focusonsuccessA dental practice depends on systems. You have systems for keeping patients coming back for hygiene, systems for new patient protocol, for working with other practitioners and systems to ensure team alignment. These systems are there to ensure that we execute consistently and are accountable. They make habits out of the behaviors we need to depend on each day.

We tend to think we don't need systems around the smaller things because they are small and therefore easy to deal with. That's what can make them so hard to change. But as I wrote about before, small choices can end up having a huge impact. We often don't realize this, because the cost of failing one time seems so small.

Just look at the example of the most common personal resolution – to get healthier. One cupcake here and there, another missed workout doesn't seem like a big deal but those who really succeed in the quest for better health are the ones who commit to a system of accountability whether it is a diet program or a workout schedule. It's no secret that the most elite athletes are the ones who track their behaviors the most diligently. Systems become habits, and our habits define us for better or worse.

This is what I was talking about when I wrote about the cumulative cost of missed hygiene appointments. One missed appointment doesn't seem like a big deal, but a habit of missed appointments becomes a crisis of accountability that ends up having significant repercussions.

The same goes for anything you want to change, in the practice or in your life. Don't fool yourself into thinking it will just happen because you have decided it should. We are all creatures of habit, and habits are formed through repetition. Document exactly what you want to achieve, and put a system in place that forces you to stay true to those commitments with the right tracking and accountability. If it is worth your attention, it is worth focusing on with purpose.

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Commenter's Profile Image Pamela Stutler
June 10th, 2014
I agree with the information concerning habits and creating good systems in a dental office. I believe that the weakest link in a dental environment is staff turnover. The loss of systems along with general attitudes go with the employee. Whether the employee moves on or is terminated, so do the systems and strength of those systems. Training and applying what we have learned in our jobs are critical to the profit of any company. High-turnover plays a huge role in how great the systems are and creating those long term habits. It used to be people were hired and stayed in that role for many years. Not so much in these times. Systems will always be stable, but doesn't the staff implement those systems? So we need a system for creating that stable employee.