Finding the Perfect Candidate for Your Dental Practice Culture- The Power of Graves Drive Analysis

 

As a dentist, one of the most critical decisions you'll make is hiring the right team members for your dental practice. A strong and cohesive practice culture is the cornerstone of a thriving dental office. When seeking new candidates to join your team, it's essential to ensure they align with your practice culture. To facilitate this process, implementing a Graves Drive Analysis can significantly streamline the hiring process and help you find the perfect fit. In this blog, we will explore why conducting a Graves Drive Analysis is a game-changer when it comes to identifying candidates who harmonize with your practice culture.

 

The Graves Drive Analysis, developed by renowned management consultant Dr. Clare W. Graves, provides valuable insights into an individual's motivation, values, and beliefs. It is based on the theory of Spiral Dynamics, which emphasizes the existence of various levels of human development and consciousness. The analysis helps identify a person's Graves Drives, which are fundamental patterns of thinking, decision-making, and behaviour.

 

Alignment with Practice Values:

Every dental practice has a unique set of values and principles that define its culture. These values drive the team's behaviour, decision-making, and overall approach to patient care. By utilizing the Graves Drive Analysis, you gain a deeper understanding of a candidate's core values and whether they align with those of your practice. This alignment is vital for fostering a cohesive and harmonious work environment.

Here are examples of Grave drives evaluation for 3 different practices, you can see they are each unique. Each practice will have its own culture and will attract and be perfect for different people. This tool is invaluable when finding a match, saving you, time money and heart-ache recruiting the 'wrong' person. the Graves drive analysis is one of the tools we use to help you get it right first time.

Adaptability is crucial in today's fast-paced dental industry, where practices need to continually evolve to meet changing patient needs. The Graves Drive Analysis provides insights into an individual's ability to adapt and embrace change. By identifying candidates with a high level of adaptability, you can ensure your team remains agile and ready to navigate any challenges that arise.

 

Enhancing Team Dynamics:

A dental practice is a team effort, and effective collaboration is key to its success. With the Graves Drive Analysis, you can evaluate how well a candidate complements and enhances the existing team dynamics. It helps you identify candidates who will seamlessly integrate into your practice, fostering a positive and supportive atmosphere among team members.

 

Identifying Leadership Potential:

In addition to hiring team members who align with your practice culture, you may also be seeking candidates who can grow into leadership roles within your dental practice. The Graves Drive Analysis provides insights into an individual's leadership potential, offering valuable guidance when identifying candidates who possess the necessary qualities to lead and inspire others.

 

Reducing Employee Turnover:

Hiring a candidate who fits seamlessly into your practice culture reduces the risk of employee turnover. When team members share the same values and work toward common goals, they tend to be more satisfied and engaged in their roles. By utilizing the Graves Drive Analysis, you can reduce the likelihood of hiring a mismatched candidate, ultimately saving time and resources associated with employee turnover.

 

People don't leave a job they love, they leave a toxic environment. Building a dental team that harmonises with your practice culture is essential for long-term success. The Graves Drive Analysis provides invaluable insights into a candidate's values, adaptability, team dynamics, and leadership potential. By integrating this analysis into your hiring process, you can identify candidates who will seamlessly fit into your practice culture, foster a positive work environment, and contribute to the growth and success of your dental practice.

 

Graves drives analysis is also an essential tool, to assist associates, finding their perfect practice, where they can be happy as they develop their career.

Remember, finding the perfect fit goes beyond just evaluating qualifications and experience. The Graves Drive Analysis takes you deeper, enabling you to make more informed hiring decisions and build a team that will thrive together for years to come.

Cracking the Code: Secrets to Finding the Perfect Job Match

 

Are you having problems with recruitment or finding a new, perfect position?

 

At dental school you were not taught how to recruit and because you are brainy, destined for uni you didn’t have  lessons in how to find a job.

 

Recruitment is an art that follows a process, that until you learn the fundamental rules you are at risk of the finding the wrong match, if you are a practice owner, using the wrong approach results in the endless revolving door of staff members, if you are an associate it means the emotional roller coaster of optimism of a new job and the sinking feeling that you have made another mistake, you job hop, you clinical skills decline, mental health suffers.

 

 

Many people recruit by placing an ad, associate wanted, SOE computer, full team support, scanner, 50%, good private potential, immediate start.

The first bright eyed dentist comes along, impressed with the superficial décor, says yes without meeting the principal, team or doing any due diligence. Because they have not been taught how to discriminate for what they want and don’t want, they only questions they ask are about salary, holiday, and CPD days off.  When they start, they do have SOE, the team is fully staffed mainly with locums and trainees, the book is crammed with NHS patients with no space to discuss private treatments or use the scanner. The principal is no where to be seen and you feel letdown, lost and unsupported. The Practice manager cannot answer any of your questions and is busy taking control of your book, not allowing you time off, filling your book through lunch, think you are ungrateful for objecting to a trainee and perceives you as picky or troublesome when you try and improve your diary and day. And so the cycle goes on,

 

There is another way.

