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L ife coaching and busi- ness coaching have in- creased steadily in popu- larity over the last decade, but for many smaller businesses, such as dental practices, pro- fessional business coaching is simply too costly. However, by understanding the basic princi- ples you can not only help your business, but also help your- self and other members of your team achieve their goals. Coaching can play an im- portant part in improving your team’s performance and mo- tivation. By setting goals and supporting your colleagues as they work to achieve them, your practice will move forward and function much better. The idea is that ultimately, team mem- bers can learn to support each other, as they can all make the most of their individual skills. If you have ever wondered how to really fulfil your po- tential, not just at work, but in all areas of your life, then coaching could be the answer. You may even be a natural coach already. Do you often find yourself listening to other peo- ple’s problems and giving ad- vice? Or do you enjoy training others in new knowledge and skills? You may be implement- ing coaching principles in your day-to-day life without even re- alising it. Even if the thought of coach- ing and teamwork makes your blood run cold, the tips below can help you learn how to im- prove your skills and make them an integral part of your practice’s development. Steps to success A useful place to start is by looking at how happy you are with the different areas of your life, such as work, finance, ca- reer, relationships and so on. Once you have given each area a mark out of ten you can see which areas of your life you may like to develop. The next step is to identify your values. These can be values such as honesty and caring or they can be work specific, for ex- ample, teamwork and attention to detail. Once you are aware of people’s values, you have the key to their motivation. Recognising different values within your prac- tice can also give you an insight into any potential conflict. For example, one person’s strong- est value might be patient care while another’s is the financial stability of the practice. Knowing this can help you assess whether practice decisions are based on a fair balance of the two. Once you have identified values, the next step is to set goals. If you are helping one of your team to set their goals, ask simple, open, purposeful ques- tions such as: ‘What do you want to achieve?’ and ‘How do you plan to achieve this?’ It is also important to make sure that their values are well matched to their goals. For example, if someone has put “socialising with friends” as a value in their personal life, but they spend so much time working that they never see their friends, then they are going to struggle to achieve their goal. Skills and limitations The main obstacles to achieving goals are the limits of our skills and resources and the limita- tions of our minds. The issue of skills and resources can often be addressed by appropriate training or by asking for advice and support. Some companies offer tai- lor-made training days, which are specific to your practice’s needs and can even incorp- orate a module focused on the Principles of Coaching. Some of these courses can also count towards verifiable Continuing Professional Development (CPD) when undertaken in accordance with GDC requirements. This type of event provides an ideal opportunity for staff in similar roles to meet and learn together, and will benefit both your em- ployees and your practice. Limitations of the mind can be a little bit trickier! The challenge is to break out of un- helpfulhabitsandnegativethink- ing and believe that change is possible. Instead of righting things off because they are too much effort or you think they will be too difficult to achieve, why not give things a try before you make your mind up. You might just surprise yourself and the sense of fulfilment when you reach your goals is worth the time and effort. Never give up All goals should be accompa- nied by a practical and realistic timeframe, and progress needs to be monitored. Set backs are inevitable, but it is important to see these as temporary. Take inspiration from inventor Tho- mas Edison who, when asked if he was discouraged after failing 10,000 times in his at- tempt to create the light bulb, replied: ‘Failed 10,000 times? I didn’t fail 10,000 times. I sim- ply learned 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb.’ So why not give coaching a go? Learning how to identify your own and your teams’ val- ues and goals will not only im- prove communication and pro- ductivity at your practice, but will also give you a clear idea of where your practice is heading and the best ways of achieving your ambitions. DT Lil Niddrie discusses how improving your coaching skills can help to increase both business performance and team motivation at your practice Pulling together to reach your goals About the author Lil Niddrie joined Denplan in 1993 and has worked in many areas of the company to support dental practices, and now her knowledge and experi- ence is combined to deliver a wide range of training resources. Lil is a qualified practitioner of hypnotherapy, Emotional Freedom Technique and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She also has a specialist interest in ad- vanced communication skills and per- sonal development. ‘A useful place to start is by looking at how happy you are with the different areas of your life, such as work, finance, career, relationships and so on’ 11FeatureJune 7-13, 2010United Kingdom Edition £23.99 Non-precious crowns www.e-teeth.co.uk only: Call your local Account Manager on 0800 652 6878 for more information and a FREE user guide www.e-teeth.co.uk Don’t give up, Edison took 10,000 attempts before inventing the light bulb!

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