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Boosting Your Orthodontic Practice — The Secret Sauce is a Stellar Team

As a member of the orthodontic fraternity, you know just how critical a well-rounded team is for your practice to thrive. But how do you attract and retain the cream of the crop? This blog post will delve into the wisdom imparted by Dr. Michael Neal, an ophthalmologist turned hiring guru, on crafting a dream team that will catapult your practice to new pinnacles of success.

The Hiring Conundrum
Numerous orthodontic practices grapple with the challenge of recruiting the right talent. Dr. Neal shares from his own experience of how his practice was in constant upheaval due to ill-judged hiring choices. They were bringing people onboard based on personality and a desire to give them a boost. Unfortunately, this approach resulted in a continual turnover of underperforming personnel.

The Paradigm Shift
It took joining an entrepreneurial leadership forum for Dr. Neal to discover a more effective approach. He observed how other businesses had built powerhouse teams of individuals who naturally shone in their roles. This epiphany triggered a change in his thinking, leading him to understand that recruitment should be guided by a candidate’s innate abilities and strengths, not just their personality or a wish to “give them a hand.”

Identifying Talent and Compatibility
Dr. Neal embarked on a mission to devise a recruitment system rooted in psychometric evaluations. These tests help pinpoint a candidate’s inherent abilities, strengths, resilience under stress, and aptitude for following systems and procedures. By matching candidates’ strengths with specific job roles, Dr. Neal managed to assemble a team of high-flyers.

The Healthcare Disposition
A cornerstone of Dr. Neal’s recruitment system is the evaluation for a “healthcare disposition.” This disposition includes characteristics like a willingness to assist others, a service-driven mindset, proactiveness, dependability, and honesty. Without this disposition, a candidate is unlikely to flourish in an orthodontic practice setting.

The Magic of Texting
Dr. Neal also found that the conventional method of emailing candidates fell short. He noticed that candidates often took a week to ten days to reply to emails, considerably slowing down the recruitment process. By switching to a text-based approach, Dr. Neal was able to connect with candidates almost instantly, speeding up the process and enhancing response rates.

Role-Specific Algorithms
A breakthrough feature of Dr. Neal’s system is the creation of role-specific algorithms. These algorithms factor in the distinct demands of each role within an orthodontic practice, such as the difference between a receptionist and an orthodontic biller. By customizing the evaluations to the specific requirements of each role, Dr. Neal can pinpoint the best-fit candidates for each position.

The Outcome
Upon implementing his new recruitment system, Dr. Neal’s practice underwent a dramatic metamorphosis. Out of 14 full-time employees, only two were retained. The practice scaled down to 10 team members but witnessed a 50% surge in gross revenue and more than doubled its net income. This impressive turnaround was achieved by constructing a team of high-performing individuals in sync with the practice’s needs.

If you’re wrestling with attracting and retaining top-notch talent for your orthodontic practice, consider exploring Dr. Neal’s system at BuildMyTeam.com. By prioritizing natural abilities, strengths, and the correct disposition, you can craft a team that will propel your practice to new heights of growth and success.