Recognise the key moment….

By Jamie MorleyMarch 28, 2023

An important role for any leader is to lead change. This can be at a very high level for the whole organisation and it can be down to individual change of themselves and their individual team members.

As dental practices are typically not very large organisations it becomes very important that a principal, practice manager or nominated team leader within a practice can demonstrate the ability to change themselves and can facilitate others to change for the good of the practice.

There are multiple elements to individual change, but for anyone who has read Atomic Habits by James Clear, he talks about the importance of recognising the key moment for when that change either will or will not occur. This really resonated with me on multiple fronts.

We have to remember that a great deal of what we do is being done unconsciously. To do so many things and make so many mini-decisions we are often doing them unconsciously and almost on auto-pilot. This means we are often not aware what we are doing and are not fully present and conscious in doing something. Until we are conscious of it then we cannot actually change it. By recognising the key moment very specifically that makes us aware of when we have to make that change.

When we are aware of the exact moment when the change needs to occur, we will then start to visualise the situation. Perhaps still visualising it in the current way, but we can then start to visualise it in the new way. Our brain is extremely capable in terms of being able to visualise and start to create new pathways for doing new things even without doing them. It makes it much more likely that we will actually do it in the new way when it comes down to it.

When it then comes to the situation where we are looking to change because we have recognised the situation we can be fully conscious in the choice we make. You can literally stop and go, ok this is the moment when I make the choice to do the new behaviour or not.

As an example, perhaps you are a dentist and you want to speak to patients more consistently about treatments that are available to them and you want to do this by enquiring about their wants and needs in terms of their smile. When, exactly is the moment where you will chose either to ask this question or not? Describe exactly what typically happens? Go through it from when you greet the patient? After you’ve said hello and exchanged conversation about how they are, is this the key moment? Where will you be? Can you visualise it with you now asking patients a specific open question about their smile? If you are struggling to do this, then remind yourself why you are wanting to do this. What will doing this do for me, the practice and the broader world if I do it? Be very clear on this to help you overcome the discomfort of doing something new. With team members when you are perhaps looking to put a new process or action in place, you can ask them the questions to recognise the key moment. What will be the impact of doing this both for you, the practice and our patients? When will you do this? Please can you tell me about the exact moment when you will do this new habit? Try to describe it to me in detail. Can you visualise it?

You will have to judge the time and the place to do this with your team members. For those where you are confident they will just do it, then there is no need. However, there will be situations and individuals where this is not the case and perhaps they have not made a change with something, which you felt had already been agreed. Be genuinely curious in exploring this with them, trying to uncover the exact moment of change.

Recognising the key moment can help you change and can help you facilitate change in others.