Eliminate the Chaos with Core Values

Most dentists would love nothing more than to focus on clinical dentistry, but that’s not possible. As a result, it can be difficult at times to focus on those things outside the clinical dentistry sphere, which can make running the practice extremely tiring. When you’re putting out fire after fire caused by unclear expectations and misaligned behavior, it may feel impossible to get back on track, but there’s a secret weapon that will eliminate the chaos: your Core Values. They are truly your greatest asset, because they act as a shared compass that guides how your team acts, communicates, and makes decisions.

They are truly your greatest asset, and if you haven’t established your core values, start by identifying yours today! Once you start using them, you’ll never look back.

Core Values Give Clarity to Expectations

No one on your team is a mind reader, so while you think your expectations are clear, your team may not understand. This is where Core Values come in — they help you translate the culture and expectations you want into clear, observable behavior. This is why we love Simon Sinek’s advice that Core Values should be verbs.

Ultimately, if all the team members are behaving badly, it’s not their fault — it’s the leader’s, for not setting clear expectations around how to behave. You need those Core Values to give a name and a voice to what behaviors are welcome and encouraged.

Core Values Guide Team Feedback and Development

Regardless of whether it’s giving praise, correction, or growth, one of the challenges in providing feedback is avoiding making things seem personal. Core Values solve this problem by anchoring the feedback in previously agreed-upon values.

We use the Right People Scorecard when giving feedback, because it lets you provide specific feedback around their performance and development based on how they align with your Core Values. Having that prior alignment around expectations ensures that feedback is fair, reduces defensiveness, and promotes real development.

Core Values Can Resolve Real Practice Challenges

One of the most powerful roles that Core Values play is that of the third person in the room. They provide support when you’re faced with challenges, and will help guide the way toward the best resolution.

As an example, imagine this scenario: you overhear your admin team talking poorly about a patient and making judgmental remarks. How can Core Values help resolve this issue?

• Identify a Core Value that relates to the situation: Lead with Compassion.
• Explain what the Core Value means in relation to the situation: “Lead with Compassion means we treat every patient with empathy, even when they’re challenging.”

You can practice this yourself today! Choose one situation in your practice, address it through the lens of one of your values, and see how much easier it is to resolve.

I think Kirk said it best: “Core Values is the single most important thing you will ever do in a business.” They’re so much more than mere posters or platitudes — they’re the daily operating system that reduces chaos and strengthens your practice culture, and the sooner you bring them alive, the sooner your practice will become a place where people love to work and patients love to visit.

To learn more about ACT and how we can help you build a Better Practice and a Better Life, reach out to Gina!

Tune in next time and learn how to build systems that will make your life easier!