How to be the Most Valuable Team Player in Your Practice
Think of your orthodontic or dental practice as a championship-winning basketball team, with each member of the team contributing a vital piece to the team’s overall success. Each position is necessary in order to achieve victory, from the coach, to the point guard, to the officials, to the floor sweepers, to everyone in between – each team member brings unique and necessary value to the team. Without each teammate properly executing their role, the championships will always be out of reach. But when everyone comes together ready to collaborate and achieve excellence, your team is a shoo-in to win. Everyone has their role, and works together seamlessly to achieve victory.
Now, picture each employee in your practice and their respective jobs. Imagine walking through your office doors and passing your front office employees, your scheduling coordinator, treatment coordinator, orthodontic assistant, the doctor; each team member performing their job and contributing to the overall patient experience.
Just like any winning basketball team, your practice’s success isn’t dependent on one person. The collective effort of the entire team, or of your office, is what will bring you to victory and will help you run a successful practice. Our team at New Patient Group understands how important it is for you to have a successful business and a huge part of your businesses success is reliant upon the employees. Each employee should strive to be the most valuable player in your practice. Here are 5 steps to becoming a great teammate.
Contributing to the Culture
The first step to being a great teammate is to embrace the culture of your office. Think about your office culture and assess if you are contributing to that culture or detracting from that office culture. You have the power to strongly influence the culture and atmosphere of your office, and each day you have the power to decide if you want to negatively or positively influence that culture. If you embrace your office’s culture and align your attitude and actions with that culture each morning, you will make a huge impact on your coworkers and every patient that walks through your doors.
Lead by Example
As you go about your day, think about all the job duties you complete and tasks you are in charge of completing. Maintain clear communication, solid work ethic, and a positive attitude so you can model a great teammate to everyone in our office. Leading by example not only propels you forward, but it can inspire those around you to work harder, too. Remember the importance of integrity, and do what is right, even when you think nobody is watching, because chances are someone is watching and following in your footsteps.
Take Pride in Your Work
You should take pride in everything you do at work, from a small, menial task to a groundbreaking innovation, each action moves the needle closer to success. That also means every position in your office is important and each employee should take pride in their job. No one employee is beneath any task. One of our incredible NPG clients, Dr. Alyssa Carter of Alyssa Orthodontics, is the perfect example of this. If Dr. Alyssa sees that something needs to be done, she just does it, no questions asked. She takes pride in the treating patients in her chair, but she also takes the same pride in the appearance of the office, picking up a scrap piece of paper, there isn’t a job too small for Dr. Alyssa. THe pride she takes in her work serves as a paramount example of leadership to her entire team.
Recognize Excellence
One common characteristic of a great teammate is encouragement. The best coworkers and team players are always recognizing the excellence and efforts of their teammates. Recognizing the achievements of your coworkers fosters an atmosphere of camaraderie and inspires others to reach that same level of excellence. Appreciating your fellow employees for their hard work also serves as a morale booster, reinforcing that level of excellence. Who could you recognize today? As you go through your workweek, try to recognize one of your coworkers each day for their outstanding work and take note of both the way it improves the environment and promotes excellent work.
Strive for Perfection
Think about your role in your practice. What are 4 practical ways you can improve your work? How can you better support your coworkers? Be on the lookout for ways you can step up and make a difference as you strive toward perfection. Pushing yourself to be better acts as a natural avenue for others to improve as well. Being a great teammate is all about pushing each other in the right direction, and in order to lead others, you have to first be going in the right direction yourself.
These 5 tips will not only help you become a better teammate and lead to increased success for your office, but they will also show customers that you have a successful practice and team.
Every task is an opportunity to improve the experience and perception of our new and existing patients and new patients. Being a great teammate is so much more than fulfilling your job duties. It’s about contributing to a positive culture, leading by example, taking pride in your work, recognizing the excellence of others, and striving for perfection. Remember, your patients see everything, so every day you have the opportunity to showcase to them what an outstanding teammate looks like.
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