Someone once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Which brings us to the typical conversation between managers and their teams where wishes are mistakenly paraded around as goals.
For example, dentists may tell their teams they want to increase production over the next year. That’s the “goal.” But dentists may fail to discuss how they will get there, which bypasses the critical planning stage. Without planning, you are left with a simple wish or request for your team.
If you want to plot out how a goal will be achieved, you have to have participation and feedback from everyone involved. This means you have to turn the goal-setting process into a conversation. How do you do that?
First, challenge your team members to define their own goals as well as goals for the practice. You may be pleasantly surprised to see the depth of their insights when motivated appropriately.
Next, instead of telling your team what you want them to do, meet to discuss what they have developed. Get their perspective about what is working well and what needs improvement within the practice.
Finally, since you have engaged the team in a conversation, listening to and using their insights to help shape the goals, you will naturally experience higher levels of buy-in. And you can’t plan effectively without their buy-in.
You and your team are now ready to map out what it will take to achieve your desired outcomes. And when you finish you will have a roadmap for achieving greater levels of performance and success, which is much better than a simple wish list.
Learn more about how our dental practice consulting can help you and your team achieve greater levels of success.