When Team Expectations Meet Reality, Success is Inevitable
Twenty-seven years ago, I worked remotely for a Florida company selling promotional goods (anything with your company logo) to large and small companies in the Boston area. It was successful, and I loved it.
We had a toddler, I was pregnant with our second child, my husband had completed his prosthodontic degree at Harvard, and we had just purchased a house and a dental practice.
Just as the wheels were turning, the person running the front desk had a family emergency, and I was thrown into running a dental office. I thought it would be for about three months, and it became my forever career.
Looking back, I realize that becoming acquainted with the practice was the best thing for our future, but at the time, I was lost. Through the years, I have worked in the office and remotely in many facets, and although I have always been at the helm, I had others internally to tend to the day-to-day.
Last year, I let my OM go and took full responsibility for the office and the team. Once again, although difficult, I know it is best for the practice.
Taking on the Office Management Role
This new role meant I had to utilize my time better, and I learned to set expectations to make it work.
In addition, although my team was working and taking great care of patients, they had yet to understand what they were working towards for themselves, financially or professionally. They expected yearly raises, if not more, and I needed to see how they made a financial difference in the office to make those raises attainable, especially post-COVID.
It was also important to me for them to see their value and grow. To do that, we had to have goals and expectations that elevated the practice and the team members.
The Importance of Setting Attainable Goals
In my earlier articles, I shared that setting the practice for success included, as noted, creating clear and specific expectations for the office and myself. The final aspect is creating attainable and sustainable team goals. Team members of all ages, experience levels, and designations want and expect professional work goals to aspire to.
These expectations include but are not limited to:
Day-to-Day Work:
- What is the job description?
- What is their part on the team?
- Which aspects of the day-to-day are their responsibility?
- What are others’ responsibilities?
Professional Growth:
- What can they learn?
- What are they expected to learn?
- What is needed for financial growth and promotion?
Getting a Raise:
- What do they need to do?
- How do they do it?
- What are the parameters?
- When are they applicable?
Guidelines to Follow
In setting expectations, I find that clarity in the hiring process sets the stage for success, hitting the following guidelines:
- Set up pre-hire, quarterly, and yearly goals.
- Have goals written and signed.
- Assess on a regular, scheduled basis.
- Have a mutual understanding of personal growth and knowledge goals.
- Agree upon downtime responsibilities.
- Clarity for individual responsibilities in upholding expectations and subsequent consequences.
- Discuss salary increases and when and how they are earned.
Setting and sharing specific expectations is imperative to measuring success and deficiencies. Team members need clear direction and confirmation of their work skills. Everyone benefits when team members strengthen their skills and when they can see their value in the office increase.
About the Author
Laurie Spitz, MAADOM
Laurie Spitz, MAADOM, and her husband, Steve, a prosthodontist, founded Smileboston Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry, a three-doctor dental practice outside Boston, MA.
Her business, marketing, and public relations degree has given her the background to successfully work in every office capacity (other than clinical), and anything her degree didn’t teach, life has.
As an AADOM spouse, Laurie has a unique perspective, allowing greater optics in every aspect of the organization.
Over the last 27 years, she built a business from scratch, purchased and sold a second office, and evolved to an OON office while raising three kids, two growing up in a pack-and-play behind her desk.
Laurie has been a member of AADOM since 2017 and earned her Fellowship in 2023. She earned her Mastership (MAADOM) in September of 2024.
