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Three essential lessons for every new dentist By Sally McKenzie, CEO Practice Matters DENTAL TRIBUNE | June 20104A After years of schooling, thou- sands of dollars in tuition, hours upon hours of clinics and exams, and tests and on and on, finally you entered the working world as a dentist. Just you and the patients. Wouldn’t it be great if it could really be that simple? It’s likely that it didn’t take you long to realize that once your tour in dental school was over, the learning process had only just begun. Moreover, there are at least three key lessons that were prob- ably barely touched upon in the dental school curriculum. Lesson No. 1: How to deal with people I’m not talking about the patients. You’ve been trained to manage them. I’m talking about the people you see every day, the ones you work with elbow to elbow, those you depend on to represent you, to make sure you have enough money to pay your bills, to keep your schedule on track, etc. Obviously, I’m talking about your team. Your success as a den- tist is directly dependent upon your employees’ success. Unfor- tunately, one bad hiring decision can cost you a small fortune — estimates range between 1.5 to 5 times annual compensation — it can also damage patient relations, staff morale and overall effective- ness of the practice. Given what’s at stake, pay close attention to Lesson No. 1: Do your best to hire the best and never hire under pressure. Follow these steps and take a clear and measured approach to ensure that every employee you hire is the best fit for your growing practice. Assess the systems before you bring in a new employee. If you’re hiring an office manager, look at business operations first. Are the business systems, scheduling, col- lections, recall, etc., working effi- ciently? If not, this is your chance to fix them, to integrate new pro- tocols and establish up front how you want these handled in your practice. Take 15 minutes. Set aside 15 minutes to think about what you want the person in this position to do. Make a list. Consider what you are looking for in this individual. Write a job description. Once you’ve given some thought to the position, update or write a job description for the job tailored to attract the employee you need. Include the job title, job summary and specific duties. This clarifies what skills the applicant must pos- sess and explains what duties she/ he would perform. Cast a wide net. Develop an ad and place it on multiple web- sites and in different publications. Promote those aspects of the job that will have the greatest appeal, including money. Sell the position. Keep the copy simple but answer the reader’s questions — job title, job scope, duties, responsibilities, benefits, application procedures, financial incentives and location. Direct prospects to your website to learn more about your practice and the position. Read the resumes; don’t just scan them. Highlight those qualities that match the position’s requirements. Look for longevity in employment. Be careful of those applicants that only note years, such as 2008– 2009. Chances are this person was hired in December of ’08 and fired in January of 2009. Watch for sloppy cover let- ters. The applicant may have poor attention to detail. Flag resumes with “yes,” “no,” or “maybe.” The “yes” candidates are the first to be considered. Pre-screen applicants on the phone. Address your most pressing concerns up front. If there are gaps in employment history, now is the time to find out why. Ask the appli- cant what salary range she/he is expecting. Listen for tone, attitude and grammar on the phone, par- ticularly if the position requires handling patient calls. Based on the applicant’s phone demeanor, would this person represent your practice well? Prepare for the interviews. Con- duct interviews using a written set of standard questions for each applicant so you are able to com- pare responses to the same ques- tions. Avoid asking any personal ques- tions. Ask follow-up questions based on the applicant’s respons- es. Jot down personal details to keep track of who’s who. The can- didate is likely to be on her/his best behavior in the interview. If the applicant doesn’t impress you now, it will not get better after she/ he is hired. Test for the best. Take advantage of Internet testing tools that are available to dentists. Such test- ing has been used in the business sector for years to help companies identify the better candidates for specific positions. Check ’em out. Once the inter- view and testing process has enabled you to narrow the selec- tion down to a couple of candi- dates, check their references and work histories. This step can yield tremendously helpful information and will save you from multiple hiring horrors. Budget for training. Give your new employee the tools and the knowledge to achieve her/his best, and you’ll both benefit significantly. Above all else, when it comes to staff hiring, make your decisions based on real data, not a candi- date’s sunny disposition or your “gut feelings.” Lesson No. 2: Lead your team to excellence If you’re frustrated by what you perceive as average or below aver- age team performance, determine if you’ve given them the founda- tion to achieve the standards you expect. First, avoid the most common pit- fall in leading employees: Assuming that your staff knows what you want. Don’t assume. Spell out your expectations and the employees’ responsibilities in black and white, and do so for every member of your team g DT page 6A (Photo/Nruboc, Dreamstime.com)