We are not in this alone

Editor's note: The Coaches Corner column appears regularly on the DrBicuspid.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion.

What are dentists to do in the context of the most severe economic downturn in 75 years? We face a 10%-30% drop in business, with no apparent relief in sight. And sadly, there is no help for dental hygiene or for smiles in the federal stimulus package.

We did not cause the situation, and we don’t have the capacity to solve it. We come into our offices each day nervous about when the clouds will lift. We try to think positive, but all the optimism in the world will not help our unemployed patients get their jobs back or help them reclaim their foreclosed homes.

I believe that the answer lies in the foundations of leadership. In my last column I described two qualities that I take to be essential for leaders: resiliency (the capacity to habitually bounce back from life's difficulties) and authenticity (the freedom to act within the anxiety that these changing moments generate.) In this column I would like to add one more quality that is especially important in these times: an adaptive trust in others.

Ronald Heifetz, professor at the School of Government at Harvard University, makes the distinction between technical challenges and adaptive challenges. Technical challenges are not necessarily easy to solve but can be addressed with existing knowledge and know-how. On the other hand, adaptive challenges can only be addressed by developing ourselves and those around us. They require new knowledge and a new way of thinking.

This is what we face now. We cannot hope to solve the world's economic problems alone. But we can recognize that all of us -- ourselves, our staff, and our patients -- are in this together. And we are in a unique position to rally those around us into a team-driven, shoulder-to-shoulder approach that takes a realistic, pragmatic look at the circumstances.

According to James Flaherty, in his book Coaching, Evoking Excellence in Others, this requires mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual freedom of expression. Do you nurture these capacities with staff and patients? With your families? With the entire constellation of people in your lives?

Typically, dental staff meetings revolve around the metrics of our offices; production, collections, numbers, numbers and more numbers. Have you tried to have a meeting that included a conversation about the uncertainties of this period? It is a tough topic but it needs to be addressed. A small amount of time that is allotted to this can reap huge dividends.

In times like these, the wisest thing a leader can do is make leaders out of others. We know that conditions will get better, so why not take this opportunity to make your office the strongest it can be so that when prosperity returns, you'll be able to sprint out of the starting gate. Perhaps this is a motto you might consider: Prepare for the Good Times!

Alan Goldstein, D.M.D., F A.C.D., is a member of the Dental Coaches Association, an organization of dentists and professional coaches who are committed to bringing professional coaching to the dental profession. Learn more by visiting www.dentalcoachesassociation.org.

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