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Improve Your Practice With a Mission Statement
Even if you’re a seasoned team member or a novice just ready to begin your journey, you must rekindle your commitment to your profession. Revitalizing your passion for dentistry is essential. With passion, we are motivated and enthusiastic about what we are doing. We are truly able to identify our purpose and articulate that purpose within a philosophy that has meaning.
For us, the most important thing is a commitment to excellence. Excellence means striving to be the best that we can be in our practices. Even if we don’t perform perfectly, if we strive to do things to the best of our ability, surround ourselves with good people, and treat our patients with care and consideration, then we cannot fail. More than anything else, we must desire to be the best.
Our coworkers must also feel this passion because that passion will motivate them. One of the greatest advantages of understanding our purpose is that it allows us to demonstrate the value of the care and service we provide. The verbal skills needed to explain the advantages of dental treatment flows automatically when those words come from the heart. Because you maintain a clear vision of the difference dentistry can make in someone’s lifestyle and health, you’ll take advantage of every opportunity to give the patient more information.
To become an excellent team member, you must first determine who you are and what you believe in. These steps, if implemented over the next six months, will rekindle your level of enthusiasm.
Develop a Philosophy of Practice
“Offer the best you have, and assume the best in return.”
-Dennis Waitley, Being the Best
Just as it is true that no two people are exactly alike, it is also true that no two people have exactly the same basic philosophy. It is extremely important to know what your mission is; however, most people do not have a written document clearly stating their mission. Take the time to think this issue through because it provides the “passion” power for your personal and professional development.
A strong sense of mission is essential if you are to reach objectives. Before your objectives can be clear, you must think about your purpose. Without a clear picture of purpose or direction, you will simply tread water instead of progress and grow. Think about why you work in dentistry. Where do you intend to be in five years in terms of your job, your family, and the practice of dental hygiene? In other words: What’s your vision?
Some statements of mission are very short: “It is my purpose to assist every patient to achieve a lifetime of dental health.” Alternatively, they can be more inclusive: “My purpose is to help achieve a state of optimal dental and oral health personally appropriate for them. By continually striving to provide excellence in personal and professional service, I intend to accomplish this in a caring and gentle manner, thus enhancing the quality of my patients’ lives.”
These two statements represent a broad orientation. The focus can, if you choose, be much narrower: “I recognize and wish to concentrate on the dental health needs of senior citizens. It is my mission to educate and to cater to the very special needs of this important and growing segment of the population.”
A person who has a written statement reflecting her sense of purpose is in a much stronger position when the time comes to develop individual marketing strategies. When you know who you are, it is much easier to know what to do in each and every situation.
The following is a list of things your statement of mission might include if you are seeking to be effective:
- A declaration about quality, excellence, and efficiency as they relate to your personal and professional life. For a dental professional to be truly successful, her/his head, heart and hands have to become one. You must have talent and determination. Most of all, you must love your work. You must make a commitment to being the best. Your knowledge of your field -- dentistry -- must be very current.
- A statement that reflects your position regarding honesty, integrity and fairness in dealing with clients. Dentistry has a code of ethics, and we must hold ourselves accountable to it.
- The kind of atmosphere you want to create within an organization, not only for your family, but also for the practice with which you associate. Remember that the dental team plays the most important role in the success of a practice. Very few external factors have as much impact as does the quality of the team. Take charge and take initiative.
- The type of people you prefer to serve in your practice.
- A statement regarding the areas in which you are especially interested (preventive dentistry, community involvement, the needs of children, etc.)
Once you create and commit your philosophy, you then can find the right dental office that will allow you to practice what you believe.
Walk and talk your philosophy. Practice what you preach. Establish standards, and monitor the health of your dental practice. Your department is truly the pulse of the practice. A successful practice must have loyal repeat customers. It is your ethical and professional responsibility to educate and motivate your patients to accept the treatment you know they need. Remember that no one ever becomes successful by only doing what is required of him or her. Raise your standards and give more of yourself. Then you will achieve the success you deserve.
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