For many people, proposing meetings can be a dreaded idea. Many of us have sat in long, ineffective meetings that are wide-open and poorly defined discussions or complaint sessions. The type of meetings orthodontic practices should be having is frequent, effective, and empowering. These can be an opportunity to set doctors and their teams free from miscommunication and open to gain productivity.
Meetings should have a good rhythm
In practice, we should implement more frequent, short, and power-packed sessions. They start with a daily meeting as a critical step to at least start the day. Hence, many offices have a morning huddle. A 15-minute huddle allows the team to collect their thoughts on the day. These meetings should be standing arrangements, all on time, ready to go for the day.
Each team member contributes to the daily huddle by noting important cues that impact the schedule and specific patients. We often discuss the availability in the schedule for adjustments, debonds, starts, and the next available new patient exam. The TC reviews the patients where the doctor can note details on patient readiness and referral source. Then, the financial coordinator reports our progress in goals and any concerns during the day. Each day we note special occasions and opportunities to excel. At the end of the day, we debrief on the day’s achievements, areas of improvement, and wins for the day.
Review your practice’s numbers and goals periodically
Monthly meetings are important to focus on learning. The leadership team can share what is working and what is not working with the rest of the group. We review numbers and monthly goals. Afterward, we break out into specific areas of practice, such as the clinical department, to work on alignment with the team, coaching, and discussing areas of opportunity. As a result, we can review the processes we utilize and make appropriate adjustments. These meetings should have a defined agenda and offer every team member the opportunity to contribute and provide input.
Holding quarterly and yearly meetings are critical to review strategy and planning. A retreat and team building activities can help your practice fuel and bond for the new year in these less frequent meetings. Quarterly meetings allow us to measure our progress towards the year-end goal. In our practice, we also focus on a development workshop to further improve our mindset and culture. Likewise, annual meetings are a great review of the prior year’s achievements and mishaps. They are also the best occasion to set a vision and discuss goals for the following year.
Why do we have so many meetings? Because these are opportunities to work on the business, rather than in orthodontics. They allow us to “sharpen our saw,” as Stephen Covey noted so well in his habits for success. Another reason I am a fan of frequent, effective meetings is the ability to tap into the team’s collective intelligence. Putting key people in a room together in a structured manner can help us be accountable and more aligned to our core values.
