Follow the leader: part 3 – leadership pillar 2 – motivation

This series of four articles opens by discussing the concept of leadership and its importance in the fast changing world of dental practice. Styles of leadership are considered and the opportunity to develop your leadership skills is affirmed. Leadership is not something that you have to be born to; the art can be developed. Three pillars of leadership are proposed namely:

These articles aim to give the reader some straightforward ideas for developing leadership skills and a set of further reading references to help with further development.

There are two aspects to consider in this pillar:

The development of your practice vision will be an important aspect of your personal inspiration and motivation. In fact, if your vision does not inspire you it is a tall order to expect it to inspire your team! Drucker felt that personal motivation was fundamental and stated:1

‘Your first and foremost job as leader is to manage your own energy, and help manage the energy of those around you.’