Part of employing a visionary leadership style is about creating a compelling vision of the future that inspires and aligns everybody in the practice to take action and contribute to making that vision a reality. But how do you go about doing this?

For some this may seem to come very naturally. You can see a vision of the future for the team, business or dental practice that you are leading. How was this vision created? I think it is rare that somebody comes completely new to an industry or dental practice without any previous experience and immediately has a clear vision of how they see the practice in the future. Instead the individual has had experiences within other dental practices and businesses which they either consciously or unconsciously take and develop into their own vision.

For others it may not come so naturally. However, a compelling vision can still be developed in a more conscious and structured way.

Firstly, it is important to set out a time line that you think is appropriate. For a medium term vision I always think 3 years is a good time. You then have to imagine 3 years into the future and answer the following questions:

In 3 years time what will you be seeing?

In 3 years time what will you be hearing?

In 3 years time what will you be feeling?

Some example responses for a dental practice may be as follows:

In 3 years time I see myself congratulating multiple patients as they come to the end of orthodontic treatment. I will be seeing happy, confident and smiling patients. The practice will be entirely digital. There will be no paper.

I will be hearing laughter and patients expressing their gratitude and appreciation for the outcome of the treatment and the care they have been given.

I will feel energised, as will my team, driven by the impact on people’s lives of what we are doing. The practice will be busy, but not crazy. It will be a calm, welcoming and friendly environment for patients.

If you are struggling, then think of what you have witnessed and experienced that inspired you? What have you seen, heard or felt within other dental practices that you thought was amazing? What have you seen, heard or felt in other businesses that you thought was amazing and could be transferred over to a dental practice?

It is important not to limit yourself at this stage. An element of a great vision is that it challenges the status quo and removes any limiting assumptions. So, don’t start limiting yourself at this stage and thinking about reasons why it won’t be possible. Free yourself up and go within yourself to develop the vision you see of the future. Literally close you eyes and imagine yourself 3 years into the future. How would you want it to be if you could wave a magic wand?

A question I often wonder is wether or not it is important to ask team members how they see the future. To get their vision of the future. How much does this come from the leader versus the team. Is it entirely from the leader? In a way I think the leader will be getting this from the team either consciously or unconsciously as they spend time in the practice and with team members. At the same time I think it really has to come from the leader as ultimately the leader has to genuinely believe in that vision. This gives the leader confidence and authenticity. When it comes to communicating the vision the leader will communicate with passion and conviction. As a result team members are more likely to buy into it. When the leader has a broad vision, I think it is useful to run this past team members and test them out with it. Ultimately the leader has to have the courage to lay out the vision of the future.

Finally, test your level of excitement about the vision of the future. On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being not at all and 10 being extremely, how excited do you feel when you imagine this future vision? If you only score a 5 or 6 then go back and keep working on it. Give yourself the time and space to develop it further until it really excites and energises you. Can you imagine yourself stood in front of your team and describing this vision with confidence and belief?

Create a compelling vision for the dental practice you are leading.