Seven Key Leadership Traits for a Successful Dental Practice
By: Gregg Jones
Over the past two decades, a common theme that has emerged due to surviving practices becoming thriving practices. Relationship between success and leadership is direct and this has been proven. Dental practices are better produced by better leaders.
The best practices of dental leaders who are considered as great by me do have the following leadership traits. Eventhough personality, leadership style, and operational approach can differ among doctors, dental leaders have a common thread of leadership traits. Keeping that in mind, I would strongly encourage you to start practicing leadership by evaluating your life depending on the following seven key traits of leadership.
You can start measuring your leadership barometer by scoring a point for yourself if you possess that particular trait. Right now, you might not be in a place where you wish, but growth accelerators and key questions will help you in improving your skills of leadership by building a road map.
1. Leaders have a dream
Clear picture of their practice that they want to create are seen by leaders. You can articulate this portrait with simplicity in just few sentences which contains specific outcomes and goals.
2. Leaders possess a passion
Leaders can easily integrate between their dream and passion in all areas of life. All the time, they talk about, think about, and promote the vision and dream. People including your colleagues, family, patients, friends, staff, and neighbors should be able to understand your passion for your dream.
3. Leaders design strategy
If you have no clear strategy, then you will never reach your destination even if your dream is fueled by passion. Leaders just don’t proclaim their dream by displaying a banner. All their dreams are associated to a road map which takes them from one point to another.
4. Leaders measure results
As Dwight Eisenhower said, if you aren’t willing to respect and inspect never expect that. Measuring your results with real results and numbers makes your dream real by providing evaluation of strategy, accountability to dream, and responsibility among other members.
5. Leaders continually learn
Continual learning and growth are committed by leaders in both professional and personal lives. They aim towards continual long-term improvement. They always work hard to be better than they were before.
6. Leaders walk in integrity
Leaders practice their preach and preach their practice. In order to be an example and model for your staff, they take special care to say and do the right thing.
7. Leaders make hard decisions
Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s amazing courage was recounted in the film Gettysburg. He faced a challenge to defend strategic position on the little round top when he was void of missile and vastly outnumbered. He made a hard decision in a courageous moment. He commanded his bayonets to attack a huge number of confederate soldiers and even though outgunned and outnumbered they won the war. General Lee said that Chamberlain’s decision turned the war.
You can possibly get there if you require a certain leadership level to develop your dream practice. Leaders are shaped by consistent pursuit and hard work and not born. I am privileged to see the leaders improve their leadership skills to develop their dream practice. If you possess the above-mentioned traits, you can get closer to your dream. Never shrink from your everyday challenge of becoming a good leader.
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