Train Your Team With Your “Why?”
Creating a strong, positive culture within your dental practice starts with understanding your why — the core purpose and mission that drives everything you do. Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle Theory provides a framework for articulating your why and ensuring your dental practice culture reflects it.
In his book Start With Why, Sinek explains that most businesses make the mistake of starting with what they do or how they do it rather than why they do it. But people don’t buy what you do — they buy why you do it. When you start with why, you can more effectively communicate your purpose and inspire your team.
Call (858) 333-8950 today to get started on creating a digital marketing plan that centers your dental practice’s philosophy with dental SEO experts Now Media Group, a San Diego, CA-based digital marketing agency. We look forward to growing your practice by celebrating your unique vision.
The Golden Circle Theory
According to Sinek’s Golden Circle Theory, dentists should create their practice philosophies from the inside out:
Inner Circle:
- Why: Your purpose, cause, or belief that inspires what you do.
- Middle Circle:
- How: The ways and actions you take to bring your why to life.
- Outer Circle:
- What: The products, services, and tangible things you create and offer.
Determining Your Practice’s Why
For a dental practice, the why isn’t just about providing dental services — it’s more about the deeper purpose behind the work. Here are some examples of potential whys for a dental practice:
- Helping patients smile and regain confidence
- Educating and empowering patients to improve their oral health
- Providing caring, patient-centered dental care to our community
- Delivering an exceptionally positive patient experience
Communicating Your Why To Your Team
Once you identify your dental practice’s why, communicate it regularly with your team and let it guide all aspects of your culture and operations. Here are some ways to align your dental practice culture with your why:
- Hire for culture fit over skills. Seek team members who connect with your why and want to be part of a culture driven by shared purpose.
- Lead with why. As the practice owner, regularly communicate and reinforce why patient care, customer service, and quality matter in everything you do.
- Empower team members to be “insiders.” Encourage staff at all levels to embrace the why so they feel purpose and meaning in their daily work.
- Set why-focused goals. Establish KPIs and objectives for patient satisfaction, oral health improvement, and other metrics tied to your why.
- Celebrate wins related to the why. Praise and recognize staff who go above and beyond to serve patients and the dental practice’s purpose.
- Drive decisions with why. When considering new policies, technologies, or growth plans, evaluate if they will help fulfill the practice’s mission.
- Share patient stories. Put a human face to the why by having staff share inspirational patient accounts at meetings.
- Create why-focused training. Institute onboarding and regular training that focuses on patient experience, care, and communication — not just clinical skills.
By starting with why and keeping your dental practice philosophy top of mind, your team can work in alignment. The why gives even minor daily tasks higher meaning when staff members understand how they contribute to fulfilling your practice’s purpose. This translates to dental office marketing by showing your patients the core purpose behind what you do.
Create Purpose At Your Dental Practice With Your Why!
With an alignment between daily tasks and overarching purpose, your dental staff will be motivated by meaning, not just doing the motions of their jobs. They understand how even small details contribute to the bigger picture of fulfilling your dental practice philosophy. This unity of purpose creates a strong, positive culture driven by your why, and it’ll show through in your dental office’s marketing ideas.
Are you ready to unify your team and foster an inspirational culture? Call (858) 333-8950 to schedule a consultation with our digital marketing team. We’re committed to your practice philosophy and look forward to partnering with your team!