Finding the Ideal Team Player for a Dental Practice

679: The Dentist's Blueprint to Perfect Hiring: Ensure Every Team Member is a Perfect Fit - Miranda Beeson

In the latest episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk welcomes guest Miranda Beeson to discuss the critical issues of dental staffing shortages. The episode sheds light on the predominant concerns of dental practices—staff shortages and hiring difficulties, onboarding, and the interview process. Kirk and Miranda discuss the need for intentional onboarding strategies, the importance of assessing a practice's capacity before bringing in new team members, and caution against hastily replacing departing team members. They also delve into the critical step of determining the purpose of hiring. This episode serves as a comprehensive guide to navigate the complexities of dental staffing and will help you emerge with a winning team. Don't miss this essential episode!

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Main Takeaways

• Maximizing current team members through skill enhancement and clear expectations is highlighted as a priority.
• Focus on Who, Not Just What: Embrace a hiring approach that prioritizes the "who" over the "what." Dental practitioners should focus on the individual's values and cultural fit before considering their skills and capabilities.
• Visual and video elements, internal team recruiting, and strategic use of social media are crucial components of modern recruitment.
• Transitioning from hiring to recruiting involves adopting a proactive mindset, always scouting for potential team members.
• Customer service and patient experiences are pivotal in dental practices, with the team playing a crucial role in creating positive outcomes.
• Community outreach serves as a form of networking to discover potential team members beyond traditional hiring methods.
• Crafting standout hiring ads involves avoiding generic language, incorporating visuals, and focusing on the practice's culture and core values.
• Quotes from current team members can add authenticity to the hiring ad, offering unique perspectives on the workplace.

Quotes:

"Even when you find the right person and you're certain that they're going to be in the right seat for your practice and bringing that productivity, you have to be intentional about how you onboard them." [10:49 - 10:57]

"A level four leader gets people to follow them. A level five leader gets people to follow a cause. Your team is your brand." [12:56 - 13:03]

“This is a phrase that you say often that I love - are you throwing people at inefficiencies? We want to look at: are we really needing someone else or are we just inefficient? And we're going to throw another body at the problem to see if we can't try to solve it. So before you do that, you really want to evaluate if everyone on your team is currently the right person in the right seat, and do we have accountabilities in place for those people to ensure that they're maximizing their potential within their role. Before you consider hiring, you want to make sure that you are fully maximizing the people that you have. Are there people on your team who are looking for a little bit more? Have we done check-ins? Have we talked to them lately about what they're hoping to get out of their career?” [17:11 - 17:55]

“What might a job description look like? What does it need to entail? It does need to be detailed. We say often, specific is terrific. Vague is the plague. And this helps us to have really clear expectations when someone's coming on board to make sure that they know what they're getting into. And we also can interview and assure that we're finding the right person to accomplish those tasks.” [22:50 - 23:11]

“One of the things that you shared at the top was creating a unique employment proposition. We have to make ourselves stand out in the same way we need to differentiate our practice to our patients. We have to differentiate ourselves to future and potential employees. We have to make sure that we are well aware of. What we're offering, not only in compensation, although that is important, but what else are we offering that's going to create a fulfilling, fun, ideal job work environment for our potential candidates that exist.” [28:22 - 28:57]

“One of the first things I encourage a team to do when you need to bring someone on board is ask your current team who loves working here to spread the word. And if they spread the word and they ask their friends to share and spread the word, it's really going to be great. And you're more likely to find people who you know are going to fit the values of the practice because the people that are working there fit the practice, and they know what you're all about.” [30:57 - 31:23]

“Customer service is the biggest piece. We're creating patient experiences every single day. And that's really what feeds our business. If you're the dentist, you don't pay your team. The patients pay your team. The income is coming from the patients, not the doctor.” [34:50 - 35:10]

“What improves culture and helps team members feel really good about being in your practice is predictability. Efficiency and the sharing of information. This one is huge, really efficient cascading and sharing of information, not the game of telephone, but a method to how we're making sure we're sharing information.” [57:58 - 58:17]

“If we're just being nice all the time. Are we really being nice to that person if we're not being clear about where they stand and what we need from them. And in the end, there's a great story about someone who had a leader who was just so nice and gave such positive praise and feedback and they ended up getting fired by the person above that person.” [58:38 - 58:57]

“Here's something to think about. Say more with fewer words. Be calm. The key is to be calm, be consistent, be clear, and you can still be nice.” [1:00:03 - 1:00:14]

Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:

Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH, has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.

Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach. 

Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com

Follow Miranda on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental