Dentaltown September 2023 - 62

Successful business leaders know change is
uncomfortable for most people, and they employ
effective leadership skills to guide and support
their teams through it.
Investment vs. expense
Your human capital is either your most valuable
asset or your largest expense. Increase the value
of that asset by investing in the training and
development of your people, so they perform at
a higher level both individually and as a team to
achieve goals and help build the business.
A comprehensive, ongoing training plan is an
investment because, done right, it will deliver
short- and long-term positive returns. Training
should cover all aspects of the business, including
front desk and customer service, patient experience
and " wow factor, " and case acceptance. In
contrast, a stand-alone training session usually
ends up being an expense. That's because any
short-term improvement in results is rarely sustained
without ongoing reinforcement, so there's
little long-term return on the investment. Think
consistency rather than intensity. A training day
is intended to be intensive, but the success and
payback is determined by how well you implement
and consistently reinforce the content.
Maximizing the investment
Here are a few other insider tips on how to make
the most of every training experience:
* Don't think of it as an investment in a
single training day but as an investment
in the team.
* Opt for on-site, face-to-face training
instead of virtual. COVID-19 required new
ways of training for awhile, but too many
people continue to be lured by the convenience
and lower cost of virtual, even
though the outcomes aren't nearly as beneficial.
Learners are deprived of hands-on
experience and in-the-moment application
and practice of principles, which help build
new habits that create results. Instead of
working through exercises at the time, the
required thought and action is deferred
and often does not occur at all; if it does,
retention is less. Team members also miss
out on human connection and interaction
with the trainers, which fosters real engagement.
On-site training is well worth the
additional investment because the critical
action piece is incorporated, not just the
information piece.
* Hold training as early in the week as possible,
and never on a Friday. On Fridays, people
are not only distracted by the upcoming
weekend but also won't have the opportunity
to immediately apply what they've learned,
significantly affecting retention. Monday
training lets them begin to build momentum
that same week, driving even stronger commitment
that leads to immediate results.
*
In addition to setting up expectations in
advance, have an execution plan for afterward-including
goals, action plans, an
implementation schedule, tracking systems
and clear accountabilities. Without these
in place, human nature will have everyone
naturally revert to their old ways, because
they'll cease to think about the new ways
and won't be held accountable to execute
what they learned.
Tracking return on investment
How do you really know if you're getting the
desired return on any investment? By tracking
SEPTEMBER 2023 | 62 | DENTALTOWN.COM
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Dentaltown September 2023

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