Ann does her job, Caroline does hers, Dan is busy doing his. Everyone is working independently. So what’s the problem? It’s known as the “silo effect,” and it occurs in the workplace when individuals are focused almost exclusively on their own areas. Think of the farm silos, they stand next to each other, each performing its individual functions, but there is no link between them. That’s not a problem out on the farm, in the workplace; however, it’s a different story.

This silo effect can occur in the dental practice when there is a lack of communication and/or a lack of common goals among the different areas. The business employee unknowingly schedules the emergency patient at a time that puts significant strain on the doctor and the assistant. The doctor recommends an extensive treatment plan, not realizing that the patient already carries a significant balance on his account. The collections coordinator is to increase collections, but can’t control accounts receivables when the doctor is recommending costly treatment to patients with outstanding balances. The doctor, meanwhile, wants to increase treatment acceptance and is now offering more elective procedures. But there’s no effective communication between the silos.

Clearly, the collective interests of the practice as a whole are suffering. If there are common goals or a common purpose, they don’t have a chance in this environment until the silos are torn down and individuals focus on how they fit into the shared success of the entire office.

While stress in the dental practice neither can be nor should be eliminated, managing it is critical. Dentists and their teams need to identify those areas that cause negative stress and take concrete actions to reduce them. It all starts with changing the things you can. Staff can be changed, educated, and properly directed; schedules can be changed; collections can be changed; treatment presentations can be changed; business procedures can be changed – all to yield improvements and reduce strain on the practice and team immediately. Take these steps:

1. List the stressors starting with those issues that are most intense. Develop a plan of action to address the sources of stress through a procedure or system.

2. Meet regularly as a team to refine systems and procedures that continue to cause stress.

3. Clearly define staff roles and responsibilities.

4. Train your team to ensure that they can succeed in your practice.

5. Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities on the job. If “Julie” is responsible for delinquent account calls, but never is allowed time or a quiet space to make those calls, she cannot fulfill her job expectations. Make adjustments so employees can carry out the duties they are assigned.

6. Improve communications. If you are stressed out because cancellations and no shows have been on record pace the last few months, rest assured your team is worried too. Talk about the situation as a team and together develop strategies to address it.

7. Take time out for fun – an afternoon at the movies, the zoo, or a long lunch. A little fun can go a long way in reducing stress.

Eighty percent of practices are losing more patients than they are gaining new patients. It’s easy to assume that patients you’ve had for years will continue to return, and it’s also easy to fall into the trap of thinking that those patients will raise questions and inquire about treatment options without your prompting. What happens far too often is teams fall into the “Transaction Mindset.” The patient is coming in for a routine oral hygiene appointment and exam. Everyone clicks into autopilot, after all this is merely a routine transaction. Wait! Wake up! This is one of only two contacts your office will have with that patient in the next 12 months. This isn’t a mere transaction. It’s your brief opportunity to strengthen your relationship with this patient.

In many cases, the six-month visit is the only time the dentist is going to have the opportunity to sit down with the patient and assess not only his/her their oral health condition, but also the individual’s oral health concerns and interests. What do you do during every routine visit to WOW the patients, further educate them on the importance of oral healthcare, and inform them of the services that your practice provides? Anything? In about eight months, you might be wondering why you haven’t seen this or that patient in your practice for a while. Can you figure it out? Maybe they were tired of being treated as simply just another “routine transaction.”

As the dust settles on the holiday season, it is an excellent time to take a close look at your practice. This actually should have been done regularly over the last year, but so too should the exercise regimen! How did your practice perform in 2012? Did you meet your goals – did you even have goals? Where do you want to take your practice in the coming year?

Many dentists discover in December that production has leveled off and the practice has been idling for months. Like the ghost of Christmas future, this is enough to send chills down your spine and ice through your bank account. It’s a bellwether of things to come unless you look closely at why production is on a downhill slide and take steps to turn it around.

Have you introduced new services in your practice – and actually told patients about those services? Or have you spent the last year doing the same thing, the same way, on the same days, and so on? Perhaps you did start offering implants or adult orthodontics but didn’t actually inform your patients that the services are now available. Remember, patients don’t know what you have to offer unless you actually tell them. In the coming year, resolve to educate your patients on the many benefits of your expanded services.

The season of giving often becomes the moment of truth for many doctors. It is frequently the only time of year when they take time to acknowledge the contributions of their team members. Because there is little more than a head nod for a job well done from January through November, doctors feel the pressure mounting to do something really spectacular once December 1st arrives. In a desperate attempt to atone for a year’s worth of staff neglect in a single swoop, many doctors will go overboard in their zeal to impress the staff – a party, expensive gifts and/or bonuses, and so on.

In seemingly thankless return, the team barely acknowledges the elaborate bash at the nice restaurant, the time out of the office for an extra long lunch, or that fancy picture frame you gave engraved with the name of the practice. Bah Humbug!

In reality, the best gift you can give your team doesn’t involve a single penny. Appreciation and gratitude have no monetary cost, but given with sincerity are priceless to the employee. Instead of trying to top whatever you did last year and resenting the unappreciative team members in the process, sit down with your staff and talk about what would be meaningful recognition and appreciation to them in the coming year. When next year’s holidays roll around, you will not only be capping off a year’s worth of successful appreciation efforts, I would be willing to bet you’ll also be celebrating one of your most profitable years on record.