Leadership is not something that is handed down to you, nor is it genetic. It is a skill that can be learned like any skill with enough knowledge, practice, and desire. People with different personalities and backgrounds can become leaders - there is no particular requirement.

But there are specific traits that are required of a leader. You must ask yourself, do you want to make your practice the best it can be and make your staff, patients, and patients' parents happy? If you answered yes, you are on your way to success.

The truth is that most orthodontists struggle every day to do their best and lead their practice to success. Notice the key word I just used - lead. You are all leaders of your practice. But it is how and when you implement your strategies that make you different from other orthodontists.

Ultimately, leadership is about taking small, continuous steps that are achieved at varying speed. The speed is based on the leader's definition of deadlines. In each case, it is necessary to evaluate which resources are available in order to speed the process along, and define the deadline for accomplishment.

Leadership and Drive

Leaders are usually driven people. Unfortunately, only 5 percent of all people exhibit true leadership traits. Many leadership-bound people have great ideas or a vision, but they are unable to implement those ideas or carry out the steps necessary to achieve the predetermined goals.

There are 10 basic traits that can be assigned to most leaders. No single trait is more important than another. Your ultimate challenge as a leader is to combine all 10 traits to accomplish your goal and get results.

Keep in mind that not everyone wants to be a leader. If the world were full of leaders, there would not be any followers. However, at the same time, anyone can make a decision to be a leader. These 10 traits will help you get there.

1. Pursuit of Knowledge

Leaders are knowledge-hungry individuals. They want to know more about the subjects that interest them. They don't just have a thirst for knowledge in any area. Instead, leaders can have a narrow or a broad range of knowledge depending on the subjects that interest them.

Certainly most leaders are in pursuit of more knowledge in the area relative to their goals and vision. Individuals who want to excel in the management of a dental practice will tend to read, listen, and learn as much as possible about the subject of dental management. These leaders do not learn in occasional spurts, but tend to be consistent in learning new ideas and strategies on how to properly manage a dental practice.

The pursuit of knowledge forms the foundation of all leadership skills. The expression GIGO stands for "garbage in - garbage out." Use this precept to remind you of what you need to know and what you don't need to know. It is the quality and quantity of knowledge that sets a leader apart from others.

2. Technical Expertise

Leaders tend to be experts in specific areas. Some individuals can demonstrate leadership skills under any circumstance, but these skills are usually combined with a specific technical expertise.

However, even though an orthodontist has technical expertise in orthodontics, he or she may not demonstrate any leadership skills. An office manager may suffer the same plight. Technical skill alone does not guarantee leadership.

A respected leader must have the technical knowledge to back up the leadership position. Leaders recognize the need to continually advance their expertise in order to act in a true leadership capacity.

3. Interpersonal Skills

Interpersonal skills are the foundation of leadership. Every year, Fortune magazine publishes an article entitled, "America's Toughest Bosses." Without question, these "tough" bosses lead their companies forward. Despite that they may be disliked, they are respected. Unfortunately, being tough is not always the best strategy. Few people can be a tough leader and still expect to have happy followers. The best leaders can motivate their staffs, get things done, and still be respected. They have the ability to balance rigidity, flexibility, motivation, and communication.

The acquisition of interpersonal skills is a lifetime quest. Most people would like to know how to better get along with others, but leaders naturally have the proper skills to make this happen.

4. Motivation

Motivation is one of the most important skills for a leader. The leader is able to move beyond a single individual and bring together a team of people to achieve goals and move toward the vision.

Most people are not self-motivated, rather, they are motivated by some external force. In this case the "external force" is the leader. However, the leader must be surrounded by people who share the same vision. This way, it is easier to motivate others and to work as a team.

