Running the team

At the end of last month’s article on professionalism in dentistry, I indicated how important it was to value every member of the team at whatever level they operate. As I write this, the non-dental press has had a feeding frenzy about two members of the England football team who, it is alleged, no longer get on with each other. As a result, one of them has currently withdrawn from the squad. While this has nothing to do with dentistry, it reinforces the point that has been made on many occasions, it is important one ‘has a team’ and that the team is made up of people who are aligned to a common goal and who work well together.

I’m sure you will all be familiar with the key elements that make up a team, as well as knowing the benefits of having a team. We are often asked, however, ‘how do I create a team?’, ‘what can I expect when that team begins work?’, and ‘how should I, as principal, be behaving towards my team?’ You may even believe that, as there are less than 10 of you in the practice, you are automatically a team.