If you’ve just bought a dental practice, the chances are that you’ll be looking to introduce some changes. It’s only natural to want to add your own touch or to turn it into something that better suits your vision.
But, whilst you might be brimming over with enthusiasm and eager to make changes immediately, it is often wiser to take your time. This gives you the breathing space to plan how best to implement these changes effectively, particularly when you are working with a new team who may be sensitive to any challenge to the established order.
There are a few things you can do to ease the way forward, ensuring you get off to the best start possible and smooth the transition for you, your staff and your patients:
- Find out what’s important to your new team – Spend some time asking your colleagues what is important to them in terms of the way the practice operates and how they carry out their role. Take an interest in their priorities and ask whether they have any ideas for how things could be improved. They may well have insight you don’t yet, and – assuming their ideas are acceptable – implementing their ideas early on will help to foster good relations and pave the way for your future changes.
- Explain your reasons before taking action – Your team will be more likely to support you in making any changes if they understand the reasons behind them and what the benefits will be beforehand. Gathering everyone together and telling them what the positive impact will be for the business, themselves and the patients can help them to overcome any resistance to change, especially if you keep quality patient care and services at the forefront.
- Leave bigger plans for later – As I mentioned earlier, taking your time is often a wise path when it comes to introducing changes into a practice you’ve just bought, and this is even more pertinent when it comes to your bigger ideas. If you have substantial plans, such as a rebrand, it can be worthwhile to wait a little bit longer and allow yourself some time to get to know the practice, patients and staff, which will help to know what will work well and ensure your bigger projects start off on the right foot.
- Ask for advice – Although your ideas may be something you haven’t experienced before, the chances are that someone else will have, so why not seek their input. Your Business Development Consultant at DPAS is a good place to start as they may well have supported another practice through a similar transformation and can share their approach.
Planning and forethought can help you to manage the often-tricky situation of introducing change, and this is even more pertinent when you have the additional sensitivity of being in a new practice. Taking time will help you to understand what will work best and smooth the way to turning your plans into reality.
