This week I received a very important email from one of my loyal dentist subscribers and followers.
It was a question that ties in so fundamentally to the foundation of our existence as business owners.
Because without the answer to this question our businesses are really only ships adrift at sea, floating aimlessly towards rocks and storms.
And that’s not good…
Here is the question:
“I needed to ask you about my purpose or vision for my dental practice.
I am lost; don’t know what is my purpose. It can’t be money that would be like they say politically incorrect to say.
The other, is to serve patients and be the best dental office in town.
I am kind of fuzzy when it comes to vision, which is so needed for staff to see.
Please advise.”
The writer almost answers his own question.
Firstly, he points out that the vision or purpose of the business needs to be more than the money.
Correct.
Having the right purpose to the business will result in the generation of long-term customers.
These customers will be happy to pay for their services they receive. With money.
Secondly, my writer points out the importance of the vision, or purpose, to the staff at his Dental Office.
Staff are always looking for leadership and direction.
By providing and referring repeatedly to the business’s vision, or purpose, the business owner provides that sought after leadership.
The Disney Institute has a simple definition:
“A company’s Service Vision serves as a rallying point across the organisation by being the one thing that all employees have in common no matter what the individual job or title may be.”
Put simply a business’s Vision Statement is a clear purpose as to why that business exists.
When James McManemon, then General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton was asked:
“If you were starting a new business, any business, and wanted to make customer service your value proposition, what would you do first?”
His response was:
“The first thing I would do is create the Service Vision for the Company. Be crystal clear with what the company’s vision is, and be able to articulate that extremely well. Then I would hire talent based on that same belief, only adding employees that share those service values, and finally create the processes and training to achieve that Service Vision.”
So What Do We As Business Owners Need To Do?
The Dental Office needs to have that Vision Statement.
It’s not to be a statement designed by the team.
It needs to come from above.
It needs to come from the owner.
It must be reflective of the owner’s mission.
What sort of legacy does the owner want the business to be known for?
Obviously there must be congruence with the vision statement from the owner being in alignment with the values and beliefs of the team.
If there is incongruence, then we have disharmony and imbalance, which can reveal themselves at less than appropriate moments.
Therefore, the team, the employees, the owner and the vision statements need to be as one.
United we stand!
A business that lacks this congruence only operates under self-inflicted pressures.
And that’s not good for staff, and not good for customers.
Having a great business plan and clear vision sets your business upon a very healthy path.
So do not skim over this vitally important piece of business ownership.
When I see a business without a clear mission, without a clear purpose, I see a business with an inherent culture problem that acts like an anvil around the neck.
Take the time, the necessary time, to develop the TRUE purpose of your business.
And discover the power, and the clarity, that your business gains from having created that clearly defined purpose.
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Have you read my book , How To Build The Dental Practice of Your Dreams [Without Killing Yourself!] In Less Than Sixty Days.
You can order your copy here: Click Link To Order
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The Ultimate Patient Experience is a simple to build complete Customer Service system in itself that I developed that allowed me to create an extraordinary dental office in an ordinary Sydney suburb. If you’d like to know more, ask me about my free special report.
Email me at david@theupe.com
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