Mindset for High Performance Dental Clinic: A Winning Mindset Is Paramount for Success
When we think about excellent employees, most of us focus on skills, experience, and abilities. All of these are, of course, important. But the real game-changer in terms of employee performance is their mindset (i.e., outlook and attitude).
A well-known Stanford psychologist, Dr. Carol Dweck, studied student achievement for a couple of decades. She discovered that students fell into two groups. In the first group were those with what she called a fixed mindset. That is, they viewed intelligence and other abilities as something they’re born with and can’t change. The other group had what she referred to as a growth mindset. Those individuals saw abilities as something they could develop through effort and persistence. She also found that students with a growth mindset tended to outperform those with a fixed mindset.
These ideas translate well into the workplace. Employees with a growth mindset are typically more willing to take on new challenges and are more open to learning from constructive criticism. They’re also more likely to persist with tasks despite setbacks and are, ultimately, usually more productive than those with a fixed mindset. So, how do you bridge this gap with your employees?
Mindset Is Paramount for Creating High-Performance Teams in your Dental Clinic
Hire Employees With A Growth Mindset.
Fortunately, you have several options and you can try to hire employees with a growth mindset. To do this, you can integrate questions into your hiring process to screen for a growth mindset.
Dr. Dweck suggests asking questions such as
- “Can you tell me about one of your greatest failures?”
- “What changes do you think you’ll need to make if you’re hired for this position?”
Do candidates take responsibility for their failure and talk about what they learned? Or do they say something like, “I set the bar too high and worked myself to the point of exhaustion”?
Regarding needed changes, do they talk about how they think they’ll need to grow and learn in their new role? You can read more here about Dweck’s philosophy.
Train Existing Employees
Another option is to train existing employees. Human brains are wonderfully plastic and highly capable of change and growth. Providing training that raises awareness about mindset and offers tips for cultivating a growth mindset can be very powerful. If you’re interested in employee training in this area, visit x.
You should also ask yourself if you’ve created an organizational culture that fosters a growth mindset. Do you respond to employee mistakes with anger, or do you frame them as a learning opportunity? Are you flexible and willing to entertain new ideas and change course when needed, or are you rigid? Read more here about the mindset concept.
An extension of the growth mindset helps individuals develop habits that promote high performance in the dental office and their lives in general. Many individuals who have received training in this area have found it to be life-changing.
Are you convinced that mindset is essential for creating a high-performance team? Explore this type of training for yourself and/or your staff, visit our course page about cultivating a winning mindset.
About NGT Academy
We are one of the very few turnkey-Learning Management System providers that specializes in the dental industry. Currently, with a library of more than 30 courses created for dental teams, our eLearning platform is one of the easiest to use. Simultaneously, eLearning typically costs at least 30% less than conventional training making for a truly efficient solution for your dental organization.
Do you want to learn more? Contact us for more information or schedule a demo