January - LVI Visions

Michael Sernik, BDS VISION INTERVIEW
Some practices use a team
member to do much of the
communication to take the
load off the dentist. Do you
see the dentist as being the
main communicator with
the patient?
How do you teach
leadership?
16 LVI VISIONS • JANUARY • FEBRUARY • MARCH • APRIL 2008
We see this process as having stages. First we feel the dentist needs the skills,
for himself/herself and also so he/she can analyze any communication problems.
Team members might leave, but the dentist remains. However, we really
like the idea of the dentist having as much leverage as possible. Most dentists
would be very happy to just do the dentistry and have the team do the rest.
After the dentist has acquired the communication skills, we can then help the
team develop these skills. The patient needs to be told what to expect (as far
as time needed and who they are going to see) during their first phone call.
When the patient arrives, a team member will have an initial chat with the patient
and go through a structured process and pass the messages through to the
dentist. This process can save the dentist a lot of time and more importantly,
when done well, is even more effective than just the dentist talking. But there
is a very big proviso. There needs to be excellent leadership to make this work.
Dentists generally are unclear about what leadership is. There are thousands
of books on the topic and the best companies have the best leaders. These
leaders are always interested in learning how to improve their leadership. Poor
companies have poor leaders who are not interested in learning this. In fact
they do not even know this is a subject for consideration. Most dentists fall
into this category because they have not been exposed to business at this level.
We approach leadership with three tools.
• First, we need to measure what is happening. We have spent years developing
a Web-Based Reporting interface for clients to enter simple production
and performance metrics which our software turns into intelligent data;
graphs and benchmarks. Now we know exactly what is really happening at a
practice on a day-to-day basis. This gives us the ability to help avoid problems
before they happen.
• Secondly, we have a structured system of coaching via telephone. Our coaches
are typically psychologists who receive intensive training. They monitor the
web based tracking data and consult with the leader. They focus on leadership
development. Our system works on the team through the leader, not around
the leader. In other words, we help empower the practice owner to improve
their leadership skills.
• The third component of our leadership training is workshops on the issues
critical to the skills needed for effective leadership. We run a series of two-day
workshops. Some are just for the leader and some are for the team members.