“For a long time, I believed the old leadership paradigm that told me that my job was to plan, organize, command, coordinate, and control. I saw my organization functioning like a herd of buffalo. …Buffalo are absolutely loyal followers of one leader. They do whatever the leader wants them to do, go wherever the leader wants them to go. In my company, I was head buffalo.” 1
There’s a problem hard-wired into most organizations. The same could be happening to yours as a Solopreneur and Dentrepreneur®?.
James Belasco (Flight of the Buffalo) explains that his organization eventually began to be dysfunctional. Buffalo, he notes, are loyal to one leader.
The herd stands around and wait to be told what to do.
This is a problem.
“That’s why the early settlers could decimate the buffalo herds so easily by killing the lead buffalo. The rest of the herd stood around, waiting for their leader to lead them, and were slaughtered.” 2
Watching and waiting
Your dental enterprise is easier (in many ways) to lead when it is a one-location, one-doctor endeavor. Now that you’ve acquired or expanded or are leaning that direction - how do you prevent the stand-around, decimation that can potentially occur when you’re absent from daily work flow?
Good question!
The answer isn’t to find a way to be in more than one place. Nor is it healthy for your team(s) to require a touchstone for every decision that’s to be made.
Train the culture around a new “species”
Buffalo are majestic, no doubt. But, as our earlier analogy indicated, they make a terrible model for corporate success.
The goal is to build your dental enterprise around a responsible, interdependent, synergistic leadership model. TWEET THIS
In this case, a flock of geese trump the buffalo herd mentality. Geese fly in a “V” formation.
Why is that important?
The key is reduced fatigue on one leader. This is accomplished by “lead goose” rotation.
Leadership distribution
This isn’t about giving up the “keys-to-the-practice.” It’s more about duplication.
Leadership isn’t keeping your #1 position. It’s creating vision that’s scalable by a #2 (new leader), etc.
The dentrepreneurial model of leadership must resemble a free-flying “V” rather than a waiting “herd.”
The Four Functions of a Dentrepreneur®?-Leader in an Acquired or Expanded Growth Culture
1-The Dentrepreneur®?-Leader creates scalable ownership.
A culture that appears to have problems and a culture that actually does have problems are two different perspectives. You will create a more sustainable dental enterprise when you build ownership into it.
Scalable ownership isn’t about you solving each and every problem that arises. It’s best revealed when your team(s) have been given the space to troubleshoot and implement solutions unique to their situation.
Not all problems can be solved without your guidance. But most can and should be given the “leadership-air” to allow trials and failures towards a scalable outcome.
Distribute your productive outcomes throughout your growing enterprise. If they don’t work in every locale give latitude to arrive at workable solution that fits that location’s culture.
2-The Dentrepreneur®?-Leader enables scalable responsibility.
Whatever you choose to be directly involved in will naturally become your responsibility. And when responsibility transfers from someone back to you, your organization will suffer.
Again, this isn’t about being hands-off as a leader. It’s more about knowing what to place your hands on and when to allow another’s to take hold (without your stamp of approval).
Implement core values and allow those values to be owned by your team(s). Again, what they “own” they will take firm responsibility for. TWEET THIS
There are common areas you, as an owner-dentist and emerging Dentrepreneur®? must be responsible for. Clinical function aside your leadership has value in the distribution of responsibility throughout your growing enterprise.
And clinically speaking, you will of course give necessary leadership to duplicating your patient oriented responsibilities across your group.
3-The Dentrepreneur®?-Leader coaches scalable growth.
Coaching your team(s) is about guidance and support. You aren’t coaching for results, you’re coaching people who produce those results.
Be aware as a Dentrepreneur®?. Don’t be so driven by the “score” (production, profit, etc.) that you lose connection with your people. TWEET THIS
Scale here applies more directly to the tone you set as leader. Your leadership culture will be a reflection of you.
Coach for personal growth. Give your attention to building and supporting the individuals who contribute to the organization’s bottom-line.
4-The Dentrepreneur®?-Leader compels a scalable pace for improvement.
Leaders are learners. Give your team(s) opportunity be stretched in their capacity to learn and the speed they learn.
The faster your team(s) learn the less likely they are to repeat failure. Keep in mind that failure isn’t the issue, it’s the inability to learn from it sooner rather than later that’s the issue.
Build space for failure into your dental enterprise. Give rising leaders the challenge to fail fast. TWEET THIS
Fast failure equals fast learning. Your team(s) will succeed less often if they work in avoidance mode.
Give them license to improve. And that begins with the freedom to fail.
Scaling your dental enterprise requires a unique brand of leadership. Communicate your challenges and those you anticipate with our team.
We’re all ears and ready to help.
Source:
1, 2. James A. Belasco & Ralph C. Stayer, Flight of the Buffalo - Soaring to Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead