03/20/2023
CULTURE
Last week I was in Rome š®š¹
The best way to experience all that Rome has to offer is on foot and one evening while out walking we passed some young guys roughhousing in the crowded streets full of people out enjoying the sights.
An old lady said something to them. I only caught one word: āvigilante.ā
She was telling them to keep an eye out for others.
And guess what these young men didā¦
They stopped. Looked at her and said āSi.ā
Yes.
In North America Iām afraid their response would have had four letters rather than two. Perhaps worse.
But in Rome these young men stopped and listened, then carried on their way calmly.
CULTURE
Itās an established way of doing things thatās developed over time. It includes respect, knowledge of whatās right and wrong, and a sense of whatās expected and appropriate.
And itās totally lacking in many businesses, especially in dental practices.
Thatās problematic because if you hope to work with a team that supports your vision, you first have to spend a lot of time communicating what that vision is.
Otherwise people bring their own ideas of whatās important, reasonable and expected.
Yikes š³
Over the years weāve been able to build a strong culture in our dental practices by spending time with our team. Again and again and again.
In fact, every 90 days we take a full day off from our clinical work to spend time together reviewing what we do and how we do it. What we stand for. What our clients and patients deserve, expect and will get.
The result is that my team mostly knows what to do whether I am there or not. They manage their own roles in my presence and in my absence. They make appropriate requests and respond to the same from me.
That is our work culture. You can build culture too, by spending time with your people and making it clear what your standards are.
Thereās big trouble for businesses and old ladies in the streets when culture doesnāt exist.
