By: Dr. David Rice
Imagine this โฆ or maybe you donโt need to because youโre already living it โฆ youโre a new dentist โฆ passionate โฆ skilled โฆ and ready to crush it in practice.
But the team thatโs been there for 10โฆ 15โฆ 20 years โฆ they know the patients โฆ the systems (or lack of them) โฆ and oh yeah โฆ theyโve seen doctors come and go.
Enter you โฆ the new kid โฆ and you can feel them asking themselves:
- โCan I trust this doctor?โ
- โWill this be another change I have to survive?โ
- โDo they know what theyโre doing?โ
If youโre an associate living itโฆ you knowโฆ if youโre a D4 reading thisโฆ youโll learnโฆ this team can make or break youโฆ year 1 and beyond.
At IGNITEDDS, we mentor students and coach dentists to lead with clarity, character, and confidence โฆ especially when leading teams with more experience than they have in years. Here are 6 strategies we know will help you earn trust, create buy-in, and lead a legacy team into your vision.
1. Lead with Respect, Not Authority
The Mistake: New dentists often feel they must โestablish controlโ quickly. Leading with positional power โ โIโm the dentistโ โ fuels resistance rather than respect.
The Strategy: Earn influence through respect:
- Learn the teamโs history before rewriting it.
- Spend time with each team member 1:1 โฆ get curious about their personal and professional goals โฆ show them how you can help.
- Acknowledge their experience and loyalty. Youโre not supposed to have all the answers โ stay humble, be vulnerable, and be an appreciative sponge.
- Ask questions like: โWhatโs worked well here that we should protect?โ
Key Insight: Respect opens the door for transformation. Arrogance slams it shut.
๐ฅ Ignite Wisdom: Shift your mindset from superior to leader by connecting with the teamโs past before reshaping its future.
2. Use DiSC to Decode Team Dynamics
The Mistake: Many doctors assume everyone should think and communicate the way they do. Misalignment leads to miscommunication, gossip, and unnecessary drama.
The Strategy: Use DiSC profiling to understand each team memberโs behavioral style and adjust your leadership:
- Identify who needs data, who needs affirmation, who needs structure, and who needs extra time from you.
- Avoid a โone-style-fits-allโ approach โ when in doubt, ask, donโt tell.
- Apply DiSC insights in 1:1 conversations, team meetings, and conflict resolution.
๐ก IGNITEDDS Coaching Tip: Leading older team members requires emotional intelligence, not just clinical intelligence.
3. Define and Document Your Expectations Early
The Mistake: New leaders often avoid difficult conversations with older team members, hoping things โsmooth out on their own.โ That rarely happens.
The Strategy: Create People Control through agreements and clarity:
- Review and update job descriptions. (For associates, gain owner permission first.)
- Co-create team agreements on behaviors, roles, and accountability.
- Make expectations transparent, not assumed. Think of your practice success like a game: players need to know what winning looks like, the rules, and consequences for breaking them.
๐ฅ Ignite Tip: Use team agreements to shift from culture to character โ especially when old habits die hard.
4. Honor the Past While Building the Future
The Mistake: New dentists (owners or associates) often try to change everything at once. This creates fear and resistance, especially from long-tenured employees.
The Strategy: Balance continuity with innovation:
- Ask: โWhat do you love about how things run now?โ
- Identify 1โ2 โlegacy systemsโ worth preserving.
- Communicate changes in terms of shared benefit (patients, team, and practice).
- Offer suggestions to owners with a 60โ90 day trial period โ evolutionary change is easier than revolutionary change.
๐ก Leadership Principle: When people feel heard, theyโre more willing to follow. Even if the path looks different.
5. Coach Performance โฆ Donโt Avoid It
The Mistake: Younger dentists often tolerate underperformance from older team members out of fear โ fear of conflict, gossip, or losing them entirely.
The Strategy: Use People Discipline to coach for alignment and results:
- Donโt ignore red flags โ address them with empathy, clarity, and process.
- Use monthly check-ins and structured feedback tools.
- Separate behavior from identity โ hold standards without making it personal.
๐ฅ Ignite Coaching Language: Leadership is kind when itโs clear โ and cruel when it avoids.
6. Show Vision โ Not Just Goals
The Mistake: Many new leaders talk about โincreasing productionโ or โhitting collections goalsโ but forget to connect those goals to a larger purpose.
The Strategy: Inspire with a vision for where youโre going and why it matters:
- Share your Self-Determined Future and help each team member define theirs.
- Reinforce your โwhyโ in team meetings and huddles every week.
- Celebrate progress toward impact, not just numbers. Recognize small victories that lead to big wins.
๐ฅ Ignite Belief: People want to feel like theyโre part of something that matters. Vision wins hearts and minds.
Wrapping Up โฆ Lead With People, Process, and Purpose
You donโt need more years to earn more leadership respect. You need intentional systems, emotional intelligence, and a vision worth following.
At IGNITEDDS, we help new dentists lead legacy teams by:
- โ Building People Control with DiSC, job clarity, and expectations
- โ Creating System Control so the practice runs on alignment, not memory
- โ Showing Clinical and Financial Leadership through trust, not pressure
Want to Learn How to Lead Your Practice with Confidence?
๐ CLICK HERE and schedule a discovery call today. Your success is too important to leave to chance.
Together We Rise,
David R. Rice, DDS
Founder & CEO, IGNITEDDS