 

To get the right results, team members need to have the right behaviour and to do this this must have an ARSE that is compatible with the practice.

This means that you need to look inside first. The greater clarity you have about the criteria you want and don’t want the better chance you have of finding ideal. Leaving it to chance is not an option, your future success depends on the preparation.

 

Questions to think about,

What is important to you in an associate / practice?

What is essential?

What is important?

What would be nice and not a deal breaker?

What must never be true?

A= Attitudes This is the most important of the four, get it wrong it causes conflict., disharmony and is the primary reason people move on to find something better. The wrong Attitude results in a toxic working environment.

A is about beliefs, values, culture philosophy of dental care. What are yours, what are they for the practice, are they compatible? Values and culture elicitation is a process that your coach will take you through as part of the process of choosing the right match, there is more to it than choosing fancy marketing works. Clarity about beliefs, values, culture and philosophy are essential, because these are the (usually) unconscious rudders that steer your thoughts, decisions and actions. Once you know your values every decision is easy. Let’s make recruitment easy for you.

R = Reasoning. This is about your thinking  patterns. Your thoughts control your emotions language and behaviours. There are 13 patterns that it is useful to identify and decode when recruiting an associate or new practice. When you learn how to decode the cognitive diversity of your candidate or practice, you will be able to predict their behaviours, what they are like to work with, a dream or a nightmare. Personalised decoding can be done in 20 minutes, followed by a debrief and showing you how to identify patterns in others. When you understand your reasoning patterns and the patterns of what you are looking for, you can write your ads, schedule your recruitment process to screen for what you are looking for. If you are looking for a role you can write your application letter, so it acts as a screening tool, filtering out the wrong practices.

S = Skills. This is less important because skills can and will be learnt if the right A and R are present. There may be some fundamental skills that are essential e.g .BDS (or equivalent) if you are looking for a dentist, ability to speak and be understood etc. You will probably find the aptitude to learn is more important than having the skills already.

E = Education and Experience CV’s are full of this information and in most cases, not all it is not essential information. On a basic level you do need to know that they have mandatory qualifications, and registrations, and depending on the position experience may or may not be useful.

 

Conventional recruitment processes focus on a CV which is heavy on the data about skills, education and experience, and there is little investigation in the ‘soft skills’,  beliefs, values, culture, philosophy, or reasoning. It is the soft skills that will make or break a working relationship.

 

There is a better way to recruit excellence.

• Look inside, know your beliefs, values, culture, philosophy, and reasoning.
• Understand what you have to give and what you want.
• Never use a CV

 

I hope this helps you as you review your options and take the steps towards happiness at work.

Is there something you want to overcome or achieve in your practice?

A request for coaching is a request to facilitate development or change.

 

Do you know the changes or developments you want to achieve personally or for your practice, or do you feel frustrated and dissatisfied, not sure what you need to develop change  or how to implement it?

 

You will know if it will be useful or not to complete the balance wheel below.

 

It may be useful to ask yourself for each of the segments, does this area have things, that you need to move away from, or does it need targets for you to move towards?

This exercise is about the balance in your practice. For each segment, ask yourself, “How satisfied am I in this area of my practice right now?”   The centre of each segment represents 0 and the outer edge 10 give each segment a number from zero to ten and indicating that by creating a new outer.

 

Examples the range of evaluations you may choose to use.

 

0               Failure                                     Ignorant

1               Unacceptable                          Beginner                      

2               Incompetent                           Novices

3               Ineffective                                Apprentice

4               Inadequate                              Probationer

5               Complacent                            Intern

6               Satisfactory                             Experienced

7               Competent                             Practiced

8               Commendable                        Proficient

9               High quality                             Specialist

10            Excellent                                 Master

 

Notice two distinctions in the questions.

“How satisfied am I…” This is a subjective assessment.  It is not about how your family colleagues or friends see you; it is not about success; it is about personal satisfaction.

  

Also notice “right now”.  This wheel is a snapshot.  Scores will change weekly, daily – even hourly as circumstances change.  Do not look for ultimate truth; just check in with how you feel in this moment.

