As a practice owner, you naturally want to take control of every aspect of your office, from running the books, hiring, training and making every other decision related to your practice. But being a “control freak” could actually hinder the growth of your business and cause burnout. But we understand that it can be difficult, as the owner, to step back and take a birds-eye view of your practice, identifying the areas needing change. However, it may be time to step back and evaluate your strategy as a practice owner and decide which tasks you should delegate so that you can free up some of your time for other essential tasks or possibly time off for learning, growing, or even a much-needed vacation.
First, let’s look at how you spend your day. Hopefully, your schedule is full, and you’re seeing patients with minimal no-shows or cancellations, but we all know that isn’t how the day goes for many dentists. But how are you spending your downtime? Do you run behind schedule every day, making patients wait because you’re busy fulfilling other tasks that you could delegate to another team member? It may be time for a reality check. You’re the dentist. This means that your role is to be a leader by setting a good example, and you practice dentistry. Unfortunately, many dentists also see themselves as a trainer, CPA, financial counselor, HR director, office manager, and so on. We get it. You want to know what’s happening in your practice and be the deciding vote regarding every decision made. After all, this is YOUR practice. You built it (or bought it with your own money), and its success weighs heavily on your shoulders. But the truth is, trying to wear too many hats is stagnating your practice growth. If you want to see real change, it’s time to delegate tasks to others. You’ve likely had a big influence, if not the only decision maker, in hiring each team member. So, you’ve obviously hired people that you believe in and trust to do a job well done. Therefore, it’s time to delegate tasks appropriately to the team members most capable of handling them.
Does delegating mean you’re "hand's off?"
Not necessarily. Just because you delegate tasks like running financial reports, managing the office, and training new hires doesn’t mean that you get to go and stick your head in the sand only to resurface when there is a problem. Delegating just means that you’ve given these day-to-day tasks to another individual, but you still hold accountability. You still should review reports and be part of making significant decisions about your practice. But you can do so from a high level, not by spending hours every week totally engulfed in the mundane tasks leading up to these outcomes.
How do I let go of things I want to control?
We get this a lot. It can be difficult to delegate tasks that you’re used to handling. But start slow by handing off one or two things at first, and be sure you’ve outlined a way to “track” outcomes. Just because you aren’t working on these areas daily doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know what’s going on. And be sure that you delegate it to the right person. It may be that taking on these responsibilities also warrants a promotion or pay increase. After all, the team member is assuming more responsibilities than before, and some of those tasks may involve a lot more work and responsibility. But that decision should be case specific.
Still, having trouble delegating? Consider hiring a dental practice coach to help you with this process. Over the years, we’ve helped countless dental practices significantly increase their practice revenue, which means more money in your pocket, more freedom to do the things you love, and more time off. Yes. You read that right. Less work, more profits, and more time off. And we can’t wait to show you how that dream could be your reality.
Stay tuned to our blog this week as we share more of our thoughts about delegating in the dental practice.
