12 Steps of Effective Staff Meetings

Effective staff meetings can make a significant difference to the performance and productivity of a dental practice.  Staff meetings provide an important forum for problem solving and the improvement of systems that lead to the greater service of patients and enhanced productivity. Here are twelve steps that assist dental teams get the most from their meetings.

1. Meetings Start On Time.

2. Meetings Have A Defined Agenda.

3. Staff Are Prepared For Meetings.

• Status of old business.
• Ready to speak on new business.
• Team members make good use of meetings to accomplish goals.

4.  Meeting Commitments Are Recorded.

• Team members record their own commitments.
• Meeting recorder records all commitments.

5. Meeting Commitments Are Followed Up On - One Meeting To The Next.

• Minimal slippage - commitments falling through the cracks.
• Staff are prepared to recommit on incomplete items.

6. Team Members Stick To The Meeting Agenda & Cover All Items.

• Meeting discussions / conversations - do not wander.
• Agenda items  are covered - no stepping over items.

7. Team Members Get to Bottom Lines In Communications – No Story.

• Bottom lines - what is working and what's not.
• Minimal discussions - unnecessary detail, drama, story.

 8. Team Members Listen To One Another.

• Pay attention - do not allow yourself to be distracted from the agenda.
• Listen to understand – ideas, issues, view point of others.

 9. Team Members Exhibit Effective Problem Solving Skills.

• Problems are understood as signals for the need of correction vs. evolving into blaming and fault finding.
• Team members identify the cause of problems before proceeding with trying to find solutions.
• Team members proceed to find the simplest solutions possible that work for everyone affected by the problem.

10. Team Members Support The Leadership of Meetings.

• Team members understand & support meeting leadership role.
• Team members demonstrate leadership in meetings by actively participating.

11. Meetings Are Productive - Things Get Done.

12. Meetings End On Time.

Constructive Feedback

In order to support team members to succeed in their jobs and grow professionally, it is necessary to:

Ensure that responsibilities and expectations related to job performance are clearly defined.

Provide team members with regular and constructive feedback related to job performance.

In order to provide constructive feedback, your practice must develop a criteria which defines the necessary knowledge, skill and self management requirements that enable both staff members and teams to succeed in the dental workplace. 

The criteria, which you might define as 'Standards of Performance' applies equally to all staff members and is used as the basis for evaluating job performance.  The Standards of Performance provide working definitions of the necessary knowledge, skills and self management requirements to provide for excellence in the treatment, service and care of patients, as well as provide for a healthy and productive work environment. 

In addition to supporting the practice to provide excellence in the treatment, service and care of patients, the standards are intended to provide staff with a framework for self development.  Properly utilized by staff and management, the practices’ Standards of Performance can provide a framework for a structured approach towards realizing personal and professional growth.

Staff Participation in Decision Making

Providing staff with a voice in decision making is essential to realizing the overall goals and objectives of your practice.  This includes acquiring staff input related to:

• The service and care of patients.
• The day to day operations of the practice.
• Improvement initiatives.
• Proposed changes to procedures in clinic or office areas.
• The policies or management systems of the practice.

Acquiring input from staff members who have expert knowledge related to the day to day operations of our practice serves to improve the quality and value of decisions.

Acquiring staff input into decision making also serves to:

• Insure that staff members who are influenced by the outcome of decisions have an opportunity to provide input into the decision making processes.
• Minimize the potential for miscommunication and conflict in the practice resulting from staff not participating in decision making or being informed of decisions.

Along with playing a more active role in decision making comes greater responsibility and job satisfaction.  Staff who participate in decision making inevitably assume greater responsibility related to the implementation of decisions and are able to enjoy that satisfaction that comes along with implementing constructive change.

Recognition and Acknowledgement

Providing one another with recognition and acknowledgement is essential to creating a healthy and productive work environment as well as supporting one another in sustaining a commitment to quality and excellence.

This involves making an ongoing effort of looking for what is working in your practice and sharing these insights with one another regardless of how busy or preoccupied you become with the day to day operations of your practice.  It is very easy in busy and demanding dental practices to get caught up in what's not working and lose sight of what is.

Taking the time to recognize individual improvements or contributions contributes to a positive working environment as well as the growth of your practice.  Setting aside some time to do this as part of your regular meetings is the perfect time and place to do so.

Feedback, Coaching and Support

Achieving quality and excellence requires ongoing feedback, coaching and support from our peers. 

This involves not only being prepared to provide one another with responsible feedback and coaching, it also requires being open to receiving feedback and coaching when provided.

Effective and satisfying coaching relationships require that each and very team member:

• Maintain high expectations of themselves and other team members related to the standards of treatment, service and care provided to patients.
• Bringing to the attention of your teammates (in a responsible and supportive manner) when the team is not performing as well as it could be in serving patients or following systems.
• Supporting other team members to comply with the systems and policies of your practice or proactively and constructively change them.
• Providing other team members with open, honest and responsible communication related to an issue or concern you may have.
• Not participating in gossiping or other communication and behavior that undermines the working environment of your practice and suggesting that other team members do the same.

Good Staff vs Great Staff

What separates the good from the great? A great staff person:

Demonstrates thoroughness, attention to detail and consistency related to job performance (maintains high standards of individual job performance).

Follows the systems and policies of a practice or follows procedures to change and improve them.

Demonstrates the ability to effectively service, interact and communicate with patients (maintains high standards of patient service).

Demonstrates the ability to effectively work with others including providing others with immediate, honest and responsible feedback related to problems, issues or concerns (maintains high standards of teamwork and communication).

Accepts personal responsibility for the quality of their working relationships and the influence of their conduct (communications, actions and attitudes) on the workplace.

Acquires the necessary knowledge and skills to satisfy job expectations and achieve self-development goals.

Maintains high expectations (of self and others) related to the goals, objectives and standards of a practice.

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.

Taking Responsibility to Solve Problems

Problems and conflict occur as a natural part of day to day work life and represent opportunities for learning and growth.  Successful teams understand that problems and conflict occur in the workplace and they do not allow problems or conflict to undermine their commitment to their goals or other team members.

The success of a dental practice is dependent upon the ability to solve operational problems.  Problem solving requires that team members demonstrate composure and initiative related to correcting problem situations.  The lack of team member commitment or initiative towards problem solving results in creating a work environment where team members complain about how things could be or should be while waiting for others to fix problems or implement positive change. 

The resolution of problems and conflict through open, direct and responsible communication can serve as valuable learning opportunities as well as contribute to the development of positive working relationships.

 “Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.”

                                              Henry J. Kaiser