Leadership: the action of leading a group of people

Management: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people

This can be confusing, especially in a business. To often we have managers and it’s not inspirational, when this happens the team can become unmotivated and confused themselves. A business has got to have a fine balance of both, maybe as a doctor you’re a great leader but a terrible manager or vice versa. 

Doctor, do you have people following behind you? So many of us are just managers and we use authority to beat people down. Using fear instead of inspiration, passion and clarity. We need to inspire our team to want to join us to want to follow us and work together to accomplish our goals. 

The book Tipping point talks about “How to make something sticky” - how can you make something in your office sticky, so sticky that staff members and patients want to build on that culture. Passion plays a huge part in creating a culture that continues to grow, in the office and in the community. Create a movement that inspires your dental team and dental patients. 

The question becomes are you leading and inspiring your team, are you creating a movement yourself? A movement called oral health, a profitable environment.. Or are you cultivating something different. 

Passion and Excitement is a powerful thing, that lights a fire under someone. There’s one key person that is paramount in a movement. Once you get the buy in from that first follower that first team member, the rest is to follow. Use the grapevine in your office in a positive manner, get them gossiping and rallying behind you! Lead your team. 

Both Managers and Leaders are needed in a business. However, as a business owner you need focus on strapping on those leadership boots. In the simplest terms managers make sure we’re doing the right things, they make sure we’re walking through the forest at the right pace and staying on task. A leader is someone who has taken the time to make sure that your team is heading the right direction, the one who has in fact climbed up the tree to make sure there isn’t a cliff 20 yards away and that we’re all going in the right direction. 

If we’re not all going the same direction, it doesn’t work.

Click on the image below to watch the show on Leadership vs Management