The emerging shift to REMASTERY began in January 2008 when The Mastery Company conducted a survey of dentists around the world to determine their top core values. Dentists were asked to select their ‘top five’ values from a generic list of 35 core values. At the conclusion of the survey, we tallied the scores and declared the top 15 core values as fairly indicative of dentists in general.

In February of 2009, we conducted an identical survey with dental staff members to evaluate their top core values as a group. The purpose was to determine if any significant difference existed between Dentists and Staff. The results were enlightening.

Listed below are ‘top five’ summaries for both groups. The number in parentheses reflects the percent of survey responses selecting the value. I.e. 72% of all dentists completing the core value survey selected ‘Integrity’ as one of their top five core values. 39% of all staff selected ‘Integrity.’

DENTISTS

1.     Integrity (72)

2.    Excellence (39)

3.    Honesty (37)

4.   Compassion (30)

5.    Responsibility (29)

STAFF

1.     Honesty (42)

2.    Integrity (39)

3.    Responsibility (36)

4.   Commitment (33)

5.    Dependability (32)

Dentists’ selections can be broken down into two thematic elements; 1) health care provider (excellence, compassion) and 2) business owner (integrity, honesty). Responsibility, we believe, could reside in either healthcare provider or business owner, depending on individual interpret-tations.

Staff’s top five selections, on the other hand, relate more generally to personal values that could be attributed to “good” employees. And, as one might expect, their values are not directed at the business side of the house.

The most conspicuous difference we see from these results is that 39% of Dentists selected ‘Excellence,’ placing it as the second highest of all values. This makes sense because dentists can ‘see’ excellence in their work. Staff, on the other hand, selected Excellence 14% of the time, placing it well down the list tied for the 13^th position.

Dentists hold Excellence as core. Staff holds Hard Work and Dependability as core. This discrepancy can be the source of many issues and problems in a practice. Think about compensation, for example. A hygienist thinks she deserves a raise because she ‘works hard.’ You think she doesn’t deserve a raise because her work is mediocre, in other words, ‘not excellent.’ This begins to illuminate just how important core values are to the success of your practice.

REMASTER TECHNOLOGY

We realize that core values are not new to dental practices. Most consultants spend at least some time working with their clients to articulate their core values. But because core values rarely become tangible or observable, they almost never impact the practice at an operational level. Our experience has shown that if the core values of the dentist and staff are not aligned, shared, and mutually embraced, the practice will be compromised and incapable of making the changes required to succeed in the future.

Therefore, the foundational first step of the REMASTERY technology is shifting core values from intangible ideals (designed to motivate) to daily relevance and application (concrete, impactful, measureable). This positions core values as the nucleus of your practice, not mere orbiting electrons.

STAFF ALIGNMENT

We believe that in designing a practice for the future, it is critical you build a team that is fully aligned and committed to your core values. When there is a difference between the core values of the doctor and the core values of the staff, trouble will find you. When there are different core values, expectations vary. And expectations unfulfilled lead to upsets. To use the earlier example, when staff doesn’t deliver ‘Excellence’ in their work, the dentist gets upset. When staff ‘works hard’ (even though the result may not have been produced, in the owner’s eyes) and is not acknowledged, they get upset.

This first step is having both the dentist and the staff complete a Core Values form. We then evaluate which core values are on the same page and which are in different books. The ultimate purpose is to assist the doctor and staff explore and establish alignment on the core values of the practice.

MEASUREABLE BEHAVIORS THAT SUPPORT CORE VALUES

Next we work with the dentist to express his or her core values as measurable behaviors for each staff position. You cannot improve what you cannot measure. Using ‘Excellence’ as an example, by asking the dentist to articulate specific behaviors that assert and reinforce ‘excellence’ in the practice, it not only informs staff as to what is expected, it grows and cultivates a culture of ‘excellence’ and develops a habit of ‘excellence’ in each and every staff and patient interaction.

STAFF CORRECTION/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We also coach dentists when offering staff corrections or acknowledgements that they bind their comments to a core value.

Sally, when you went that extra step with Mrs. Papoofnick, that really supports our core value of Exceptional Service.

In doing so the dentist continually affirms certain behaviors as contributory to the practice culture and identifies those which fall short.

CONCLUSION

Core Values are absolute, immutable and unassailable. Core values are not subject to time or economic disturbances. Running your practice firmly anchored to your core values allows you to build a dental practice that will produce strong business results and professional satisfaction well into future.

Remastery establishes a core values based practice model, making possible more powerful and effective leadership, ownership and management, in any economic environment and beyond.

When you have completed the steps outlined in this paper, you will have identified, mutually committed to, and defined at a behavioral and operational level, the core values of the practice. After this, the sky is the limit.

The Mastery Company
MasteryCompany.com
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