Leading Through Change: What Dental Practices Need to Know

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Dental City is excited to launch a new podcast series: Beyond the Operatory – Cutting Through the Noise of Modern Dentistry. In this article, you’ll get a sneak peak of some of the actionable advice this podcast will serve its viewers, specifically strategies for navigating and leading through the most common changes dental practices face today.

“Change is with us forever. It’s unending and it’s a process,” declares Betsy Mitchell, a leadership development expert, in one yet-to-be-published episode of the “Beyond the Operatory” podcast—and all dental practices should take note.

With the dental industry evolving faster than ever, practice leaders must be prepared not just to manage change, but to lead their teams through it successfully. When change is approached with confidence, clarity, and sincerity, teams are far more likely to engage with enthusiasm rather than resist out of uncertainty or frustration.

Types of Change to Prepare For

Change can take many forms, but for dental practices today, some types are more prevalent than others. Leaders are most often navigating change related to:

• DSO Acquisition or Integration
• Industry Regulations
• Technology Advancement
• Crisis Management (Staffing Shortages)

Within each type of change, there are specific strategies you can utilize so your team can come out the other side of them successfully.

For a practice joining a new DSO, Mitchell recommends clearly defining the “benefits and losses” that come with the decision. Doing so helps leaders balance what the practice needs to remain successful with what it hopes to achieve long term—while recognizing that this transition impacts more than just the business side of operations.

For regulatory and technological changes, or changes more driven by external industry forces and less by choice of the practice, Mitchell recommends clearly communicating the “why” behind the change. Without proper explanation, it will be difficult to get team buy-in. Take the time to research and understand the reasoning for a change and then begin the implementation process with confidence and purpose.

Staffing shortages remain another major pressure point for many practices, so effectively addressing the shortage and the changes needed to work through it requires a balance of acknowledging the issue exists and accepting the limitations it places on the practice.

One thing practices can do during a staffing shortage, according to Mitchell is, “Look at the people we [practice leaders] have, how do we value them, how do we make sure that we’re supporting them to do more with less.” By doing this, you show your employees you see their contributions and want to help support them through this challenge, leading to less burnout and more willingness to continue working at a high level.

Leadership Strategies for All Types of Change

Regardless of the type of change, one thing leaders should avoid at all costs is ambiguity. Change without clear communication often leads to frustration and disengagement. Keeping your team informed—even when all the answers aren’t available—is critical.

“In the midst of change there are a lot of unanswered questions. That’s part of the angst of change—the ambiguity,” Mitchell explains. “People get stuck in this place of thinking that as they’re leading, they have to have ‘the’ answers and they don’t need that. What they need is a message that conveys their confidence that they will find their way and they will work together to make the adjustment.”

Alleviating ambiguity and addressing change confidently can look like:

• Laying out in detail what the change is and how it will affect the team, including what you know and don’t know about the process needed to implement the change
• Leveraging outside resources to help create a realistic roadmap for your team—you don’t need to (and most likely shouldn’t) start from scratch
• Relying on the expertise of your team and their desire to help to finalize an action plan
• Celebrating every small win to reinforce progress toward the larger goal

It’s Not Rocket Science

Ultimately, leading through change is about recognizing that people want certainty in uncertain situations. Anchor your team in what isn’t changing—shared goals, trusted colleagues, and a common mission—helps make change less daunting.

When you as a leader commit to a change, and can communicate with honesty and clarity, it will help your team adapt and succeed.

Mitchell summarizes it like this, “All of those things [leadership strategies] lend you toward that path of ongoing success in the face of ongoing change.”

You can listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple and YouTube. To experience the future of dental distribution for your practice, Dental City can help with all your procurement solutions in a customized fashion. Contact Rylee Berg at 1-800-353-9595 x192 or visit us at Dentalcity.com. We are excited to help dental practices optimize their supply ordering process.

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