Who is Your Office “Influencer”?
“You can never really live anyone else’s life, not even your child’s. The influence you exert is through your own life, and what you’ve become yourself.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Incisal Edge Magazine has posted the list of the 32 most influential people in dentistry on its website at
Among those on the list were a few that I know such as, Dr. Gordon Christensen, DDS, MHD, PH. D, and Dr. Howard Farran, DDS, MBA of Dentaltown, and social media. Also, on the list was a surprise name, Gwyneth Paltrow, the actress. Gwyneth is an activist for the family founded Oral Cancer Foundation. Her father, Bruce Paltrow, died at the age of 58 from complications of oral cancer. Since that time, Gwyneth and her family have served the poor inner-city and rural populations to bring help to discover and treat the disease that strikes some 48,000 Americans a year, killing about half within five years.
It is satisfying to know that there are amazing and dedicated people serving the dental industry and improving the lives of so many. Though these famous people are distant to our practices and remote to our everyday life, it is still inspiring. The typical dental practice and its hard-working team won’t make a list anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t powerful everyday influencers.
Looking for inspiration from the people who we work with every day is where we can gain our daily dose of mindfulness if we take the time to look and to listen.
Take, for example, the dental assistant who has offered to write a blog for the website to help educate patients and introduce them to quality dental care. The blog is an integral part of the site and increases search engine activity. More people can find you, and more patients ensue.
How about the positive influence of the dental assistant who offers to answer busy phones when it isn’t a function of their job. Lost phone calls can cost the practice thousands of dollars.
Or the Business Coordinator who verifies the benefits and out of pocket costs for an out of network potential new patient. To help the patient and to secure the appointment. If you are out of network to many patients’ plans, they will call someone who is in-network. The businessperson who goes the extra mile to help a patient understand their dental insurance will improve the brand and the bottom line.
Or the dental hygienist who diligently goes over tooth brushing and oral care for the one-hundredth time to a non-compliant patient. Patients will always challenge the reserves of most professional dental people. A hygienist who doesn’t give up on patients understands that it is worth it to continue to give time to teach and educate.
All actions that go over and above what is expected at the job help to influence the practice success. And build a brand of excellence.
To cultivate positive influencers, be aware of the office environment, and what is happening throughout the clinical and business area. When you observe a positive interaction or a job well done, take the time to acknowledge the person, and show appreciation and gratitude.
Not everyone is motivated to bring improvements because they might get a raise. Many people do the right thing without any expectations of rewards. These are the people who should be acknowledged for who they are, the practice “influencers.”
You, the CEO, owner of the practice, must help your employees get the success and confidence that they want from their work. If employees feel that your expectations are beyond what is possible or out of their reach, they may disengage. Your behavior as an influencer comes to play with building up the team’s potential to be great. Take the time to develop people instead of to discipline people and you will see how you can influence the success of your practice and build a brand where patients and team are happy and grateful.
eAssist Dental Solutions can be a great influencer in your practice by collecting what you have earned and giving you peace of mind. Without collection worries, you have time to work on building the best team and creating the practice of your dreams.
Dental Billing Tips and News for Pros; Edition #148
Colleen Clay
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