Live up to your commitments. If you were strictly on your own, you might be able to get away with saying one thing and doing another, procrastinating, or otherwise falling short of expectations. However, as a team leader, you must establish credibility and predictability. Unless your staff knows what to expect of you, they'll stop short of putting themselves into the practice 100%. Earn their trust, and they'll reward you with the kind of attitude and performance that will lead to greater success for your practice.

Don't open the door for communication and then slam it shut. You need honest feedback from all team members, because they see things you don't, have ideas you'd never come up with, and -- perhaps most importantly -- see you and your behavior in ways that you can't. If a staff member says something you don't want to hear (but that you should hear) and you react badly, you'll no longer be trusted.

Dr. Roger P. Levin is CEO of Levin Group, a leading practice management and marketing consulting firm. To contact him or to join the 40,000 dental professionals who receive his Practice Production Tip of the Day, visit LevinGroup.com or email rlevin@levingroup.com.

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