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Building a strong culture in your dental practice

Weak office culture can hinder productivity and can even be sensed by patients.

One of the top causes of a weak culture is a divide between leaders and their staff. Leveraging gratitude and appreciation is an easy-to-implement approach for establishing a strong cohesive team.

Appreciation is important

Feeling that your efforts are appreciated is a primary factor in overall job satisfaction, nearly as important as being happy with your remuneration. Recognizing this fact goes a long way towards understanding the value in fostering a culture of appreciation in your office.

Unless you’re already making a conscious effort to express gratitude on a daily basis, there’s a chance you’re falling short. You should be able to remember the last person you thanked on your team and what you specifically thanked them for off the top of your head. If you can’t, consider taking a more measured approach.

Saying ‘thank you’

Annual bonuses, occasional gift cards, rewards and financial incentives are great, and they can certainly have a positive influence on office morale. However, these motives are less effective than simply smiling and saying ‘thank you’ every day.

Saying ‘thank you’ is more than just words, it’s showing that you’ve noticed the extra effort your team members put in to do a great job. For full effect, pinpoint specific actions. Personalized thank yous suggest genuineness and can lead to similar above-and-beyond behavior in the future.

Start at the top

Building a culture of appreciation in any organization starts at the top and works its way down through the hierarchy. As the owner, the onus is on you to get the ball rolling.