Dentistry is ever changing and career progression, practice development are essential for success. Dentists who seek fulfilment in their field turn to Dental coaching as a valuable resource to enable them to achieve their goals.
Working with a coach is something that is commonplace in most other commercial businesses where people are earning more than £50k / year. Yet in the UK dentists are behind the curve and many are yet to discover how working with a dental coach is an asset. Coaching is a collaborative and goal-oriented process where a coach partners with you to help you achieve specific personal and professional goals. In this blog, we will explore why and how dental coaching is an invaluable tool for dentists, helping you navigate your career path and enhance the development of dental practices.
What is coaching?
Coaching is a versatile tool that can be applied to various areas, including personal development, career growth, leadership, and health and wellness. Coaching usually involves thought provoking conversations, that may use tools or models to facilitate self-awareness, problem-solving, and decision-making. The aim of coaching is to empower you or your team to reach their potential, improve performance, reach desired outcomes and most of all increase happiness and well-being.
Useful ways to think about coaching,
- A “structured conversation” for developing higher quality performance.
- A solution-oriented relationship within which your coach facilitates and enable you to fulfil a potential of achieving that you were otherwise unable to achieve.
- A mirror that enables you to identify, explore and overcome the aspects of your behaviours, thinking, and believing that prevent you from getting where you want to be.
- A journey of exploration and discovery of the answers you are seeking
- An opportunity to expand the choices available to you
- A conversational dance in which you learn about yourself and grow
- Working with a confidante, sounding board, sponsor, cheerleader, and accountability partner
- A confidential space to explore ideas, problem-solve, and establish a realistic, clear plan of action to reach your desired outcome.
- Empowerment rather than help
What Coaching is NOT
It is often useful to clarify what coaching is not. Coaching is distinct from therapy, consulting, mentoring, teaching, and other forms of directive leadership. It’s not always a quick-fix solution, although often some interventions can have dramatic and lasting impact. Coaching is forward focused, presupposes change,
A great way to think about coaching is to thinking, what fishing is to eating. I could give you a fish or I could teach you how to fish. If I gave you a meal, you would eat today, if I taught you how to fish you will eat for a lifetime. Providing answers in the short term is expedient, and it creates dependency, coaching, developing yourself awareness and independent thinking, provides independence.
How does dental coaching work?
Coaches are professionals who are trained to listen and observe, to customise their approach to your needs, to elicit solutions and strategies from you for you. As a coach, I believe you are naturally creative and resourceful; it is my job is to provide you with support you need to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that you already have.
The dental coaching process will involve some or all of the following to help you elicit the right solutions and strategies for you.
- Powerful, sometimes soul-searching questions
- Values and belief identification
- Questionnaires, models, and tools
- Brainstorming new ideas, approaches, possibilities
- Examination of habitual patterns of behaviour, thought and beliefs.
- Drawing, moving, experimentation.
- Co designing and creating strategies that support you.
- Action plans and accountability
- Learning about your motivation
- Noticing your values and what is important to you
Coaching conversations happen on the telephone or face to face. It is best to avoid being stuck to a screen when engaging in coaching.
How are coaching conversations different from other conversations?
Coaching conversations are designed to be different from other conversations, they have the following characteristics,
- Face forward
- Optimistic
- Rigorous
- Give you space and company as you think
- Give you new insights and understandings
- Provide clarity and decisiveness
- Presuppose improvement
What are the benefits of coaching for Dentists?
1. Career Progression
Coaching can significantly impact a dentist’s career progression. Here’s how:
Alignment with Goals: Dentists work with coaches to identify their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. With your coach you will develop strategies and skills to overcome obstacles, allowing you to progress toward your career goals enabling you to identify a practice that fits with your values and philosophy to patient care and treatment.
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2. Practice Development
Coaching is not only beneficial for individual career progression but also for enhancing practice development. Here’s why:
Customised Approach: Your coach will work closely with you to tailor their approach to the unique needs of the practice.
Effective Communication: Dentists don’t learn essential psychology or communication skills, which is crucial for happy patients relationships and successful team dynamics.
Strategic Vision: Your coach will assist you in developing a strategic vision for the dental practice, leading to increased profitability, better team performance, and overall success.
3. How do I choose the right coach?
Selecting the right coach is essential for a successful coaching experience. Dentists should consider several criteria when choosing a coach, including qualifications, experience, coaching style, references, alignment with goals, ethical standards, communication, and involvement in professional bodies. Professional indemnity insurance is also crucial for protection during coaching. You can be confident when you choose Jane because she is a dentist and coach and truly understands your experiences. Jane is the only dentist world-wide to hold the prestigious Master Coach Certification from the International Coaching Federation, with over 17 years coaching experience and thousands of client hours, she has earned Fellowship of the Association of coaching.
In conclusion, coaching is a powerful resource for dentists looking to advance their careers and develop successful dental practices. It provides guidance, support, and a structured approach to achieving specific objectives. By carefully selecting the right coach and focusing on career progression and practice development, dentists can unlock their full potential and achieve their goals in the ever-evolving world of dentistry. If you are intrigued how coaching can help you, book a FREE CALL FRIDAY coaching session and try before you buy.
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