There was more. In large numbers on a board information center for employees was the following: “127 and $14,322.” Below it stated, “Number of consecutive days all cases were delivered correctly and on time.” and “Bonus earned.” The team hopes to break their old record of 276 consecutive perfect delivery days this year and earn as much as $18,000 to be split among them. Wow, more great stuff.

Did I mention the unorthodox currency they have - DP Dollars? Well, you get one each time you are caught doing something a little extra or going above and beyond, you know, helping the team succeed as a whole. These dollars are used to pay off your candy, coffee, tea or soda bill. Dental Prosthetics keeps the lunchroom stocked with snacks and such that you track on the complicated honor system. At month’s end, or whenever you like, you can settle up using cash or the newly printed DP Dollars.

I was in awe. 

I preach this stuff from the podium and to the laboratories I consult for. Here I was on a different mission, lecturing to the dentist-clients of this laboratory for Sterngold about implant-retained overdentures and yet I found myself a student rather than teacher. Don’t worry, the doctors did learn, Sheila Nagorny sold some ERA implants and attachments and the laboratory created an even deeper engagement with their customers. However, I got the real lesson. I stood in the midst of a shining example of employee engagement leading to customer engagement and then too sustainable profitability for a business.

I lecture for Mercer Advisors at the Scottsdale Center in Arizona since leaving my role with the Pankey Institute. This new role fits like a glove. Mercer teaches that your vision drives the plan, the plan drives the goals, the goals drive the results and results are the key to realizing your vision. Not just for you as the principle/owner/manager/president/CEO of this operation, but for all of the team as well. They even have sophisticated software that helps measure behavior and performance that drives value in the organization.  The white board and taped on numbers on the awards aren’t a software solution, but they do achieve the same thing. They measure and reward behavior that is aligned with your vision, plan and goals. That gets results!

Now this is no ordinary laboratory in terms of ownership. It is an ESOP, an Employee Stock Option Plan. That means each of the team members has a real stake in the success of the business that extends beyond the paycheck. Staff is updated weekly on all financial measures that impact the profit and loss statement.  It is a tracking activity that allows everyone to see where they are in terms of goals and objectives. 

• Transparency and open communication.
• Ownership and responsibility.
• Leadership and self-management.
• Alignment and congruence.
• Measurable and monitored.

Vision driving the plan which drives the goals which lead to results that support the vision.
Their commitment is simple: To deliver the finest quality dental restorations on time and exactly as prescribed, every time. They are doing that very well.

A special thanks to the folks at Dental Prosthetics for letting me share their story with you all. It always amazes me when people like this share good business practices so openly and generously.  It screams of abundance rather than scarcity,  of blue oceans not red, and of harmony, balance and wa, instead of  competition and chaos.
Thanks for letting me learn so much while I was teaching.  Like Dr. Pankey often said to me, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” I’ll add, “Even when the student is teaching!”
 

Murphy is the vice president of educational services for Mercer Advisors, director of professional relations for Quantum Dental Resources, and consults and lectures for dental laboratories, manufacturers and dentists throughout the United States and Canada through Funktional Design Group. He can be reached at mtmurphydds@gmail.com.