I never really knew what the “HTTP” on a website address stood for, so I looked it up and discovered it stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. It is the foundation of the World Wide Web and is used to load web pages using hypertext links. It is what your web browser uses to request a website.
In a recent conversation with the great dental consultant Linda Miles, she told me what HTTP means to her. She has allowed me to share this definition with you:
- H: Hire
- T: Train
- T: Trust
- P: Praise
What a simple and amazing way to remember the four pillars of a great team, or, like the World Wide Web, the foundation of a great team.
Let’s take each of these four pillars and dive deeper.
Hire
Dr. Ann D. Miller.
Employ the person who best fits the culture of your office. Hire for personality and common goals.
Yes, you need to hire someone who has education and a license for a hygiene position or another dentist, but you do not need to hire someone with dental experience in other positions. Anyone can be taught dentistry. You cannot teach someone their personality or how they will mesh with the existing culture established.
Be precise in the mission, values, and goals of the office in the advertisement; do not be generic. When interviewing, make sure candidates understand the mission, values, and goals of the office and determine how the candidate will fit into this environment.
Discuss upfront the nonnegotiables on both the office side and on the candidate’s side of employment. Have all expectations on the table during the interview and be transparent.
Train
Clarity is the key. Have written standard operating procedures for everything in the office, from how to clock in to how to greet patients to what to do at the end of the day.
Assign another team member as an ambassador or mentor for the new employee, someone whom the new employee can go to with questions or support. Give new employees several weeks of observation prior to expecting them to understand and do the job to perfection. Do not throw them into the fire on the first day.
Check in with the new employee daily. Check in at the beginning and end of the day.
Let the new employee know that they are valued. Have a written list of expectations set for 30, 60, and 90 days. Review the expectations at each interval.
Trust
Trust is the most important behavior of a cohesive team because it is the foundation. Trust is what makes teamwork possible. You have hired the right candidate and you have correctly trained them, so now you must trust them.
Do not micromanage your employees. Allow them to grow in their positions. They will make mistakes, but so do you. Let them know the mistakes you have made. Be vulnerable. When they make a mistake, ask them how they could have prevented it and what they learned from it, then let it go! Do not dwell on it.
If you cannot trust your employees, then you as the leader did not hire well, nor did you train well.
Praise
Everyone needs to be appreciated, even for the little things. Be sincere and genuine. Praise very specific things that the employee did well, whether it was how they handled a disgruntled patient or how they stepped up to help another teammate.
Praise can come in many ways. Understand how each member of your team accepts appreciation. Some may feel praise verbally in front of others is important, while others may find a small gift of appreciation as their fuel for praise. It is important to know how each team member feels about appreciation and how they best take praise. Make sure each team member is praised regularly.
Dr. Ann D. Miller is a general dentist with a passion to help other dentists navigate their journey in dentistry. She is a dental coach and founder of Dental Wayfinder, working with dentists in all stages of their dental career. You can reach her at www.dentalwayfinder.com or [email protected].
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.
