Believe in Your Team

The quality of communication and teamwork within a dental practice is a direct reflection of team member attitudes towards one another. 

As a result of the accumulation of problem situations over time, it is very easy for teams to develop negative attitudes towards one another without even realizing its occurring.  One day things are great, next day (or so it seems)  not so great as far as working relationships are concerned.  These type of attitude problems are commonplace and can develop into reactive vs intentional working relationships.

In order for teams to create positive work environments and succeed, it is important for team members to develop proactive or intentional attitudes towards one another.  This means that when one starts traveling down the road of losing confidence and trust in your team members, that you take a moment to remember the people you work with in a way that you would want to be remembered should the shoe be on the other foot:

  • The people I work with are capable.
  • The people I work with are committed.
  • The people I work with can handle the truth when responsibly shared.
  • The people I work with have something unique and valuable to contribute.
  • I can count on the people I work with to provide me support when I need it.

Taking the time to reenforce these views in times of challenge can have a significant influence on the quality of working relationships in a dental practice and a teams ability to succeed.  They play an important role in extending other team members the benefit of the doubt when dealing with problem situations.