Simple And Effective Ways To Appreciate Your Team
In the book The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman shares his powerful approach to cultivating deeper relationships by learning how to effectively express love and appreciation. Based on years of research and work as a Marriage & Family therapist, Gary Chapman discovered the five love languages that people use to express and receive love and appreciation. In his book, you can identify your personal love language and learn how to express love and appreciation in a way that is effective and will have an impact to the people in your life.
For one person, their love language could be quality time together while another person might need words of affirmation to feel valued. When we identify this and share our love and appreciation for others in a way that aligns with their love language (i.e. a way that they understand and openly receive), we cultivate a greater connection and our relationships flourish.
“Alright! That’s interesting but how does my love language apply to dentistry and growing my dental practice?”
We thought this blog might get your attention! We’re getting there, we promise, stick with us.
Being seen, valued and appreciated isn’t important in our romantic relationships only but is important in all of our relationships, including those within your practice. Knowing how to effectively appreciate and communicate that appreciation your team can strengthen the culture of your practice, increases productivity, and encourage your team to go above and beyond.
Research shows that happy teams that feel appreciated and valued for their efforts are 12% more productive than those that feel unhappy, undervalued and unrecognized for their efforts.
When your team feels truly valued and appreciated, the entire dynamics of your practice can change. These shifts can create a powerful and positive ripple effect in the patient experience which helps nurture patient retention, increase referrals and build patient rapport.
We’ve got your attention now, right? We thought so!
So, how do you discover the “love language” of your team?
How can you effectively appreciate each team member in a way that leaves them feeling truly valued?
Below are four steps to get you started!
Step 1:
Read the Five Love Languages book by Gary Chapman so that you understand the approach and can begin to apply it in your practice.
Step 2:
Get to know your individual team members…and we mean really get to know them!
Ask them each how they specifically feel valued and appreciated (remember, it should fall under one of the five love languages).
Is it weekly shout outs that celebrate their wins in front of the team?
Is it offering continued education to expand their skill set and confidence?
Is it words of affirmation for a job well at the end of each day?
Step 3:
Get to know your collective team...and we mean really get to know them!
What does the team as a whole need to feel valued and appreciated?
Is it a monthly “Practice Hall of Fame” that celebrates and honors the monthly wins of each team member?
Is it providing the team with a healthy and fun lunch once a week to honor their hard work?
Is it creating a motivating bonus plan that is transparent and attainable?
Take the time to ask your team what feels exciting and motivating to them as a whole. Remember, the happier and more appreciated your team is…everybody wins.
Step 4:
Create a Practice Appreciation Plan for your practice and invite a team member(s) to serve as the co-captains of the Practice Appreciation Plan alongside you. Meet together every month to create and implement your Practice Appreciation Plan for the month ahead so that you and your team create the habit of practicing the art of appreciation consistently. Often times, when months get busy and your practice grows, this can be the first thing to fall off. Don’t let that happen to you and your team. Make these monthly meetings just as significant as any other meetings that you have.
As you practice these steps, you will start to see shifts in the level of positivity and productivity in your practice. Your attention and effort towards making your team feel valued and appreciated will go a long way, trust us.
What ways are you currently practicing appreciation in your practice? We’d love to know.
Head over to our Facebook page and share with us!
And in case we at NextLevel don’t express it enough… we appreciate YOU!!
