Backward (Upside Down) Thinking
True Leadership
When we think of
leadership in a small business, like a dental practice, we often think of it in
this manner: The leader (the dentist/owner) is at the top then there are a
few (depending upon practice size, of course) mid-level working supervisors who manage the assistants, hygienists, and administrative staff. This management style (remember,
people can be led but not managed) has been accepted for decades in the military, in corporations, in education, and even in families. Well, it is completely inaccurate, and it
does not work. Extensive
research has shown that this is the best organizational chart for a successful
company, but it does not work for smaller businesses. The people who need the
most support and training are the people at the bottom of the pyramid who
actually work with patients.
Forgetting that the dentist has
two roles in his/her practice for a minute...leader and clinician, just
consider who actually spends the most time with your patients. Typically, they are the assistants,
hygienists, and administrative staff. In
too many offices these are the low-level positions, and they are thought to be
at the bottom of the team pyramid.
Leaders do not sit.
In our first graphic the leader
sits at the top, and in our second graphic the leader holds up the rest of the
team. Any successful leader knows that
sitting at the top is not successful.
This sort of thinking is why there is so much resentment to the higher
income brackets from zero-sum thinkers.
The leader is, in fact, the hardest job in the organization. It usually pays the most for that very reason. The leader's true job is to support the next
level who then support those who actually work directly with the patients. The number of levels varies by organization
size, but the job is the same.
The job of the leader is to
support, serve, and enable his/her staff.
Sitting at the top is not part of the job. First, carefully screen, vet, and hire your
team. Then, the real job of making sure
they have everything they need to make the patients' experiences worthy of
reference begins. It is a hard, tiring
job because leading and serving can only be done properly if the leader has
earned the authority to lead. Power
gained through controlling the purse strings goes only so far. True success comes from serving those who
serve the patients. In fact, the real
leader is more of a servant than a dictator.
Please feel free to leave your comments below or email me at wisdom@wisedentist.com. If you
would like to discuss one-on-one leadership training either at our Suwannee River Retreat or in your office, contact us by email
or by phone at 813-963-7228.
Have a great
week,
L. Hurston Anderson, PhD
Professionally Managed Practices, Inc.
wisdom@wisedentist.com
813-963-7228