Leaders motivate in many different ways. Some use financial incentives or the power of their personality. Others educate their team with practice goals. Regardless of the technique, the leader understands how to motivate each individual and the team. Team members who are not motivated are not committed to achieve the leaders' goals. Although leaders are also motivated externally, they have some level of self-motivation. For example, think about an individual who never displayed leadership skills. All of a sudden he or she finds something that they care very passionately about and begin to work toward a vision. One of the best examples is someone who has had an illness or knows someone close to them who was ill. All of a sudden they are committed to finding a way to end that illness. They accomplish this by becoming involved in charities or in some cases, they become leaders in those charities.

5. Emotional Fortitude

Emotional fortitude refers to a leader having a stable personality. Leaders that are unpredictable, inconsistent and have tremendous mood swings are hard to follow. Team players like to know where they stand at all times. People look to leaders for guidance, calmness and strength - especially in a crisis. They will follow leaders if they believe that leader knows where he or she is going, and this can only occur if the leader displays certain levels of strength and confidence.

Emotional fortitude is not an easy personality trait to adopt. Leaders, by their driven nature, tend to push the envelope. At times they are emotional when things do not go well or obstacles are in their way. However, most leaders know that they have to keep cool. It is very destablizing to see your leader lose their tempers, display signs of depression, or have significant mood swings. People also do not like to work with or for individuals who never know the status of that person's temperament.

Maintaining emotional stability allows your staff to recognize your normal personality. This does not mean that your personality may not be upbeat, steady, or even a bit down. It simply means that people know where they stand with you at all times.

6. Self Discipline

Leaders who are not self disciplined find it very difficult to keep their goal assessment consistent. Although your self discipline may come in spurts and then later subside, make sure that you accomplish a lot when you are motivated. A leader without self discipline will find it difficult to move forward on a regular basis. This will diminish the quest for the vision.

Self discipline is partly achieved by the leader's excitement and passion for the work. This is why it has been said that people excel at things they enjoy and often fail at things they find burdensome. One of the keys to leadership is to enjoy your work and translate that enjoyment to others on the team.

7. Teamwork

Leaders never work on their own. They rely on their team to help execute their goals. But many people take advantage of this concept and become a "ruler," not the leader. Therefore, every leader must remember that they, too, are the team players. A good leader will simply facilitate the job, not overpower it. The leader is like the coach of a basketball or football team. He or she creates a game plan, sets the project into motion, and monitors the project's success.

8. Time Management Superiority

Time is a leader's only asset. The leader must not only manage their own schedule, but their team member's as well. However, a good leader doesn't watch over their team like a hawk. He or she provides the team with deadlines and checkpoints, and only monitors the tasks and projects.

Sometimes it seems as if successful leaders accomplish more than the average worker. The truth is that they have the same 24 hours a day. They simply use it better and more wisely. Leaders also eliminate extraneous items from their lives that interfere with their goals.

9. Strategic Planning

Leaders are able to create a strategic plan which is a bit broader than their specific goals. They should be able to look at a project, or series of projects, and plot out a course of action. Strategic planning is a general direction that is established based on the original vision. Leaders can often look into the future to evaluate what needs to be accomplished along the way.

10. Ability to Make a Decision

Leaders make decisions. There are many people that do not progress in their personal or business lives simply because they teeter between two ideas and never decide which to choose.

At the turn of every idea, leaders are making decisions and taking risks. These risks are calculated based on analysis, education, and experience.

Leaders are also willing to believe in themselves. They are confident they have the ability to assess information and make decisions that are in the best interest of themselves and their team. They may seek information or recommendations from the team, but eventually they will come to a final conclusion on their own. The team will usually commit to the decision and work toward the next step of actions.

Summary

Using these leadership skills will take you one step further toward the betterment of your practice and your business. But do not think you need to be perfect in order to be successful. The fact that you are reading this newsletter means you are seeking methods for improvement and how to be a better leader. Learn to work with others and listen to those with whom you work.

Roger P. Levin, D.D.S., M.B.A. Dr. Levin is on the faculty of several dental schools and serves as a consultant to the American Dental Association Council on Dental Practice. He is an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a diplomate of the International Congress of Implantology and has completed the L.D. Pankey Institute's continuum series.