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Guerilla Motivation: What Drives Your Team Members to Do More? by Rhonda Savage, DDS

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by Rhonda Savage, DDS

Whether you work in the military dental corps, as an associate dentist or as a new partner, you need to know how to motivate your people. As a dentist, you won't work alone. Well, a clarification: I once met a dentist who did it all. No one helped her. She did the sterilization, made appointments, cleaned the office, etc. But I've never met anyone else who has totally worked alone. How will you work? Most likely, you'll work with others. How will you get the most from your people?

At a recent poll of employees at the California Dental Association meeting in Anaheim, my audience attendees (staff members) talked about what inspires them to do a good job.
Here are the staff comments:

  • “When my doctor hands me my paycheck, I say, ‘Thank you!’ She says, 'You're welcome!' I want her to say, 'no, thank you!' because I earned the paycheck, not that she just gave it to me. Help!”
  • “How do you feel about anniversary recognition for five to 10, or 20 to 25 years?”
  • “I’d like validation from my dentist; positive feedback and appreciation.”
  • “The doctor needs to appreciate the value of the team.”
  • “Are there any incentives out there for staff who bust their butts for the practice?”
Then, while presenting at a master track AGD meeting, I questioned doctors on their chief concerns within their practice. At the top of their lists were attitude, motivation and commitment of their team members to the patient and the practice.

Here are the doctor’s comments:
  • “How do I keep my staff motivated?”
  • “How do I change the attitude of ‘it’s just a job’ to being an ‘active part of the team’?”
  • “During staff ‘downtime,’ how do I get them to be more proactive and not bolt to the lunchroom… without micro-managing?”
  • “I want staff excited to come to work and want to help the practice grow.”
  • “How do I encourage staff to make changes and work as a team?”
Let’s start with the question of money. Do you think paying someone more money will motivate him or her to do a better job? I used to think this was true when I first became a dentist. I thought giving my employees a dollar an hour raise across the board was a good motivator and an incentive to work hard. Boy, was I wrong!

After making the blanket-raise mistake, I looked back to my years as a dental assistant and, eventually, as a front office person. I started in dentistry in 1976, trained on the job right after high school in the little town of Ketchikan, Alaska. What mattered to me then is what matters to your employees now.

Keep in mind, money and benefits are important, but these two items typically are lower on the list. Here's what motivates employees:

1. Praise and Appreciation
Sincere, genuine, timely appreciation is so important. John Maxwell, in his book Encouragement, said: “How do you know if someone needs praise and appreciation?” The answer was, “If they're breathing!” One dentist I know of had such a hard time incorporating praise and appreciation into his work life that he put a plate of cotton pellets into the microwave, heated them up, passed them out at his team meeting and stated: "Here's your warm fuzzies and this is all you’re going to get!”
The best praise and appreciation is timely, specific and genuine. Be sensitive when praising that you base the praise on your employee needs, not yours. Not all employees will want public praise; they may be embarrassed. Use praise and rewards appropriately. It's also important to consider the needs of each staff person rather than singling out your favorites. Favoritism will drive the morale of your practice down! Look for an accomplishment and recognize the success; the team members need to know that their efforts made a difference.

2. Involve Them in the Decision-making Process
They need to have their voice be heard. Your team members want involvement and to share their thoughts about decisions that affect them. While dental practices are not a democracy and the final decision is up to the doctor, staff members want to give their input and know you take their opinions seriously.
Employees don’t like surprises. If you don’t remember anything else from this article, remember this phrase: “No one likes to work in a vacuum.”
Involve them in your planning process. Talk with them about purchasing new technology, so they clearly understand the benefit to the patient, the practice and the team. When you’re talking with the staff, be sure to listen to all sides of the issue, then make the decision and stick with it. Don’t be indecisive. Many team members get frustrated and stop trying when the office has good ideas and discussion, but nothing happens.

3. Develop a Close-knit Team
Do activities outside of work as well as in the office. Don’t limit your conversations to work place issues; get to know your people as people. They want to know you’re interested in their hobbies, families, career and educational desires. Ask your team to create a list of fun and/or educational activities they would like to do, then schedule these based on everyone’s time-availability and your budget.

4. Responsibility and Accountability Matter
“What gets measured, gets treasured!” Everyone needs responsibility and they need to know how what they do matters to the health of the patient and the practice. Clearly communicate your expectations and schedule regular follow-ups. Develop an accountability-tracking sheet. Across the top, list all of your employees. Down the side, list every job or task that your group performs. Review your tracking sheet monthly during your follow-up sessions with your employees.

