As practice owner, you bear the main responsibility for the success of your dental business. But you don't have to go it alone. For help developing growth strategies, you can rely not only on outside experts and perhaps your spouse but also on your staff. Seeing the situation from a different perspective, they can bring fresh -- and sometimes excellent -- practice-building ideas to the table.
Encourage innovative thinking. During staff meetings, identify specific challenges the practice faces, provide needed background information, and ask for team members' thoughts about possible improvements. This may involve group brainstorming or a request that each person bring at last 10 ideas to the next meeting.
Don't make snap judgments or dismiss ideas out of hand. If team members think you won't take their suggestions seriously, they'll hold back. Creative problem-solving works best when everyone is encouraged to speak their minds and all ideas -- even impractical ones -- are treated with respect.
Roger P. Levin, DDS, is the chairman and CEO of practice management consulting firm Levin Group. You can connect with Levin Group on Facebook and Twitter (@Levin_Group) to learn more strategies and share ideas. Also, check out Dr. Levin's free practice management videos at www.levingroup.com/gp.
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.
