By Molly Pereira, CDA Executive Director
From the Autumn 2025 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association
We all know and probably agree with the phrase, “quality over quantity.” That said, it’s easy to lose good intention and get caught up in the “churn and burn” routine.
My daughter recently joined the swim team. She could always swim fairly effortlessly but never focused on it as a sport. Her first practice was last week, and she was nervous. She was older than other kids in her lane (she’s getting a late start by today’s youth sports standards), she didn’t know how to do butterfly, and I forgot to teach her how to count yardage in a pool. I watched her for the entire practice, bracing myself for any potential look of confusion, exhaustion or despair. An hour passed, and she hopped out of the pool with rosy cheeks, beaming with pride. She had completed the entire workout of 1,200 yards, kept up with the other swimmers in her lane and even did several pool lengths of butterfly. The second practice went even better with over 1,500 yards and a faster pace. At her third practice, however, the coach shifted from churn and burn yardage to refining stroke technique. The coach focused on body rotation in backstroke to pull more water with fewer strokes, requiring everyone’s arms to enter the water with their pinkies first and exit the water with their thumbs up. She asked everyone to do four kicks per stroke and keep their heads perfectly still, looking up at the ceiling so their bodies would swim in a straight line.
When I was a competitive swimmer, I loved stroke drill days. More fun, lots of rest and waaay less yardage—it was like a vacation. With this fond memory in mind, I was surprised when my daughter declared that this was not her favorite practice and that she liked the other practices much better. I asked her why and she said, “because it was really hard to swim that way; I can already swim backstroke.” I told her that the coach was trying to make her swimming more efficient so she could redirect energy to endurance and speed. We agreed to disagree (my current phase of life with teenagers).
I’ve been thinking about her surprising reaction more. There are so many things that we do on autopilot, and while we accomplish what we set out to do, did we do it with purpose? Are we proud of the work we accomplished or did we check off an item from the list with adequate effort to move on to the next task?
Same work, same results. But what if we want different results? It’s not just about getting the work done but doing it with intention. We can all get from goal to result, but did we do it with purpose or did we just get the task done by some robotic miracle?
The concept of “Purpose Over Task” has been the topic of many brand leaders and experts. Purpose Over Task essentially means making sure your “why” comes before your “what.” It’s about making sure that your actions have a purpose, not just a checkbox. It is also a way to prioritize tasks.
Think of ways you can inspire your team to be more purpose-driven so they might improve their efficiency, mindset and skill. Here are a few general examples.
For your hygienist
Task-driven: Provide a prophy, perio charting, oral health assessment and hygiene instruction in 45 minutes.
Purpose-driven: Building relationships builds trust. Greeting patients warmly, asking about their lives and providing tips on how their lifestyles may be affecting their oral health nurtures relationships. By building a relationship, it’s easier to educate the patient about oral hygiene practices and tips while providing hygiene services catered to each patient.
For your assistant
Task-driven: Quickly sanitize the operatory and sterilize instruments from the last patient, and set up the operatory for the next patient.
Purpose-driven: Prepare a clean and safe space for each patient to help them feel comfortable. If assisting chairside, be a calming and warm presence for the patient, while anticipating what the dentist needs to confidently deliver treatment.
For your front office team
Task-driven: Make 25 re-care appointments while checking in patients and answering calls.
Purpose-driven: Making sure that patients stay on track with their oral healthcare is an integral part of making and keeping people healthy. Providing excellent customer service, patience and compassion can result in more scheduled patients for future appointments.
We all know how to “do the job” and “complete the task;” but are you keeping your purpose, your authentic goal and your “why” on the forefront each day?
While I’m a fan of the “just keep swimming” mantra, don’t forget where you’re going.