5. Make the Work Worthwhile
Do you feel chart entries are important? Is instrument sterilization important for the patient? Talk about how the responsibilities are important. People want to know, regardless of their work, why their work makes the world a better place. Shared goals and a clear understanding of their goals also make their work worthwhile. A colleague and I were working together when our discussion revolved around goal setting and staff motivation. Curious of his vision, I asked him, “What are your longterm goals?” He thoughtfully replied, “I’d like to pay my building off in five years.” With a tilt of my head and a smile, I said, “That is a great goal! But it’s not going to do much to motivate your team!” What they need to hear is:
a. What kind of dentistry do you want to be doing in the next two to five years?
b. Where do you see the practice at that point in time?
c. How can I help you get there?
d.Where do you see me, as an employee, in the next two to five years?

6. Clarify Your Values
Have your values drive all your plans, decisions and actions. Do a “values-driven” exercise with your team. Give your staff each a blank sheet of paper and for one or two minutes have everyone write down all the things that matter to them. What do they value? I value timeliness, hard work, fun, continuing education, friendliness and honesty. What are your values?
Once the words are written down, pair everyone up for 10 minutes. Each person takes five minutes to talk about what their words mean to them. It’s interesting how the written word can take on a different meaning, based on the individual interpretation. Come back together as a team; go around the room and have each person talk about their list. From their discussion, create a total list visual on a white board or large sticky note pad flip chart. Put a tick mark by the words that are repeated. You’ve now created a common list of values that will drive all of your decision-making – and it’s a group decision.

7. Help Staff Understand
Help your team members understand how their work fits into the big picture of things. Develop value goals and result goals. Result goals talk about the work you do, the units of night-guards, sealants, or crown and bridge. Values goals talk to the impact you all want to have on each other, the patients, your suppliers and the community. Then, as the leader, it’s your job to be certain everyone honors the values. You wouldn’t keep someone who doesn’t produce. Don’t keep someone who doesn’t honor your values.
I mentioned one of my values was timeliness. I know an office that kept an employee who came late to work, for years! She would have lasted for, at most, a two-month period in my office. A question for you: Do you want everyone to copy bad behavior (whatever it might be)? If you allow one or more people to act outside of the value system, one of two things will happen: others will begin acting like that person, or, worse yet, you’ll lose the respect of the rest of the team as their leader. Neither result is good.

8. Respect Each Other
Respect is a value. What does respect mean to me? It means that there aren’t secrets and we tell the truth. Our feelings and needs and concerns are listened to and addressed; action is taken where necessary. Everyone knows the boundaries and adheres to them. What does respect mean to you? As a leader, you have to give respect to earn respect.

9. Challenge, Grow and Cheer
People want to find their work interesting. There is almost always some element of work that is routine, but if you want to keep your staff, you’ll train well and continue to challenge them to stretch. Ask your team, “What one thing do you want to learn and implement into your career, in the next three to six months?” Your internal question should be, “What skills, abilities or training can I give this person that will better enable him or her to do the job?”

Create an atmosphere of excitement. If you can do this, you’ll find people want to come to work, instead of have to come to work! This starts with you, doctor. The world will rise and set in your practice of dentistry dependent upon the mood in which you arrive to work in the morning.

As a leader, you’ll get the most from your staff if you realize that their productivity isn’t driven by a paycheck; quite the opposite is true. Money and benefits are important, but it’s not the end all, be all for your employees or the staff that work with you.

Author's Bio
Dr. Rhonda Savage , a former dental assistant and front office staff, graduated with a B.S. in Biology, Cum Laude, Seattle University in 1985. She then graduated from the University of Washington, School of Dentistry in 1989, with numerous honors. She served on active duty as a dental officer in the U.S. Navy during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, the National Defense Medal and an Expert Pistol Medal. Dr. Savage was in private practice for 16 years. She has authored many peer-reviewed articles and has lectured internationally. She is a past president of the Washington State Dental Association and is an affiliate faculty member of the University of Washington, School of Dentistry. Dr. Savage is the CEO for Miles Global, an internationally known consulting business. A member of the National Speakers Association and the Institute of Management Consultants, Dr. Savage is a noted speaker on practice management, women’s health issues and zoo dentistry. To speak with Dr. Savage about your practice concerns or to schedule her to speak at your dental society or study club, please e-mail rhonda@milesglobal.net, or call 877-343-0909.
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October 2025
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