In the September issue of this newsletter, I shared the value and importance of defining my practice identity (who), vision (what), mission (why) and core values (how). Establishing these elements has many far-reaching benefits. 1. Clear Priorities for Decision Making. Once these elements are in place, they provide clarity around priorities for decision- making. This not only helps me to lead the team with consistency, it allows me to delegate more and empowers the team to make more decisions on their own. 2. Cohesion and Alignment. These elements cultivate cohesion and alignment within a team by providing a common framework of shared goals and behavioral standards that everyone on the team understands and commits to. This foundation ensures everyone is strategically aligned, reduces friction with everyone moving in the same direction, and strengthens interpersonal bonds among team members. 3. Culture. A positive, healthy, and vibrant team culture is the result. A positive team dynamic adds tremendous value to the patient experience. When a team is aligned and working well together, they are happier and the patients can feel and benefit from it. A positive culture also adds value to the team’s experience, which improves staff retention. And finally, a great culture improves the doctor’s experience. It enables the doctor to stay focused on patients and dentistry, free from the distractions of confusion and drama, allowing them to deliver the best possible clinical care and patient experience. HOW HAVE OUR CORE VALUES EVOLVED SINCE THEY WERE INITIALLY ESTABLISHED? When I first started my practice, our core values were Love, Hope, Gratitude, and Commitment. Last year, after some deliberate introspection and reflection, I removed “Commitment” and selected two new values that better represented core convictions and fundamental beliefs: Continual Growth and Unwavering Integrity. Then, I added a descriptive adjective and a tagline to each. This made the values more actionable and brought them to life. For example, “Love” became “Loving Care” with the tagline “We love our patients. You will love our care.” IMPLEMENTING YOUR CORE VALUES ANDREW KEYNOTE
We are a values-based team of responsive caregivers committed to our patients' holistic well-being. Identity Who
To set the standard of endodontic care while leading, training and encouraging the greater dental community to elevate theirs Vision To provide hope-filled solutions with cutting-edge treatment in a loving, responsive environment of service Mission What Why
Core Values
How
Loving Care We love our patients. You will love our care. Hope-filled Solutions We provide the solutions. You will experience hope.
Continual Growth We love to learn. You will receive the best endodontic experience. Unwavering Integrity We are committed to our quality, values and word. You will reap the benefits. Humble Gratitude We know you chose us. You will know how much we appreciate that choice.
Elevating the Endodontic Experience
HOW HAVE WE IMPLEMENTED OUR CORE VALUES INTO OUR PRACTICES’ DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS? Last year, I also decided that I needed to find additional strategies to incorporate these values into the forefront of our day-to-day operations. I wanted the core values to have a deeper impact. I realized that if I was serious about cultivating a great culture, I needed to allocate time for developing it: annually, monthly, daily, as a team, and individually. After brainstorming, this is what we came up with: 1. Display Your Core Values in the Practice. Showcase your core values as beautiful artwork on your clinic walls, serving as a constant visual reminder to you, your team, your patients, and anyone who walks in. Currently, we have a relatively small display of our core values in our break room. However, we plan to create larger display of our updated core values and taglines on the wall opposite our treatment rooms. 2. Culture Camp (Annually). Host an annual team culture camp to explore, define, and cultivate your core values on a deeper level. At your first culture camp, engage the team in exploring and defining each core value for the first time. What type of culture and work environment does the team envision and wish to create for themselves? What cultural standard does everyone want to create? It is important for everyone to be present and actively contribute. Before starting, set up a large pad of paper mounted on an easel in the front of the room. Ask for a
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