As you think about the development and change you want to make, (even if you are not sure what it is yet) it  happens at one of these 6 levels,

 

Environment

Behaviours

Capabilities

Beliefs, values, culture

Identity

Purpose

 

 What experience shows us is, 

 

• Changes that happen at the higher levels, purpose, identity, beliefs, values, and culture, automatically cascade down and change the lower levels.
• When change happens at the lower levels it doesn’t influence the higher levels
• Changes at the higher levels are often perceived to be more difficult than those on the lower levels, yet they have more impact, resulting in lasting change or development. 
• Changes on the lower levels can be quick and easy and seldom have lasting change or development.
• A problem on one level can seldom be solved using a lower level.

 

 

 

I hope that you have found this blog useful and it will assist you and your practice in overcoming your frustrations, achieving lasting development and change you desire.

 

3 simple tips when having difficult conversations

 

Do you need to have a difficult conversation here are 3 simple tips for you to test out for yourself, let me know how much easier you found it.

 

1)   1)     Instead of starting with “How are you? Use “Thank you for making time to talk to me.”

2)   2)     I need your help with XYZ , e.g. I need your help knowing how to manage this, understand, knowing what to do, knowing how to feel about this. etc

3)   3)     Wrap the conversation up by saying “I feel more settled about this.” Or “I feel we are now headed in a better direction.” Followed by  “How about you?” then give them space to think and answer.

Let me know your thoughts and results in the comments.

Mastering Communication: Unlocking Success in Dentistry

 

Mastering Communication: Unlocking Success in Dentistry

 

Effective communication is the cornerstone of any successful dental practice. Dentists who possess strong communication skills not only engage patients on a deeper level but also foster better teamwork and motivate individuals to overcome their pain and problems  and achieve dental health and beautiful smiles.

However, poor communication skills can lead to frustration, misunderstandings, hindering progress towards achieving optimal oral care, these situations can be overcome when you learn how to decode the patient's unconscious language, behaviour and thinking patterns.

When you learn how to decode your patients language behaviour and thinking patterns, you will feel like you are a mind reader, it will eliminate difficult conversations, conflict and complaints and enable you to swiftly build deep trusting relationships, which will mean a happier working environment and a greater uptake of the high end dentistry you enjoy doing.

 

In this blog post, we will explore the problems caused by inadequate communication skills and highlight the benefits of learning to structure speech and thinking patterns to engage patients and team members successfully. We will also delve into the concept of meta programs and how embedding them in communication can facilitate unconscious understanding and positive behavioural change.

 

The Consequences of Poor Communication and benefits of enhanced communication.

 

In the dental profession, poor communication can result in a host of issues that impede patient care and practice growth. Here are some common problems caused by inadequate communication skills:

 

Patient Dissatisfaction: Patients often seek dental care with anxieties and uncertainties. Failing to effectively address their concerns, explain treatment options, and answer questions can leave them dissatisfied and reluctant to comply with recommended procedures.

 

Inefficient Workflow: Within the dental team, miscommunication can lead to inefficiencies and errors. Lack of clear instructions, ineffective delegation, and misunderstanding of roles and responsibilities can disrupt workflow, causing delays and frustration.

 

Compliance Challenges: Motivating patients to move from dental disease to dental health requires strong communication skills. If dentists fail to inspire and educate patients about preventive measures, treatment adherence may suffer, leading to recurring oral health issues.

 

Team Discord: Effective communication extends beyond patient interactions. Dentists must foster a collaborative environment within their team. Poor communication can create conflicts, misunderstandings, and low morale among team members, which can negatively impact patient care and the overall atmosphere of the practice.

 

Benefits of Structured Speech and Thinking Patterns

 

By consciously learning to structure speech and thinking patterns, dentists can unlock numerous benefits that enhance their communication effectiveness:

 

Enhanced Engagement: Structuring speech and thinking patterns allows dentists to communicate with clarity, coherence, and confidence. This engages patients Treatment provision if you and your patients are only able to communicate at superficial level, it can result in misunderstanding, complaints and conflict when you know how to do it at a much deeper psychologically based level,  it results in building trust and rapport, and patients only want to be treated by people they know like and trust. When your patients trust, and you are speaking their individual communication style, you will enable them understand more complex dental procedures and treatment plans. and you can say "NO" to the UDA treadmill.

 

Improved Team Collaboration: Dentists who can structure their communication effectively can inspire and motivate their team members, align goals, and foster a culture of open dialogue. This results in better collaboration, enhanced synergy, and increased productivity within the dental practice. You will have the tools to overcome demoralised demotivated teams, toxic working conditions and the skills to create the go to practice to work.

 

How useful would it be to you if you instinctively knew if your patient was not motivated by goals and outcomes, they want to be free from problems?  How much more confident would you feel if you could differentiate between patients who make decisions automatically with little information, those who need to know the why, what, or how, those who need to have useful evidence on 2, 3 or 4 occasions, or even those who are never fully convinced and need continual information? This wide variety of decision making patterns are in your patient base, how do you need to manage them differently, do you know?

