By Laci PhillipsHappy Mid Year!We all celebrate the New Year. We attend parties, we get all dressed up, and we make resolutions. We all do it, even if we don’t want to admit it. It may be that we think about those resolutions for months so we can actually make a final decision. And then what do we do with the resolutions once they are in our minds? Do we write them down? Do we tell others? This is a process that is an American tradition.When the year begins, we get pumped up and prepare to accomplish our goals. Then the year goes by and suddenly it’s May — Mid Year. Do you celebrate Mid Year? It is the perfect time to check on the resolutions you spent so much time on. Take a moment to check in, evaluate, plan a celebration, or make a plan of action to finish the goals you started.Here are the 10 management tips we shared with our clients in January 2011.1. Budget — Creating a budget for the next 12 months is crucial, whether it is for technology, training, supplies, or marketing. How is your budget now that it is five months into the year? Are you on target? Do you need to cut back or move forward?2. Set goals — If you wrote down your goals, go find that paper or washboard. What were the goals, and how many have you hit? Are you on track for seven more months of work and play?3. Planning — You have a budget and you set some goals, so how does your plan look? If you have an action plan, revisit it. Did each team member get a resolution? How are they doing with their goals? If you did use this step, create an action plan sheet, and include the date you made the plan and the date you finished the plan. Also, include the team member in charge of the goal.
4. Team involvement — Are there any resolutions that need an entire committee? The team should always be involved in setting and accomplishing the goals.5. Training — This is my favorite one! Every team should dedicate at least eight hours a year to software training. Break the training into two-hour sessions and into departments. Two hours for the entire team, two hours for clinical assistants, two hours for hygiene, and two hours for front office. Doctors, you should include yourselves in the entire team and the clinical team training. 6. Implementation — This is your action plan sheet. Have you started?7. Quarterly team meetings — These meetings are based strictly on our yearly goals. You should already have one.8. Mid-year team meeting — This is your friendly reminder.9. Support — This is a team effort. Everyone must support the resolution. But you also need support from the outside, such as a service and maintenance contract for software and hardware.10. Celebration — You can do it! You started out strong, you are revving up for Mid Year, and you will make a strong finish! Always celebrate your successes. And don’t forget to invite me!Editor's Note: To read previous articles from Laci Phillips on DentistryIQ.com, please click here.
4. Team involvement — Are there any resolutions that need an entire committee? The team should always be involved in setting and accomplishing the goals.5. Training — This is my favorite one! Every team should dedicate at least eight hours a year to software training. Break the training into two-hour sessions and into departments. Two hours for the entire team, two hours for clinical assistants, two hours for hygiene, and two hours for front office. Doctors, you should include yourselves in the entire team and the clinical team training. 6. Implementation — This is your action plan sheet. Have you started?7. Quarterly team meetings — These meetings are based strictly on our yearly goals. You should already have one.8. Mid-year team meeting — This is your friendly reminder.9. Support — This is a team effort. Everyone must support the resolution. But you also need support from the outside, such as a service and maintenance contract for software and hardware.10. Celebration — You can do it! You started out strong, you are revving up for Mid Year, and you will make a strong finish! Always celebrate your successes. And don’t forget to invite me!Editor's Note: To read previous articles from Laci Phillips on DentistryIQ.com, please click here.
Laci L. Phillips is the senior practice management consultant and a professional public speaker with Banta Consulting, Inc. of Grain Valley, Mo., as well as the Director of Partnering Sponsors with SCN. While going to college in southern New Mexico to pursue a life of communications, Laci was introduced to her first job in the dental industry as a chairside assistant 18 years ago. Her experience in the dental office as a chairside assistant up through the ranks as an office administrator enable Laci to connect with her audience and her clients. As a team and software trainer and a team builder, Laci has an effective way of teaching the entire team how to move in the same direction, while working as an individual. Through Banta Consulting, Laci provides her expertise to dental practices, both large and small, across the country and internationally. Laci lives in New Mexico with her husband and two children, and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
