Monmouth House, Blackbrook Business Park Taunton, TA1 2PX
Updates
What is a Todays Dental Discover, Dream Day?
Bridging the gap between the Acquisitions Pathwayand when a practice settles into regular day-to-day operations as part of Todays Dental can be a challenge. To support this transition between phases, we introduced what we like to call our Discover, Dream Days.
What is a Discover, Dream Day?
This is a day where we close the practice for a day, and invite the team to a different location with the aim of uniting the team to co-create a shared vision for their practice. It enables the team to reflect on where they’ve been, how they’ve got there (Discover), and then look forward and focus on what they want and can achieve together (Dream). These immersive sessions are an essential element in fostering psychological safety and enabling honest dialogue between the team.
“So the reason we hold these Discover, Dream Days is [..] it gives the practices a sense of voice and a sense of coming together and understanding where we’ve come from and where we’re going to go. Almost like planning for the future.“
– Tori, Transitions Manager (South)
What happens during the Discover, Dream Day?
Crucial to the success of these days is providing conditions for the team to drive the conversation. For some of our Resource Hub team, e.g. Business Support Managers and Clinical Directors, it’s their chance to listen and understand. This helps our team understand how best to support practice teams going forward. We get to see the history and legacy of the practice, as well as where the team feels drawn to go next based on their strengths and aspirations.
Using cards, flipchart paper, post-it notes and a glorious array of colourful pens, we facilitate conversations with engaging activities, enabling practices to answer questions in an interactive way.
“It’s not something that we come in and go, “Right, this is how you do it. This is how we’re moving forward.” It’s us going, “Okay. How do you see it moving forward? What do you want to see and how can we support you with that?” “
– Tara, Transitions Manager (North)
Some of the prompts we might ask the team to think about are:
Reflect on the last 12 months, what have been some of the successes and challenges?
What words best describe the qualities of your team?
What would you like the practice to look, feel, smell, and sound like?
With group wide discussions to smaller, focus groups, it allows for all perspectives to be heard in the conversation.
“We split up into teams on the [Discover,] Dream Day. Lyn’s tasks involve lots of cards with various pictures and we have to actually choose what we thought were apt. I find it incredible that the various teams pretty much all chose exactly the same pictures to describe how we want to be as a team, and how we wanted to go forwards. I hadn’t seen that sort of tightness of decision within the team before.“
– Don, former owner of Princes Street Dental Care, Yeovil
Ultimately, our aim with this approach is that it strengthens the culture within the practices. It ensures that teams feel genuine ownership over the direction of their practice and in driving its results. Therefore, when changes do happen, teams are already on board because they see how it aligns with their practice vision.
On a more personal level, Discover, Dream Days can help to bring out development areas for team members. They might see an opportunity for a new role or additional skill, highlighting potential next steps in their career.
For us, Discover, Dream Days provide insight into the type of support the team needs to make these changes possible.
What happens after the Discover, Dream Day?
With all the brilliant ideas and excitement that comes out of a Discover, Dream Day, we want to make sure we keep that momentum going. We schedule in a growth planning meeting only a couple months later that directly builds on what the team have discussed.
“It’s been super exciting so far since the Discover Dream Day, to be able to start planning to implement what the team want for the practice, and how they see the practice in the future.“ – Jodie Wright, Select Dental Care, Exmouth
We provide them with a ‘Guiding Star’ Pack that summarises the day, and serves as a useful tool to inform how they will develop their practice going forward. This shifts strategy planning from a narrow KPI focus to a more meaningful set of vision-driven objectives, which captures the excitement and enthusiasm the team has for the future of their practice. This emotional investment is key for collaborating with the practice and helps to set everyone up for success going forward.
I hit 66 in March and obviously retirement is something which is now very much on the agenda and I left that day thinking I actually don’t feel like I want to retire. I felt as if I wanted to be part of this process moving forwards. And since the Dream Day, I’ve made the decision I’m absolutely not ready to retire.
– Don Gibson, Former Owner of Princes St Dental Care, Yeovil.
As with everything we do at Todays Dental, we’re always looking to support and facilitate relationships with our teams; our Discover, Dream Days might sound like the start of the journey, but we build the foundations long before.
‘My role is very much about speaking from the heart. Talking to people on a personal level. This is about us being really honest with sellers and explaining who Todays Dental are, what the benefits are to them in their practice, and more importantly, to their people.’ – Steve Williams, Chief Commercial Officer
