the more outspoken team members around the room shared
strong opinions until the tide clearly turned against the new
initiative. Before the discussion was over, all team members
had turned visibly and vocally against the idea. It was dead in
the water.
sat down and he began to berate his team in their absence.
“This is how they always are. They are against everything I
want to do.” After he calmed down, we discussed the situation
and the fact that the dentist had set himself up for failure
on the implementation of the new initiative because of one
simple thing: He had not determined the type of decision he
really wanted his team to make. Then he set the entire situation
up for failure by virtue of the question he asked. There
was only one person to blame for the failure of this team
decision and it was the lead decision maker.
Why do we fail when making team decisions?
Two reasons:
In the next few minutes, we’ll discuss three different team
decisions and how to set them up for success. The three
decision are:
The Implementation Decision.
A decision has been made and team involvement is required
to implement the decision.
The Input Decision.
A decision is up for consideration and team input is desired
The Democratic Decision.
A decision needs to be made and just about any direction
taken will be OK.
Let’s take a look at each in reverse order and how to set them
up for success.
The Democratic Decision.
Majority rules. In a true democracy, an issue will be discussed
and debated, then a vote is taken and the majority
rules. These types of team decisions include issues where
the stakes are low and just about any direction will do. One
example might be where to order out for lunch (with budget
parameters). Let the group decide and adjust accordingly.
The democratic decision is truly a “What do you all think?”-
type of decision with the preface that options can be discussed
and then we will take a vote. Majority wins. Alternatively,
the entire decision can be left to the team to decide
in whatever way they want to make the decision. Just give a
time limit so a decision can be made in a timely manner.
Unfortunately, too many decisions are presented as democratic
decisions. “What do you all think we should do?”
should be reserved for the few times when it really does
not matter what direction is taken and each member of the
group truly can voice their own opinions and have their voice
heard.
Too often when an important decision is to be made, that
will impact the success and direction of the practice. I hear
well-meaning dentist-leaders say, “Well, let me see what my
team thinks.” Once that road is taken—with the implication
impossible to take it back. Don’t ask the team what they think
unless you are ready to hand over the decision to the team to
make.
The Input Decision.
Many decisions involve those who are closer to the reality
than the decision maker. Getting input from those who may
be involved later down the line might be a good move. These
types of decisions might include: The date for the next team
retreat that might require childcare arrangements or...
• Where to have the next team retreat
• A new piece of equipment
• A new marketing campaign
• A potential new hire
How this type of decision is framed is critical. It goes something
like this: “We are considering possible dates for our
next team retreat and would like everyone’s input before we
we appreciate your input as well as your cooperation once
By framing the decision this way, you have made some things
very clear:
Everyone likes to be heard and know that their opinion matters.
Asking for input in the appropriate way up front gives
everyone who wants to the opportunity to weigh-in with the
The Implementation Decision.
When a decision has been made but team involvement is
needed for successful implementation, buy-in is crucial.
These type of decisions might include:
• Going to mandatory CE together, like OSHA or HIPAA
compliance training
• Installing a new piece of equipment
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