Table of Contents
You have the power to create a world-class dental practice or dental organization. In this post I’m going to delve into three foundational principles that will allow you to build and run a premier dental organization. Our current economic environment is one filled with incredible opportunities for growth; as well as challenges in keeping talented, committed and passionate staff. To meet that challenge, we must also be mindful as business owners to provide the right conditions for our employees to stick around. Both aspects of running a successful dental practice are a lot to think about, balance and juggle.
The 3 Drivers of Successful Dental Practice Culture
So, how do you strike that balance between attacking opportunity and nurturing a thriving organizational culture? It starts with the basics: your mission, your values and your norms. These three foundational elements are the backbone of your decisions, your priority-setting and your business cadence. Without them, your organization runs the risk of being a rudderless ship foundering in the shallows. So, let’s look at each of these principles one by one, starting with your mission statement.
Your Mission Statement Defines Culture in Your Dental Practice
Your mission statement serves as the north star for your dental practice. It defines the purpose and direction of your business. This may seem a bit arbitrary for a dental practice, after all the mission is sort of built into your business structure: take care of people’s teeth. But a mission statement encompasses not just what you do but how your company approaches its work, the purpose of your practice’s existence and its overall objectives.
When writing your mission statement, make it clear, simple and inspirational. Your statement should align your purpose and goal with your values. It should also be imbued with a sense of passion that inspires your team and rallies them around your goal and vision. A mission statement isn’t just for your patients to understand you, it’s for your teams to align themselves with what you want to accomplish.
Values Set the Tone for Team Culture in your Dental Practice
Values are the principles by which your actions are guided every day, and they are a reflection of your life and what you hold dear. Your company’s core values are the guiding principles that dictate how your employees and your organization operate. They are the moral compass of your business. One big advantage in defining your values and setting guiding principles is that it gives your employees an understanding of what you expect from them and what they can and should expect from you.
Defining your company’s core values might be daunting if you don’t have a clear understanding of your own personal values. Harvard Business Review has a step-by-step guide to help you assess your personal values.
Here are some elements to consider when defining your dental practice’s values:
- Identify the values that are most important to your organization (yourself). They could be honesty, innovation, customer-centricity, or any other principles you hold dear.
- Integrate your company values into your daily operations. This means that every decision, from hiring to product development, should align with these values.
- Communicate your values effectively to your team. Encourage them to embody these values in their work. Spend some time examining where, in your practice, you and your team can incorporate your practice values and make them known to your patients and prospects.
- Define your core values to give your teams the knowledge and confidence in knowing how you want business conducted on your behalf. This will instill your teams with confidence and allows your teams the freedom to act according to the roadmap you have given them.
Norms: The Everyday Behaviors That Build Trust, Communication and Cadence in your Dental Practice
Norms are the behaviors that govern how your teams interact and work within your dental practice. Norms help set the tone for your practice culture. To establish effective norms:
- Create norms that promote inclusivity, respect, and collaboration. Encourage open communication and diversity of ideas. This norm allows your team to feel fully engaged and, well, included in the day-to-day execution of your mission.
- No sacred cows: Allows anyone on the team to call out behavior, patterns or ideas that aren’t working anymore and bring something new to the table. Practicing allowing everyone on your team to have a voice might take a minute to establish as a norm, but it allows for greater efficiency, communication and creativity.
- Consistency is key to all functions of running a smooth dental practice. So, making consistency a practice norm is key to team behavior and practice management.
- Adaptability is another norm that encourages creativity, problem-solving, open communication and efficiency. Be open to ideas to reevaluate and adapt systems, operations and functions as your practice grows and evolves.
Gallup has a wonderful assessment to help you determine and define what norms are currently working in your practice’s team culture and what are not. Having a starting position of current norms allows you to keep what’s working, while building on that foundation to include what might be missing.
The Synergy of Mission, Values, and Norms for Your Dental Practice Operations
When you combine a clear mission, well-defined values, and strong norms, you create a synergy that transforms your dental practice culture. Aligning your mission, values, and norms fosters a shared sense of purpose and passion among your team. Engagement stays high when employees understand and believe in what your practice stands for and what they’re working toward. This alignment fuels higher productivity, satisfaction, and a culture where everyone is motivated to contribute their best.
A strong, values-driven culture not only attracts and retains top talent, it also enhances your reputation in the community. Over time, this foundation makes your practice more resilient and adaptable, even when circumstances change.
Culture truly is your practice’s identity. It sets the tone for how you do business, how you care for your team, and how you serve your patients. Mission, values, and norms are the building blocks that shape a practice people want to work for and patients want to visit. Invest in nurturing these elements, and you’ll see your practice flourish.
If you’re ready to clarify your practice’s vision, values, and mission and chart a path to your “point B” we invite you to download our free Extraction GPS worksheet.
This step-by-step tool is designed to help dental entrepreneurs like you get clear on what matters most, set a bold vision for your future, and define the concrete goals that will get you there. Use it to bring your leadership team together, make confident decisions, and guide your practice toward long-term success.
Ready to set your destination and accelerate your journey?
Download our Extraction GPS worksheet today and take the first step toward building the dental practice and legacy you truly envision.