The dentist did a wonderful job in preparing for the meeting and he invited the team to do some preparation as well. He offered three or four questions for them to consider about their compensation. As the meeting opened, he asked what issues they wanted to explore and the team came up with a number of stellar questions. Among them were “How is compensation defined?”; “How is the monthly goal determined?”; “Where does profit go?” One question in particular caught my attention. The team member was wondering about the notion of commitment and she said the following:

 

“When I am working, you get 110% of me, but when I leave at the end of the day, that’s my time. You are always wanting us to read things and answer questions. Sometimes, I feel like I’m back in school. I’m wondering how my compensation will reflect my resistance to after-hours work. Are my compensation and potential increases going to be based on what I do outside of practice hours?”

 

Wow! What a courageous team member. Direct. Clear. Honest. And I want to add that this team member did not raise this question with a negative attitude. Rather she expressed a perspective that I suspect is shared by many other team members.

 

Her comment and question prompted me to recall something I read way back in the November, 1998, issue of HR/OD (Human Resources/Organizational Development), a member newsletter of the American Management Association, International, to which I belong. The topic in this particular issue was the trends having an impact on human resources in the workplace, and the piece that caught my eye was presented by Jim Harris, PhD. Just as relevant now as it was then, here is what he said: :

 

“Another HR trend is the idea of occupational half-life, which asks the question, ‘How many years does it take for half of your work skills to become obsolete?’ In 1970, it took about 15 years. [That means] by 1985, half of your original skills were no longer useful. Today, the number is 2 1/2 to 3 years. That means in less than 30 months, half of what you’re doing will be obsolete.”

 

This is an incredibly profound statement and one which has major implications for everyone, regardless of role. Frankly, if it is true, it challenges us all to stay on our toes.

 

When asked my perspective on the issue of after-hours commitment, I chose to introduce Dr. Harris’ thoughts and add some of my own. I’d like to share them with you now, for I suspect they are relevant for many of your team members. I think there is a logical progression to the following statements. See if you agree.

 

Dentistry is a profession which comes with an obligation to life-long learning. Not just clinical providers in dentistry but also administrative and behavioral personnel require continuous education. Every member of the staff will be left behind if she fails to keep up and learn the very latest. Many a senior or long-term employee has found herself un-employable because of lack of computer skills, for example. Behavioral specialists must always be learning about and growing in their communication and patient-relationship skills. No member of the team is immune from the learning requirement.

 

You must see learning as your personal obligation. Hey, no one is responsible for your future more than you are. If you want to be employed in the best practices or businesses, you must make yourself as highly desirable and employable as possible. Your “you time” must include a major commitment to learning, improving your skills and personal growth. The world is not going to make room for people who are underskilled and lack interest in getting smarter. There are too many others who don’t feel that way and they will overtake those who lag behind.

 

Learning cannot occur only within office hours. Academic and conceptual learning occurs outside of office hours. Practical application learning comes with the doing, where your practice is your learning laboratory. Indeed, there is a great deal that can be done during the hours of your employment, but it will never provide enough time to delve into the creative, the new and the innovative. And that is exactly where you must take yourself if you want to stay on the cutting edge and guard your future.

Your value to the practice will go down if your skills don’t go up. What is valuable to your practice right now will be less valuable in the future. Which half of your skills will be obsolete in three years and how will your diminished impact harm the success of the practice? You cannot expect your compensation to rise when your skill-base is stagnant.

 

Your future and earning power will depend on the new skills you bring not the old ones you maintain. You must make yourself valuable to your practice (or future practices, for that matter) in ways that can’t even be imagined right now. You must prepare yourself to take on the challenges that will face your practice or business in the future. Becoming the master of carbon paper will only serve you for so long.

 

If your dentist is willing to sponsor your learning, grab every opportunity and say “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.” Your employer does have an obligation to support learning if he or she wants the business to become and remain successful, but we all know that most dentists rarely underwrite the kind of learning that will keep an employee on top of the heap. So, if you are blessed to have such an insightful leader as your employer, thank him or her and take advantage of every ounce.

 

There are many learning opportunities available; so, find one which matches you. There are evening courses, weekend programs, home study courses, open university programs, dental association meetings and, of course, ProSynergy resources. You can choose the material and format which suits you best. Just choose something and get to work on learning some new skills now. It is never too early and never too late.