How to Get Your Dental Team On Board With Change

You're ready to grow. You want to change direction. Your vision is crystal clear in your mind—but your team hasn't boarded the bus yet.

Sound familiar?

If you're a practice owner or clinical leader at this exciting (and yes, sometimes stressful) crossroads, congratulations. Wanting to grow and evolve your business is exactly where the best leaders position themselves. But here's the truth: even the most brilliant strategic changes fail without team buy-in.

I learnt this lesson working with a practice owner who invested significant time and money in developing new treatment processes. The systems were solid, the training was thorough, but the change never took root. Why? The team didn't own it. They hadn't been involved in designing the change, so they never fully committed to implementing it.

Why Team Buy-In Makes or Breaks Change

People are the foundations of service-based businesses. In dentistry and aesthetics, particularly, where patient trust and experience depend entirely on human interaction, your team isn't just executing your vision—they are your vision in action.

Change without genuine team engagement becomes resistance dressed up as compliance. You'll see the processes implemented half-heartedly, patient care becomes inconsistent, and your growth stalls before it starts.

But when teams genuinely buy into change? That's when transformation happens. That's when your new direction gains momentum, your patient experience elevates, and your business goals become achievable.

The 7 Steps to Get Your Team On Board

1. Paint Your Vision in Living Colour

A vision isn't just words on paper—it's a picture of future success that everyone can see themselves in. What will your practice look like? How will it feel to work here? What will patient experiences be like? What role will each team member play?

Different people connect with vision differently. Some team members (those with Fiery Red energy) want to know the bold destination and competitive advantage. Others (Sunshine Yellow energy) need to feel the excitement and see how this benefits patients. Your Earth Green energy team members need reassurance about stability and how this change supports everyone, whilst Cool Blue energy colleagues want data, logic, and detailed planning.

Your vision needs to speak to all these perspectives to truly resonate.

2. Create the Space for Honest Conversation

Share your vision in a carefully planned team meeting—not a rushed morning huddle, but a dedicated time where people feel heard and valued. This is where understanding communication styles becomes crucial.

Present your vision like a case study: acknowledge what's working now (the positives of staying put), then clearly articulate why moving in this new direction benefits everyone—patients, team members, and the practice. Share this confidently, knowing that team chemistry thrives when people understand the why behind change.

Ask for their thoughts. Listen to concerns without defensiveness. Some team members will voice worries immediately; others need time to process. Recognise that resistance often signals investment, not opposition.

3. Involve Your Team in Shaping the Change

Here's where transformation accelerates. Invite your team to generate ideas for implementing change within their areas. You might need external support—a business coach or facilitator can help structure this process—but the key is making space for their voices.

When team members contribute their insights, something magical happens: they find the aspects they can genuinely champion. The change becomes ours, not yours. And when people find faults (they will), they're motivated to solve them because they've helped create the solution.

This collaborative approach supports harmony, team effectiveness, and efficiency—all essential building blocks for business growth.

4. Build Your Strategy Together

Create both short-term wins and long-term goals. Define what success looks like in three months, six months, and a year. But crucially, ensure everyone commits to specific actions.

Different colour energies will approach this differently. Your Fiery Red team members will drive forward with determination. Sunshine Yellows will energise others and build enthusiasm. Earth Greens will ensure everyone feels supported through the transition. Cool Blues will track progress and maintain quality standards.

When you understand these natural working styles, you can position team members where they'll thrive during change implementation.

5. Understand What Drives Each Team Member

This is where Insights Discovery becomes your secret weapon. When you understand your team's colour energy preferences, you can:

• Communicate change in ways that resonate with each person
• Recognise potential friction points before they escalate
• Adapt your leadership style to support different needs
• Build a stronger, more cohesive team culture

People behave the way they do because of their unique mix of colour energies. Understanding this isn't just helpful for team dynamics—it transforms how you communicate with patients, conduct consultations, and deliver service excellence.

6. Navigate Concerns with Empathy and Clarity

Some team members will naturally resist change—and that's not necessarily a problem. Often, those who resist most visibly are your most invested people. They're worried about losing what works, concerned about patients, or anxious about their own competence in new systems.

Listen deeply. Address concerns specifically. Acknowledge feelings without letting them derail progress. And recognise that different communication styles mean some concerns will be voiced loudly (Fiery Red, Sunshine Yellow) whilst others simmer quietly (Earth Green, Cool Blue).

7. Lead the Journey with Consistent Presence

Change isn't a single announcement—it's a sustained journey. Your team needs to see you living the vision daily, addressing challenges as they arise, celebrating small wins, and maintaining momentum when enthusiasm dips.

This requires self-awareness about your own leadership style and the flexibility to adapt to what your team needs. It's why investing in understanding yourself through tools like Insights Discovery makes you a more effective leader.

The Bottom Line

Getting your team on board isn't about manipulation or forced enthusiasm. It's about creating genuine engagement through understanding—understanding your vision, understanding your people, and understanding how to bridge the gap between where you are and where you're going.

When you combine strategic change management with deep insight into how your team communicates, thinks, and feels, you create the ultimate powerhouse for delivering patient experiences and business growth.

Your vision deserves a team that's fully invested in making it a reality. And your team deserves leadership that understands and values their unique contribution to that vision.

Ready to lead your team through meaningful change? Understanding your team's colour energies and communication styles could be the missing piece that transforms resistance into momentum. Let's discuss how Insights Discovery can support your growth journey.