From the executive director

Oct. 23, 2009
ADIA Executive Director Lynn Mortilla explains how important it is to seek unification of your team rather than departmentalization. She says, "... being part of the team is my primary job."

Dear Colleagues:

As I write this, I am returning home from three days with my team for computer training. The training had nothing to do with implants, customer service, or team approaches for success. It was a program to update us on the changes to our database software. Truth be told ... I don’t even work with the software. That’s what I rely on my team for. (They are the ones who push the buttons and make it all go.) It seems so simple for me to just pick up the phone and request “this report” or “that list” to assess whether we’re on target with our members. So when the opportunity for this training came up, I felt I wanted to be with my team despite the fact I don’t work on the system. I figured if I could understand what’s involved in our day-to-day computer operations and management, I could be a better team player.

I struggled a little through some of the more advanced applications (in two decades of dentistry I’ve never written a query or batched my receivables), but I managed to stay on the same page as everyone and something incredible happened as we all learned together. We started to identify our weaknesses and strengths and troubleshoot some of the problems we have at work. Together we discussed ideas and solutions that I believe will simplify, streamline, and make us more effective. There were a lot of “aha” moments, a bit of frustration, and a bunch of laughs (especially when I screwed up something and the best solution I could find was just to try to delete everything).

The four days reminded me that no matter what our chosen field or profession, education and training are important, and working together is essential to get the job done. I may never work on our software, but I do support my team and want to lighten their load by being a true team player. Even though it’s “not my job” to push the buttons and make everything go, being part of the team is my primary job. So I need to get on board with what everyone else does to be an asset to the team and not a hindrance with my requests and understanding of how we operate.

Could we draw a dental office parallel here? Do you ever think, “It’s not my job”? How do you handle the challenges and the struggles? Do you seek unification of your team rather than departmentalization? Do you do build the team together through education? If your team needs help streamlining implant dentistry, we hope you’ll become part of our team at the ADIA and ICOI.

Many thanks to my team — Jen, Betty, Angela, Ada, and PJ — for enduring the training (and some not so memorable food) for the good of our team!

Lynn Mortilla
Executive Director, ADIA, and proud member of the ICOI Team