Trust - What does it mean to you?

According to Merriam-Webster, trust is defined as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” It seems like trust should be simple. You either believe someone will do what they say, or you don’t. But in all reality, trust is very complex. It often takes a lot of time to build someone’s trust. However, it can be lost very easily.  The tricky part is that people bring their past experiences, their fears and their expectations into situations or relationships. This is where the complexity comes into the situation. 

In our everyday lives, trust is required in many areas. We trust that our alarm is going to go off to wake us up in the morning, that the computer is going to start up when we go to start working…but the trust that is really difficult to rely on is that of other people isn’t it? That is where the real work begins. To some people, it seems that trust should be straightforward—either you have confidence in someone or you don’t. I hear this a lot when I go into our consulting offices. “I don’t know why the doctor/owner doesn’t trust me.” Or “If the doctor/owner can’t trust me, I don’t know what I am doing here.”  Unfortunately for all, it is just not that simple. Building trust takes time and effort by both parties. 

If you know me, you know I like the quote “Trust but verify” famously said by Ronald Reagan in the 80s. Trust is an important component in all dental offices. However, there needs to be accountability to go along with that trust. This is the verify part of the quote. Practice owners need to put systems in place for the trust to be built and team members need to follow the systems that are put in place so the trust can be earned.

How can we strengthen trust in a dental office? Let’s explore the key areas that have the greatest impact.

• Systems and Protocols – do you have processes in place for the tasks that require completion in your office? There should be a process or system for each task. This is how errors are prevented, and fraud can be caught quickly.

  • Write them out and have them available for all team members to utilize

  • Hold team members accountable for adhering to the processes that are in place

  • Create new protocols as necessary

• Communication – once your processes are spelled out, communicating those processes to your team is an important step. The problem we see a lot is that a process is spelled out, however it is only communicated to some, and not to all members of the team. 

  • Morning huddles – this is the perfect time to communicate an action plan for your day and ensuring everyone is on the same page.

  • Team meetings – we find this is the best time to discuss new systems that need to be put into place and tweak or train on the ones that are already in place. You have everyone in one spot, so they are all hearing the same message and have the opportunity to ask questions if needed.

  • Performance reviews – this is your opportunity to set clear expectations and recognize your team members contributions and provide guidance.

• Consistency – everyone on your team needs to be held to the same expectations. Any type of favoritism for one employee over the other is going to create confusion and resentment. 

  • Consistency creates habits and makes tasks easier to complete and maintain.

  • Your team members will know what to expect and what is expected of them.

  • It shapes your reputation with your team as well as with patients. Patients love knowing what they can expect at each visit.

• Leadership – this is the most important part of the trust that is needed in your practice. The leader must set the tone that they expect from their team members by modeling accountability and fairness.

  • Do what you say you will do and expect the same in return.

  • Be honest and transparent. If it appears there is secrecy within the practice it makes people doubt the motives and if they should believe anything that is said.

  • Act with integrity. Be ethical in handling any situation in your practice. 

    
    

As you can see, trust is simple in its definition but a bit complex to maintain.  Giving trust is in everything we do. When you take your car to the mechanic, you trust that he/she knows how to fix your car. The key to that is when the mechanic has completed their job, they give you a break-down of everything they did to fix your car. Shouldn’t it be the same in our daily activities in a dental office? Having that break-down for the mechanic is how they know their task was done in completion. This is the “verify” part of our trust.

The point is, don’t just give up your trust without verifying that the person or process is worthy of that trust. Every office should have systems in place for the team and there should be accountability to those systems. 

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Janice Janssen, RDH, CFE, Consultant

At age 14, Janice Janssen got an after-school job working for her dentist. Twenty-something years later, she is the co-founder of Global Team Solutions and an expert in practice consulting. Besides hands-on experience, Janice has gained professional recognition for her hard work and commitment to excellence. She is co-author of OMG! Office Management Guide, the “bible” used in GTS training workshops. She is a member of the Academy of Dental Management Consultants (ADMC), and is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), which positions her as an expert in educating dentists to deter fraud and embezzlement in their practice.

Janice can be reached at: janice@gtsgurus.com