Message Boards
Today's Active Topics Today's Active Cases Browse Forum Categories My Recent Activity My Messages Private Groups My Marked Threads My Subscriptions
Today's Active Images Today's Active Polls Most Active Topics Global Townie Map Advanced Message Board Search Message Board Terms of Use

Howard Speaks: Those Who Can’t … Should Deputize by Dr. Howard Farran

View Comments (69) More by this author (315)
Categories: Practice Management, HR and Accounting;
Howard Speaks: Those Who Can’t … Should Deputize 

by Howard Farran, DDS, MBA, publisher, Dentaltown magazine

One of the hardest things for a dentist to accept is when they’re just not good at something. It’s not in our nature to admit defeat! We tend to believe that with enough research, enough practice, enough guidance from experts and your peers on Dentaltown’s message boards, that elusive mastery (or at least proficiency) should be right around the corner.

Many newer dentists in particular struggle with the responsibilities of managing team members. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by staff shortages, candidate interviews, inventory control and those petty, pesky interpersonal dramas that can make the office hallways feel like you’ve stumbled into a Jerry Springer episode. And even if your practice machinery is better oiled than most, how can you focus on excellent clinical work when so much else is pulling you away?

The answer: Most of you can’t—not without running yourself into the ground, risking severe burnout and hating the profession you thought you loved.


You can’t—and shouldn’t—do it all
If your dental practice were a typical corporate organization, the owner-dentist would probably be considered the president and chief executive officer. But CEOs of successful companies aren’t mired down by day-to-day administrative tasks; they’ve got subordinate executives such as a vice president of human resources, a VP of finance, and maybe a strategy or public relations officer.

Think of your office manager as an HR executive who should be handling most internal and external staffing issues. A good office manager isn’t going to run rogue, of course—they’ll run major decisions past you for consideration before taking action, but ultimately they should have the freedom and responsibility to manage most of the practice’s staffing issues. Put them in charge of placing ads and doing preliminary interviews for open positions, so you spend your time speaking only with the best candidates they can find. Deputize them to manage conflicts that arise on your team and report to you their solutions, not just the problems.

A great office manager will also keep an eye on practice finances, looking for efficiencies and opportunities to grow the business in everything from collection percentages to new-patient promotions.


Don’t be afraid to go outside
When we discuss hiring dental assistants, many dentists say they give more consideration to a candidate’s personality and outlook than existing clinical dentistry skills. The same can be true of an office manager! An orthodontist I recently spoke to said one of the best decisions he ever made was hiring a director of operations who’d been a regional manager at ADP, a payroll company.

“Her corporate training in marketing and sales and her innate understanding of how people want to be treated have been the backbone of our office culture,” he said. The director of operations also created the practice’s “digital ecosystem,” which includes onboarding of technology and training protocols.

So much of what contributes to the success of a dental practice has nothing to do with the clinical results—it’s about what patients experience even before they walk in the door. How are they greeted during calls or when they walk in the door? How do they see team members behaving and interacting during their visit? Are they seen on time?

Even if you think you’re an effective leader when it comes to HR issues, a good office manager can lift a huge daily workload off your shoulders and free you to work on clinical dentistry and your large-scale success. After all, the best sheriffs have great deputies!

I’d love to hear your comments about this column—I read them all and reply to ... well, most. Post your ideas, questions and more in the comments field under this column.

More In Practice Management, HR and Accounting
Communication, Coding and Collections: The Three C’s of the Profitable Practice.
Communication, Coding and Collections: The Three C’s of the...
Laci Phillips
CE Credits: 1.5
End of 1st Year
End of 1st Year
New Grads Edition 2023
Hiring and Developing Your Team the Right Way
Hiring and Developing Your Team the Right Way
Sheri Kay, RDH
CE Credits: 1.5
Howard Speaks: What’s the Word on the Street?
Howard Speaks: What’s the Word on the Street?
by Dr. Howard Farran, DDS, MBA
September 2024
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
Dentaltown Magazine September 2025 Read Current Issue Read Archived Issues
Sponsors
Townie Perks
Townie® Poll
Who or what do you turn to for most financial advice regarding your practice?
  
Related Articles
2023 Dental Townie Choice Awards
2023 Dental Townie Choice Awards
December 2023
3 Signs You’re Ready To Buy a Dental Practice
3 Signs You’re Ready To Buy a Dental Practice
by Dr. Jason Cellars
New Grads Edition 2022
Professional Courtesy: Conducting Your New-Patient Performance
Professional Courtesy: Conducting Your New-Patient Performance
by Dr. Thomas Giacobbi
April 2024
Site Menu
Message Boards Magazine Continuing Education Podcasts Blogs Classifieds Dental News Events Townie® Poll Ebooks Townie Choice Awards
Company Info
Contact Us Advertise With Us Howard Farran DDS, MBA Policies and Agreements
Site Help
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2025 Dentaltown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450