a team. This creates an environment of fear, blame, and drama.
Great leaders assume the best in others. They understand that behind every anxious, late, or demanding patient is a human being with worries, problems, and a personality that deserves understanding, not judgment.
Leaders also model integrity. They follow the laws governing their profession and treat every person -- rich or poor, educated or not -- with equal respect and dignity.
Your leadership behavior and your practice management skills tell your team, “This is who we are.” And that becomes your culture.
Effective leadership is a skill and a set of tools that any dentist can and should learn.
Dental practice management tools
Great cultures don’t happen because a team “gets along.” They happen because leaders intentionally put in place systems, expectations, and communication skills that foster alignment and a sense of belonging.
Here are the core components of a thriving dental culture and successful practice.
Mission statement: Your practice’s north star
A mission clarifies why your practice exists and who you want to be as a team. It is designed by you, the dentist/leader. When everyone knows the purpose, decisions become easier, engagement increases, and energy aligns toward a shared direction.
A mission statement is not just a piece of paper hanging in the team room. It must be read, repeated, and referenced regularly.
Without a team mission statement, you have no team, only a collection of employees playing different games on different fields.
Team commitments: The behavioral blueprint
Team commitments define how you agree to treat each other and patients. They are the ethical rules of your practice, designed by you, the dentist/leader. They transform culture from something vague into something written, clear, and lived daily.
They protect you, your practice, your patients, and your employees. As with the mission statement, they must be used. Yes, hung on the wall of your team area, but read, repeated, and referenced regularly.
These are the rules of your "game."
Regular team meetings: Culture maintenance
Team meetings are where communication happens, monitors are reviewed, issues are resolved, and relationships deepen. There is no substitute for them.
Skipping meetings is the quickest way for culture to unravel.
Communication and customer service training
Clinical skills and technology make you a dentist. Communication skills and customer service make you an outstanding one. Training in communication, tone, conflict resolution, and customer service reduces stress and elevates patient satisfaction. This training should be conducted as a team and at least once a year. Old habits are hard to break, so regular training brings everyone back on track.
Clear, respectful communication creates confidence, trust, loyalty, and a culture people want to join.
Performance evaluations: The guideposts of growth
High performers crave feedback. Underperformers require it to survive.
Most dentists avoid performance evaluations, but your employees want and need them, and some will leave if you don’t do them. Evaluations create clarity, celebrate progress, complement performance, and offer direction for improvement.
Annual team retreats and development days
A day away from your office and patients with your team, with a well-developed program, can work miracles.
Relationships are strengthened, expectations are reset, trust develops, and opportunities for growth and improvement are identified. It will energize your team, enhance teamwork and communication in profound ways.
Employee handbook: Structure, clarity, and fairness
You and your team must be on the same page for a healthy culture to develop. This is where a well-articulated handbook can be your savior. It sets clear expectations, reduces confusion, and reinforces consistency.
Your employees understand that everyone is held to the same rules. This handbook will protect you, your practice, and your sanity. It removes ambiguity, speculation, and assumptions.
Gratitude and appreciation
Leadership isn’t just about goals and guidance; it’s about gratitude. Celebrations, laughter, perks, and bonuses transform hard work into shared joy and turn a workplace into a community.
Final thoughts
If you don’t step into your leadership role, someone else on the team will. And when that happens, it becomes their practice and not yours. So yes, in the public eye, every dentist may look like another can of green beans.
But when you lead with vision, empathy, and integrity, your practice becomes something exceptional. You stop being a commodity and start being their dental family.
Your culture is already speaking; what is it saying? Reach out, and let’s put our heads together and create the culture and practice you have always envisioned.
Sandy Baird, MBA, has more than 40 years of hands-on dental management experience, offering general dentists a wide selection of management services, including team, business, financial, or operational management. She can be contacted at Baird Dental Business Concepts.
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.
