Control "Freaks"

What are they?

Core values represent the organization’s highest priorities. They are the rules by which an organization functions. They are what its leaders and members stand for.

Core values define what the organization believes in and create a framework for all members to conduct their affairs . All interactions, within and without are governed by the core values.

They are the foundation and culture of the practice and the principles that guide all actions within it.

Core values are usually determined by the founder and leadership team after which they are communicated to all members. The team has to understand and agree to the core values and agree that all actions are expected to be in alignment with the core values.

Core values should be written and readily available for all to see.

The purpose and core values of the organization have to be memorized and readily recited by all members of the organization.

When thinking about and setting the core values for your organization, think brevity . Don’t create a laundry list of all the things that you care about and believe in.

Think the Ten Commandments ( and I apologize if I offended anyone.)The way for people to conduct themselves in life ( A crazy huge “organization”) where actually distilled to ten.

In an organization, usually, 5-10 core values is more than enough, and the less the better. If you surpass that number, people will start to lose interest and starts to feel cumbersome and fake.

About “fake” jus like it is with the “Purpose Statement”, this has to be REAL. You really have to believe in it and live it every day. You have to remind yourself about it, every day, and depending on what is going on that day, could be multiple times within the day.

An Example:

The seven core values at Dental Care Team Group ( Our organization):

1. Supremacy of safe and quality dental treatment
2. Polite, curteous and respectful treatment of our patients and team members.
3. Continuous Learning.
4. Engaged Citizenship.
5. Up is better than down.
6. Boundaryless-ness.
7. Constant and healthy growth and expansion.

I will write and article about each one of the above core values explaining what it means and placing it in context within the functioning of our organization.

Warning:

If you want to deflate motivation and create a skeptical and non-invested team, create values, communicate the values to everyone, hold the team accountable, and then, don’t act according to the values you communicated.

As the owner and/ or a member of the senior management of the organization, always behave in alignment with the core values and if you slip sometimes admit, apologize, and correct.

I.F. Jarjoura D.D.S., M.S.

Founder, Dental Care Team Group

Founder, Control “Freaks”- A Group for Dentists WhoWant

Most of us are too busy to think about our purpose and why we exist as a business. We are usually pre-occupied taking care of our patients and handling whatever issues come up in our day to day activities.

We get home exhausted ready to “shut down” so that we can ( hopefully) recharge our batteries for the next day’s activities.

A lot of us may have forgotten why we do what we do! It has become a way for us to pay for our kids’ schooling, our family’s expenses and our life style, which is OK, of course, but there has to be more.

Discovering or rediscovering our purpose can be a way for us to start gaining control over your business and sanity.

So, Why are we here? What is this all about? Is it just the money? Is it the “prestige”? Is it so that we have a place to spend eight or more hours on week-days, and sometimes on the weekends?

What is the purpose?

Figuring out the purpose is essential. That process could take a couple of days or a whole year ( like it did with me.) But once we figure it out, our purpose should be clear and concise.  It will be the “North Star” that guides our actions and movement as a business and organization.

We should turn to our purpose to make decisions or create policies, and our purpose statement can be used to ensure any changes we make in the practice or our services align with our initial purpose.

Also, the purpose statement can be used to ensure any changes we make in the practice or the services we provide align with our initial purpose.

So, how do we do it?

• Start considering why you started the practice. Ultimately, a business purpose is a statement defining why you are in business. Take a few minutes to consider why you formed the business in the first place. What were the goals?
• Then, consider how will the practice operate. Think of the specific steps you can take to achieve the reason for forming the practice and how that may impact the patients/customers.
• Write your statement in a way that is concise and clear. Because a business purpose should only be a sentence or two, it is important to write it in a way that is concise, yet clear.

Tips:

• Think about your daily responsibilities. By considering the tasks that you complete each day, you can narrow down the practice’s purpose. Write a list of tasks the practice needs to complete each day, then find a way to combine these tasks with a brief statement.
• Keep it short. Because a purpose should be concise and to the point, aim for one to two sentences. This also allows you to add to the practice’s purpose if it expands later.
• Use the mission statement for inspiration. It can also be helpful to revisit previously drafted statements, like the mission or value statement, to remind yourself of the goals and intent of the business.
• Enlist the help of staff. By having staff members review the purpose statement, you can get another view. This ensures that your statement is clear and accurately describes what you do.

So, what is your purpose? How clear are you on what is it that you do?

In our case at Dental Care Team Group, we concluded that we are in the business of improving and maintaining people’s health. How do we accomplish that? By providing the best dentistry available. So, what is our purpose?

“We Improve and Maintain People’s Health by Providing the Best Dentistry Available”

The clearer you are, the more in control you will be. When things aren’t going the way you want, remembering your purpose or revisiting it will center you and keep you in control.

I.F. Jarjoura D.D.S., M.S.

Founder, Dental Care Team Group

Founder, Control “Freaks”- A Group for Dentists WhoWant to Smile More

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