Get your team on one page for harmony, efficiency and growth

You entered dentistry because you had a vision for helping people. Now you want your practice to fulfill that vision. Yet it is easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day details of running an office that eventually leads to losing your focus.

To work on what is most important, start with a short business plan. Share it with your staff to get everyone on the same page.

Create harmony in your office
Make your office a harmonious work place. Have each member understand his or her role, how it fits into the bigger picture, and how the team works as a whole. Create a climate that acknowledges and celebrates success. Your patients will sense and experience the harmony in your office, as well.

By writing a One Page Business Plan R and sharing it with your staff, you can consistently communicate to them the vision, mission and measures of your practice. When everyone is aligned with the plan, harmony is one beneficial result.

Create efficiency in your office
Running a dental practice is like running a small business. You need systems, methods and quality standards. You also need a way to track and measure performance. Yet you don’t want to get overly complicated. The strategy section of a One Page Business Plan is the place to capture the best practices and methods for an efficient practice.


Create growth for your practice
For a profitable practice, you should determine the key financial measurements for your practice. First, understand your breakeven point. This means understanding your variable and fixed costs and determining your pricing structure.

Next understand how to attract and retain patients. Create a marketing strategy to retain patients and gain referrals that your and your team can implement to keep your practice full.

When you have your team working together to maintain and improve skill level, patient satisfaction and efficiency, your business is poised to thrive and grow.

Capture your best thinking on a single page
Michael Gerber, author of the classic book, The e-Myth Revisited, cautions the entrepreneur to work on your business, not in your business. As a dentist, this means being the leader of your practice, creating clear, consistent practices that take the guess work out of daily activities. It also means that while you use your expertise in treating patients, you also spend time on the essential practice-building activities.

It’s easy to lead your staff when you can get everyone on the same page. They will be inspired when you share the vision and mission of your practice and how each person contributes. Use your plan to:

• Embrace best practices.
• Create systems and policies that are clear.
• Communicate consistently.

This minimizes confusion and frustration. Your team members will be on board and new staff members can get up to speed quickly.

You can write your plan on your own with the help of the book, The One Page Business Plan. or you might consider working with a One Page Business Plan Certified Consultant to speed up the process, get expert advice and an outside, objective perspective.

Amy Grossman, MBA, is founder of the business coaching and consulting practice, Broader Vision. Amy is a One Page Business Plan Certified Consultant and has served on the executive board of the International Coach Federation, New England Chapter. You can email her at amy@broadervision.com.