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    1. Practice Management
    2. Staffing

    Tuesday Tip from Pride Institute: It’s show time! And your dental team is watching you

    Dec. 3, 2013
    Your dental team will follow your lead

    By M.L. Wheaton, Director of Consulting

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    We all believe in preventive dentistry, right? I hope you also believe in the prevention of misunderstandings between you and your team members by accepting your responsibility as a leader to set an example of positive attitude in your practice. As a consultant to dentist employers/leaders, I know you’ve heard the dreaded, "Can I speak with you today?” Can you imagine a team member coming to you and asking, "Are you upset with me?" At Pride Institute, we share with our clients the concept of the meta-communication. This was described in the work of Albert Mehrabian several decades ago when he examined the diferent parts of communication. He found that people are influenced 55% by body language, 38% by the speed and intonation of the voice, and only 7% by the words themselves!

    So doctors, how do you enter the office each morning? What tone do you set with your body language at your morning huddle? Are you Debbie Downer? Are you bringing frustrations of home life into the office? Is your "Good morning" authentic? If you’re not making goal one day, are you depressed or are you upbeat about how to turn it around? The team WILL mirror you and how you present yourself!

    So doctor/leader, look in the mirror (literally), and you will see the first hypothesis as to why team members might perceive you as being upset with them. A team walking on eggshells during the day due to your negative influence will not be one that is willing, excited, and committed to serving the practice well. On the other hand, your positive influence will set the tone for them. This goes full circle to your patients, who also pick up on the vibes in your practice.

    As Dr. Pride used to say, "It’s show time!" And your team is watching you!

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    Tuesday Tips from Pride Institute are provided weekly on their Facebook page as well as in this column in DentistryIQ. To ensure you don’t miss any of Pride Institute’s proven methods to take your practice to the next level, visit www.prideinstitute.com, and like them on Facebook!