2 Key Tools for Accountability Success in Your Dental Practice!

We’ve spoken a lot about the importance of tracking your practice’s data in the last few blogs, but another critical step is actually using the data! Ultimately, if you don’t do anything with your data, then there’s no reason to track it in the first place. But by taking that first step and accounting for all your data, you can apply accountability to it and see it impact your practice’s growth. That application, however, is the tricky part, but the two tools I have today make it so easy!

1. Practice Scorecard

At its simplest, the ACT Dental Practice Scorecard is a handful of numbers that tell you how your business is doing at a glance. Having a scorecard is crucial to changing your practice’s future, but the unfortunate reality is that most don’t have one. Many businesses rely on their Profit-and-Loss statement to see their score, but it doesn’t have the same power as a scorecard. It’s a trailing indicator, so it only shows the data from after the fact, and you can’t change the past. A scorecard, however, will do the following, helping you to change your future: 

• Track weekly activity-based numbers. Unlike the high-level numbers in a P&L statement, the numbers on your scorecard show your weekly activity. That activity shows you whether you’re on track for a strong P&L, essentially predicting it.
• Red-flag off-track categories. When one of your numbers hasn’t hit its goal for the week, you can red-flag it so it stands out. In this way, you can create better focus and awareness on that number, giving it a sense of urgency in your weekly meeting.
• Create an organizational shift. Because they’ll have complex data, your leadership team will become more proactive at solving problems. That data will point out current issues and predict future ones, and solving them will assure your team that you’re on track with your vision.
  

2. Right People/Right Seats Scorecard

If you’re going to grow as a business, you need a team that wants to grow, and that means they need to fit your core values and get results. We LOVE core values here at ACT; Kirk says it all the time: “All roads lead to core values.” If you don’t have yours established, that should be your priority. Once you’ve worked with your leadership team to discover your core values, however, you need to take two steps:

1. Have the leadership team use the scorecard on one another. This validates your core values but will inform you if someone on your leadership team is below the bar. 
2. Use the scorecard on everyone in the organization. Afterward, have each manager share those results in one-on-one sessions, bringing the tool to life throughout the organization.

When you have the right people in the right seats, it makes everything better. To understand if someone is in the right seat, however, use these three questions: 

• Do they Get It? Do the neurons in their brain connect when you explain the job? Do they understand the ins and outs of the position?
• Do they genuinely WANT to do the job? Do they get out of bed every morning wanting to do the job? They have to enjoy this independently, and no amount of pay, motivation, or force can accomplish it. 
• Do they have the Capacity to do the job? Do they have the capacity—mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual—time and knowledge to do the job? This one can be negotiable because a person can grow the capacity with some investment, but not every organization has the luxury of doing so.

If the answer to any of them is a “no,” then 99.9% of the time, this is not the right person for this particular seat.

The most important thing to remember about these tools is simple: use them! The Right People/Right Seats Scorecard will make sure you’ve got someone who gets it, wants it, and can do it, whether they’re a new hire or an existing team member. When you hold your data accountable with the Practice Scorecard, you’ll be able to bring clarity to your practice and implement countermeasures when necessary, helping you direct the course of your business. 

As always, you aren’t alone on this journey, so reach out! Contact Gina for more information about the Scorecards and to learn how ACT can help you build the Better Practice and Better Life of your dream! Or visit us in person in April at our To The Top Study Club meetings, where you’ll connect with the dental community, form essential bonds, and improve your ability as a dentist and practice owner!

Tune in next time and learn how you, as a leader, can help your team become more accountable and, ultimately, more successful!

Ariel Juday is a Lead Practice Coach at ACT Dental