No football team wins without being prepared. No football team wins without systems in place. No football team wins without teamwork. No football team wins without passion.
“The minute I think I’m getting mellow, I’m retiring. Who ever heard of a mellow winner?” Woody Hayes
How do I know? My husband is a football coach who has passionately dedicated his talent and time for over 16 years to create winning strategies by placing all the talent on the team in the positions where they will succeed; encouraging these young men to think, act, be responsible for what they do, remove the “I” from their thinking, think in terms of “team” and be disciplined enough to always do what is right (both on and off the field).
He is currently the defensive coordinator for a local high school team. He prepares for every game by knowing what the other teams strengths and weaknesses are, knowing where his teams strengths and weaknesses lie, dissecting each play on the game videos; looking for any and all opportunity. Using this knowledge, he applies it to the plays he orchestrates to support his team in being prepared to face this new challenge using the individual talent that each player has and meshing this individual talent into team unification.
So what does football have to do with the dental office you ask?
Being prepared and having a game plan for the many opportunities and challenges that present themselves every single day ensures success, profitability, team cohesion and a calm, relaxed feeling of knowing the solid systems you have in place are creating the thriving atmosphere for “touchdowns”. Touchdowns to me, in the dental world = a day of happy, satisfied and referring patients, team cohesion, exceeding production, collection and scheduling goals and leaving the office with a sense of “Job well done!”.
How well would a football team do if they used the same game plan for every opponent? How well would a team do if they went in mechanically to every game, with no passion, no desire or will to win – time clock punchers who punched in at kickoff watching the clock tick until the end of the 4th quarter just to say job done? Not job WELL done, no feeling of satisfaction or sense of accomplishment that they did all they could, worked as hard as they could and gave 100% of their efforts, but just job done?
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength,
not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”
-Vince Lombardi
Each day is a new challenge, a new opportunity with new patients and different smiles than yesterday. You must have solid systems in place keeping in mind that adjustments will always need to be made in your efforts for the daily “touchdown”!
Each team player has an individual job, yet needs to work in unison with the rest of the team to score the touchdown! Be prepared for the unexpected and ready to optimize and capitalize on every opportunity to score the winning touchdown for the day!
“If a team is to reach its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to the good of the team.”
– Bud Wilkinson
What sources and systems do you have in place? Do you have a “playbook”? Review a few of these plays to see where you can take your passion and coordinate it with your teams talent and motivation.
- Morning Huddles – Energize your team, inspire team motivation/mentality, be aware of all opportunities for the day (book review) and challenges that might arise (time issues, financial issues etc) No winning football team initiates a play without having a team huddle. The morning huddle is the breakfast of champion dental practices!!
- Play execution – Each team member needs to have well-defined job descriptions and responsibilities with an understanding of how their role integrates into the team mentality, the flow of the day and how to make necessary adjustments. Team members need to be able to mentally assess the current situation and determine the best play for this moment. Make each “pass” and “play” count!!
- Hand-off’s– The switch from offense to defense or defense to offense is always done with adjustments in mind. What field position are we left in? Assess the current position and make play adjustments accordingly. The clinical to clerical hand-off has the capability of making or breaking treatment case scheduling. Be sure that your team’s hand-off is impeccable!
- Celebration/Review – An after game meeting is a great way to celebrate success, discuss challenges and discuss new game strategies for the next day. It doesn’t have to be long but will leave you will a sense of accomplishment walking out for the day, a feeling of team unification and knowing that you are prepared for what tomorrow’s game is going to bring.
“Football is an honest game. It’s true to life. It’s a game about sharing.
Football is a team game. So is life.”
– Joe Namath
TOUCHDOWN! GO TEAM!
CAN I GET A WOOT!WOOT! UP IN HERE?
Booyah! Here’s to some MAJOR touchdowns in your practice this season!
MB
Opportunity doesn’t quit calling just because you’re out of the practice…Let it call US!
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