By Kim McGuire
From the 2024 Winter Journal of the Colorado Dental Association
Today’s dental industry, like many other industries, is facing an interesting challenge: too few people to do the jobs that are available. While I don’t have a crystal ball, I do know what some peak performing practices in Colorado are doing to recruit and retain great team members. Not the easiest task, yet it is one of the most important aspects of being a business leader and the CEO of your dental practice. If your vision is about serving your patients at the highest level, your practice needs excellent team members.
Certainly, you’re going to have to pay your team members the appropriate wages for your area and for their position. However, what we know is that people come to a job for money, but that is not why they stay. They typically stay in a position because they feel appreciated and passionate about the work that they do. In today’s competitive staffing market, focusing on recruiting and retaining top talent is imperative. According to Gallup[1], the cost of turnover can be one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary, and this could be double when the employee is an associate dentist. This number is high due to loss of productivity, advertising for the position and onboarding the new person. The intangible costs– productivity levels, training discrepancies and team morale—are harder to measure.
Recruitment of Top Talent:
Let’s start the conversation with recruiting top talent. Everyone knows you need to run an online ad. However, have you thought about the message that ad is sending? With such low unemployment in our industry and so many jobs available, a new team member will need a compelling reason to leave their current job to come work for you. It is imperative to tailor your online job posting in a way that gives them a great reason to leave their current job. Rather than focusing on all the requirements of the candidate, “sell” your dental practice — why would somebody want to leave their current practice and come work for you? Do you have an awesome team? Is your technology top notch? Do you have a fun and engaging culture?
Next, review your digital real estate. Make sure that everywhere online that represents your practice is up to date and represents you, your practice culture and shows potential team members why it would be desirable to work in your practice. Your website, social media posts and reviews are not just for potential new patients — potential team members are checking you out online as well! If your website is out of date, your social media posts have gone dry and you do not have a steady flow of reviews, this could hinder your chances of recruiting top talent. Make sure your website is up to date with photos of current team members and all your technology. Utilize social media to brag about the amazing culture you have and patients who love to come see you. Google your practice and make sure you have a steady flow of positive reviews on various consumer websites.
Lastly, don’t forget to ask people, “do you know anyone looking for a new position?” Your current team members, reps who call on your practice and anybody else associated in the dental industry may know a person who is looking for a new dental home. Networking can be key to finding great team members.
Retaining Excellent Team Members: There are four key areas to focus on when it comes to retaining excellent team members.
Leadership and Culture: When it comes to peak-performing practices, there is always a leader at the helm who people can believe in. The good news is everyone can grow their leadership skills. Strong leaders are clear with their vision for the practice and the core values they hold true. Ask yourself questions about your own leadership:
- Are my communications and my expectations clear?
- Do I know what is expected from each team member and do they know what success looks like?
- Do I hold team members accountable and am I walking my talk?
Excellent leaders are creating more leaders on their team. This is one of the reasons team members stay at their jobs — they feel supported by their leaders.
In addition, the best leaders show appreciation and gratitude for their team members. Studies show that over 70% of people report not feeling appreciated at their job! Get curious about how each of your team members like to feel appreciation and then show them you’re listening by appreciating them in their style!
Strong leadership creates an excellent culture. The culture of your practice is what patients can feel when they are in the practice, how they are served and how the team works with one another. When you think of a restaurant, hotel or retail outlet that you like to frequent, what is it about that business that you are attracted to? Then define what culture you want in your practice. Integrity, teamwork and clear expectations are cornerstones of a successful culture. Sub-grouping or gossip is the easiest way to kill a culture. When this is eliminated, team members feel safe and will grow with the practice.
Onboarding and Training: Often, the first part of this concept is missing … new team members are hired and thrown into the job without properly onboarding them. Onboarding means helping them understand the vision, values and agreements you have in place and making them feel welcomed and mentored. Having an organized training system that is transparent to the dentist, the trainer and the trainee must be done in the first several weeks of employment. Showing the new team member the path to their success is key. The checklist should include all skills and systems needed for the position; the trainer should watch the trainee do the system prior to getting them checked off. This “slow down to speed up” philosophy will save you in the long run.
Professional Development: Human beings are happier and more fulfilled in their life and work when they are constantly growing and learning. What kind of programs are you implementing into your practice to develop your team professionally? Continuing education centering around clinical skills, business skills, communication skills and even treatment enrollment skills will create team loyalty. When team members see that their dentist is investing in them, they feel more connected to the practice and to the business of dentistry. In addition, you get a stronger team that will increase the level of care your patients receive. Each person on your team, from associate dentists to sterilization assistants will benefit from professional development—you never know who your next superstar will be!
Bonus / Profit Sharing Program: While people will stay in a job because they are appreciated and led intentionally, they also want to know how they can earn more by taking the very best care of the patients! If they are a peak performing team member on a peak performing team, the profitability should yield a profit sharing or bonus program. This program must be a win-win. As the business owner, it’s important that your profitability is in-line to implement the bonus program. By creating transparent collection goals, team members will know how to win the game!
Leading a team of dental professionals can be a challenge, however intentionally implementing these steps can yield immeasurable results! Make 2024 the year you transform yourself to be the leader that you were meant to be.
Kim McGuire is the managing partner and an executive coach with Fortune Management. With over 20 years of experience, she focuses on business strategy, leadership and systems with dental practices in Colorado. For more info, visit fortunemgmt.com.
[1] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx#:~:text=The%20cost%20of%20replacing%20an,to%20%242.6%20million%20per%20year.