Who thought a dogsledding trip would give me a fresh, insightful view of leadership and teamwork? I certainly didn’t. I was focused on a totally different aspect, like not freezing to death. Being a sun-loving, heat-seeking, southern woman, camping out in negative thirty degrees Fahrenheit essentially meant misery and death. I can't express how far outside my comfort zone this trip was for me. If it hadn’t been for the fabulous people going, the remarkable dogs, and the assurance of a reputable company, there is no way I would have stepped outside of my warm, cozy box. But I did, and I am so glad I did.

In this Dental Leadership Baseball game, the pitchers are your patients and your employees are up to bat. You are the owner and head coach and have assistant coaches on the field and behind the scenes helping you and your team win the league series. Running to first base is when your employees started transforming into team members through the implementation of several leadership tools and best-practices, and patient-oriented operating systems discussed in earlier blogs. Now, second base is looming ahead. The current question is: what leadership skills and tools are needed for your team to arrive safely on second base?

Look, the game is starting! The pitcher is winding up. It’s a classic fastball speeding toward one of your players. Who is the pitcher? It’s Mr. I’m Important, who is one of your patients that is constantly on an impossibly tight schedule. STRIKE 1… STRIKE 2… STRIKE 3… YOU’RE OUT!! What? How could your player be out? You carefully vetted your team players before hiring, you explained to them the ultimate goal of your game, outlined the rules of your game, and supplied your expectations. Where did you do wrong?

We started the year with a blog about the infamous “bad apple” employee; next we tackled how to avoid hiring a “bad apple” employee; and now, after following our effective Concepts Hiring System, we have a new employee, who is excited, energetic, a little nervous, and eager to learn. This is the point, right after hiring a new employee, when so many leaders (and not just in dentistry!) make two key mistakes.

Let’s make a deal? Let’s agree to make 2021 the year of leadership development in your dental practice. My part of this deal is to write a blog each month discussing one thing you and your leaders can do to improve your leadership skills. Your part is to read the monthly blogs and implement the skills in your practice for at least one year before deciding it does or doesn’t work. Wait… are you hedging? Are you wondering why you should spend your precious time on leadership skills? Before you turn down the deal right now, read the rest of this blog. Then we’ll revisit it.