Manage with Intention
Burnout is a common issue experienced by many dental practice managers. The role of a practice manager requires one to wear many hats.
Intentional management is a type of management style focused on the entire dental office team working together with their leader overseeing their workflow. With this, being deliberate in one’s daily role and overall career development path is essential.
Intentional management keeps the office’s goals on the path of daily progress. Time management, delegation, and communication are the top three skills for effectively managing with intention.
Time Management
Time management should start when planning the day. Decide what tasks are going to consume the most time. Ask yourself if that task leads to being effective in gaining traction and getting closer to your office goals and/or overall career goals, or are the tasks taking the most time and the least productive in reaching a daily goal? This should also be looked at every time the office starts a new project or goal.
Sometimes, many great projects start with dental practices that are not relevant or timely in meeting the office goals when they are initiated. Being intentional will keep this from happening. It is essential to focus on projects that get a practice to the goals they are currently pursuing.
Delegating
Delegating is vital in intentional management. Using the team’s skills can multiply success. Before delegating, it is crucial to identify the strengths of your team members and initiate delegation based on their strengths. This is also important when a practice manager must decide to take on tasks and not delegate.
Identify where you lack strength and delegate those tasks to someone else, if possible. Self-reflection is important!
When a practice manager intentionally develops themself, it automatically develops and strengthens the team.
Communication
Communicating effectively is necessary to be successful in any leadership role. It starts with clear communication to define the role and responsibilities of each team member.
Confident communication skills are also necessary when intentionally managing to communicate the goals of your practice to your team. Communication is critical when leveraging a team.
The team wants details and to feel involved in the overall project and the success it sustains. Open communication between the team and management also gives management more leverage in delegating.
Burnout can be eliminated when an office sees progress toward its goals. It is easy to forget to be intentional when we are caught up in “just getting through the day.”
Taking time to plan where time and effort need to be will help the practice hit its goals. Delegating tasks to team members with strengths in those areas is essential to gaining team buy-in and enhancing overall success.
Confident communication with your team also adds to the list of intentional management necessities. These are only a few topics that can be addressed as essentials for intentionally managing, but they are at the top of the list. Effective use of intentional management skills seems to help overall success, personally and professionally.
About the Author
Melanie Keesee, FAADOM
Melanie Keesee joined AADOM in 2021. She is currently a member of the Tri-State DPLN. Melanie’s background is primarily in Business Management, Human Resources, and Finance and Accounting. She received her BSBA in Management from Sullivan University.
Melanie and her husband, Michael live on their farm in Custer, KY, along with their 2 adorable dogs, Chopper and Copper. When she isn’t working, she visits the beach as much as possible.
