Leaders can only rise to where their team can take them. Orthodontic teams are critical for successful patient care, increased productivity, and work-life quality. What differentiates a team from a group of individuals working together is that they share a common goal and alignment in their purpose. In short, alignment creates a state of agreement among people with a common cause.
Communicate vision
Alignment is determined solely by the destination we set for our team. The leader sets that vision and clarifies our direction as an organization. Furthermore, effective communication from the leadership creates clarity and improves team alignment. As orthodontists, we should be communicating our vision regularly at team meetings. For example, in our practice, we love to update our vision statement each year.
Each orthodontic practice should have short-term and long-term goals. As the doctor, you may share long-term goals with the leadership in your practice. Then, translate these goals to the team and each individual with a narrower focus on the short-term image. As a result, that will allow us to reach our long-term vision.
Common purpose
Unfortunately, many businesses lack alignment in purpose. A study by McKinsey’s consulting group found that many frontline employees lack the understanding of how their role fits with the organization’s purpose. The purpose is what gets people excited, and when the practice and each team member’s purpose are aligned, wonderful things happen. However, don’t assume that team members are clear on or agree with your purpose. Alignment on a common objective should be a priority. Ultimately, we can link team member engagement to it.
We can gauge our team’s alignment on purpose by asking, “In your opinion, what is the single most important thing for the success of our practice?”
Collaboration over competition
Nurturing collaboration is a part of healthy team culture. An aligned team will have common goals and collaborate to achieve them. In contrast, competition can lead to team rivalry, which can have negative side effects. When individuals compete against each other, individual goals overshadow the team’s objectives. We can foster collaboration by communicating plans early. As a result, collaboration across your practice can promote team alignment and avoid competing interests within the organization.
Celebrate
Celebrating wins with your team reminds them that we value their contribution. Finding problems comes naturally to humans, so it is critical to redivert the focus onto celebrating accomplishments. Find team alignment in peer-to-peer and leadership recognition, noting the wins, and catching people doing the right things. We do this daily at our end-of-day meeting to acknowledge successes, compliments, and achievements. Our Slack communication also has an MVP channel to shout out team members who go above and beyond for patients and fellow team members. An organization aligned and driven by measurable achievements should also celebrate them.
“Your team will determine the reality of your dream.” — John Maxwell
