The current employment market and team member retention have changed dramatically over the last few years. Long gone are the days when an orthodontist could expect team members to join the practice and stay for the rest of their career. This approach is no longer the norm across all industries, yet I see many colleagues nostalgic for this work culture.
Hence, we need to consider our orthodontic practices as a springboard for various employee interests. Consider their personas for the type of influence and role team members will have in your practice. The concept of an orthodontic tour of duty will helps us replace the expectations of this new generation of workforce. The critical piece to making hiring decisions should not be: “Is this person going to stay with us their whole career?” We should consider their role in the practice’s growth and what impact this journey will have on this team member’s future.
When we embrace the concept that not all jobs are forever jobs, we open the door to team members who can contribute so much. We have team members who have joined us and helped us grow over the years. Although we hoped they would be a part of our team for as long as possible, they impacted our orthodontic practice. For some, their tour of duty follows going to dental school, nursing school, or hygiene school. For others, their time was followed by a career change, consulting positions, or starting their businesses.
Reid Hoffman has urged us to embrace the tour of duty, and there are three roles team members can follow:
Rotational
The rotational team member joins our team for some time, but they are more of a hired gun. This team member comes and may go, but they put their work and effort into the practice. Work to find the rotational tours of duty to maximize their existing skills.
Transformational
This tour of duty transforms both the employee and the practice. They change the organization, and it changes them. In a transformational journey, there is an evolution as this person grows within the company, and the orthodontic practice gains great benefits from their contribution and ideas. Often, team members make a lasting imprint in your orthodontic practice, and you make a lasting impression on them and their future.
Foundational
For this tour of duty, growing the impact of the orthodontic practice is part of their life’s mission. At the foundational level, a team member will likely consider staying in our practice for their whole career. Both of you align deeply. Their role will help grow your mission’s impact within your organization.