Imagine that you have the awareness to recognise unconscious patterns in communication, have the flexibility to speak in your patient's language patterns, what will can stay the same, what can improve and what can change in your practice and practise? what will it look like, sound like and  feel like when you instinctively know that you have a skill that sets you apart from the other clinicians in the area and others also tell you that you are the best?

 

Are you ready to jump in and discover the advantages of improved communication or do you need time to reflect and read a few more blog posts?

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Strengthening Dental Teams: Appreciation and Individual Appreciation Languages

Strengthening Dental Teams: Appreciation and Individual Appreciation Languages

 

A thriving dental practice relies on the dedication, expertise, and collaboration of its team members. In order to foster a positive work environment and encourage team members to contribute their best, it is crucial to understand the power of appreciation. However, appreciating team members doesn't mean a one-size-fits-all approach. In this blog post, we will explore how the concept individual ‘appreciation languages’ can help dentists show appreciation in different ways, ensuring team members feel valued and motivated to give their all.

1.      The Importance of Appreciation: Before delving into the appreciation languages, it's essential to recognise the significance of appreciation within a dental team. When team members feel valued and appreciated, they are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and committed to their work. Appreciation boosts morale, strengthens team dynamics, and fosters loyalty among the team.

2.      The Appreciation languages: People tend to experience and express appreciation in different ways. These appreciation languages can also be adapted to express appreciation within a dental team. Here's how you can leverage each individuals language to create a culture of appreciation.

a. Words of Affirmation: Some team members thrive on verbal or written appreciation. Recognise their efforts and accomplishments through heartfelt compliments, thank-you notes, or public acknowledgments. Encouraging words can uplift their spirits and make them feel valued.

b. Quality Time: For certain individuals, spending quality time together fosters a sense of appreciation. Allocate dedicated time for team-building activities, brainstorming sessions, or one-on-one conversations. This investment demonstrates your commitment to their growth and strengthens personal connections.

c. Acts of Service: Actions speak louder than words for team members who appreciate practical support. Offer assistance in their tasks, provide resources to enhance their skills, or organise workshops to develop their professional abilities. By actively helping, you show that their success is important to you.

d. Gifts: Small gestures and thoughtful gifts can go a long way in expressing appreciation. Consider surprising team members with personalised tokens of gratitude, such as a gift card, a book they've mentioned, or a wellness package. These physical reminders of appreciation can boost morale and create a positive atmosphere.

e. Physical Touch: In a professional setting, physical touch may not always be appropriate. However, this love language can be adapted to demonstrate appreciation through non-intrusive gestures like a friendly pat on the back, a handshake, or a high-five to celebrate achievements. These simple acts can foster a sense of connection and support.

3.      Treating People Fairly, Not Equally: While fairness is essential, it doesn't always mean treating everyone the same. People have different preferences and needs when it comes to feeling appreciated. Acknowledge and respect these differences within your dental team. Tailor your expressions of appreciation to each team member's love language, making them feel seen, heard, and valued as individuals.

 

In the world of dentistry, creating a culture of appreciation is crucial for fostering a motivated and high-performing team. By understanding and leveraging the appreciation languages, dentists can demonstrate appreciation in various ways, catering to the unique needs of their team members. Remember, treating people fairly doesn't always mean treating them the same. Show your team members that you value their contributions and watch as their dedication and commitment to the practice soar. Together, you can build a dental team that thrives on appreciation and achieves remarkable success.

Anxiety is like an allergy.

 

Here is a thought. . . . .

 

Our immune systems are brilliant at protecting us from infections, such as bacteria and viruses, yet sometimes they become incorrectly coded, overreact, and are triggered by foods or even elements our own bodies.

I work with many dentists who are experiencing anxiety about dentistry, often so bad that they are considering leaving the profession.

In every client case the anxiety at its root was not caused by dentistry, it was a childhood trauma; sometimes bullying, at times a parental rebuke, occasionally being separated from family. The mind perceives the events at work to be  similar to the source event, setting off a psychological cascade of unconscious, sounds, images, and feelings that are often given the name anxiety.  If you have an allergy, the immune response becomes greater every time you are exposed to the allergen, this appears to hold true at an emotional level for my client who are experiencing anxiety. My clients find that their anxiety gets worse rather than better over time.

Using therapeutic coaching, I work with my clients, healing the original event, this prevents the anxiety cascade from being triggered, so you can live and work free from anxiety.

I invite you to consider that in many cases anxiety is similar to an allergy and rather than using the standard mental/ emotional epi-pen of sertraline, the root cause can be healed, your psychological response system can be reset, drug free, and permanently, very often in one session.