Does Your Dental Team Have 'Court Sense?'

If you're a basketball fan, things get really interesting this time of year during the playoffs. It's the time in the season when slight differences in strategy and performance can have huge implications.

When you think about it, successful teamwork in sports and successful teamwork in a dental practice both come down to strategy and performance. Consider the parallels:

There has to be a strategy for the offense. It's about what get's you ahead – your strategy for growth.

There has to be a strategy for the defense. It's about what protects your position – your strategy for keeping your patient retention foundation strong.

There has to be a strategy for each position. That's where you define the roles and how they work in an interdependent way.

There has to be a strategy for each player. This is separate from the roles strategy. This is about optimizing the individual strengths and abilities of each team member.

There has to be a strategy for the game. That means doing the right preparation and analysis to optimize today's results.

There has to be a strategy for each play. Sometimes this is a set, practiced play and sometimes this is about devising a strategy on the spot to adapt to unique conditions.

This last point is very important. In basketball it's known as having "court sense" and all the best players exhibit it. It's the ability to have a fine-tuned awareness for what is happening around you so you can instantly "read" the situation and make the right play.

The best dental team members have this ability too. They spot a nervous patient and take the right steps to alleviate their anxiety. They see an opportunity in a patient's chart or as a result of a conversation, and they immediately pass that information on to the rest of the team. A patient cancels and they start thinking creatively about how to fill the slot. These are performers who understand strategy, but more than that, they use their court sense to implement those strategies in the most effective ways. Get enough people on your side who can think in this way and you have the makings of a championship team.