The success or failure of every dental practice comes down to the people who work there. The right people, in the right roles, working towards clear standards. Yet, either through pressure or inexperience, it’s easy to fall into the trap of placing “square pegs in round holes”.
Our sister company, Practice Plan, recently hosted a Podcast [add link], with practice manager and consultant, Lisa Bainham, who shared her insights from nearly 30 years in dentistry and underlined the importance of getting round pegs in round holes.
Why role fit matters more than ever
Getting role fit right is not simply a “nice to have” but something fundamental to team wellbeing, and business performance. That’s why, whether recruiting a new team member or reviewing an existing structure, Lisa encourages practices to go back to basics.
“Sit down and think about what do you need? Who do you need? What are they going to bring to the table?” she advises.
While this may sound simple, it is often overlooked. Instead, roles tend to evolve organically. For example, a receptionist becomes a lead because they have been there the longest. A nurse steps into management because someone needed to and they were there. Before long, you have what Lisa calls “an accidental practice manager or an accidental lead receptionist.”
The result is unsurprising: misaligned expectations, inconsistent performance and a team that feels stretched or disengaged.
The human cost of getting it wrong
When someone is in the wrong role, the impact is felt in more areas than just productivity. It also affects confidence, morale and mental wellbeing. As Lisa says: “Trying to put someone in a position where they’re not maybe natural, it just makes people so miserable.”
Many managers will have seen this happen. A team member who was eminently capable in their previous role starts to struggle. As things continue, they withdraw, then lose confidence or begin to dread coming into work. Lisa describes seeing people “shrinking into themselves” during training sessions when the role simply does not suit them. There are no winners in this situation. Not the individual, the team nor the patients.
The business impact you cannot ignore
While the human side is critical, the commercial consequences are equally as significant.
For example, the front of house team members are often the first point of contact for new patients. If the wrong person is handling those conversations, it can be the difference between growth and stagnation. “If you don’t have the right person managing those conversations, it can be make or break,” Lisa cautions.
Call handling is one of the areas in the practice where it’s essential to have people with the right skills and personality. As Lisa highlights, many practices receive 100 or more enquiries each month and, ideally, 50 to 60 percent should convert into appointments. “If you’re getting anything less than half, you’ve got to question: what’s going on here? Have we got the right person doing this? Because if we don’t get those new patient enquiries into the diaries, there aren’t any patients. So, the patient journey ends there.”
Every missed conversion is not simply a missed appointment. It is lost revenue that can run into thousands of pounds, especially for high value treatments such as implants or cosmetic procedures.
However, lost revenue may not be the only consequence. Poor call handling or front of house performance can also damage a practice’s reputation. A poor first interaction, whether on the phone or in person, can send patients straight to a competitor.
Start with clearly defined standards
One of the most powerful ways to avoid mismatched roles is to be crystal clear about expectations. Lisa stresses the importance of defining what “good” looks like for every role. For example, what should a patient experience when they walk into your practice?
Without agreed standards, each team member will interpret the role differently. What one person sees as excellent service, another may see as simply adequate. As Lisa points out, “We have to agree on the standard as a team and look at what happens if we don’t reach that standard.”
Clarity removes ambiguity. It also makes it far easier to identify when someone is not the right fit for a particular role.
The power of curiosity in leadership
A key theme from Lisa’s experience is curiosity. She advises putting aside the urge to blame or to become frustrated, but instead to be genuinely curious. “Be curious,” she says. “If something hasn’t worked, go back and look at why.”
When a patient does not book, when performance dips, or when a team feels unsettled, curiosity helps you uncover the root cause. Sometimes it’s a process issue. Sometimes it’s training. And sometimes, it’s simply that the role does not suit the individual.
Curiosity also keeps communication open. It creates an environment where conversations are normal, not feared.
Have the conversations early
As with most things in life, communication is key. One of the biggest risks in practice management is avoiding difficult conversations. Left too long, small issues grow into major problems.
As Lisa says: “If something’s not being done well, ask what’s going on that’s preventing that? Is it the person? Is it a process? And what can we do to make a difference here? Initiating good open communication within your team is what’s needed and not being afraid to have conversations. ‘Are you happy doing this? I’ve noticed that you do seem to be struggling a little bit. What can I do to help?’ But with your eye on the goal of things achieving the standard that you want.”
Handled correctly, these conversations are constructive rather than negative. They allow you to explore alternatives, offer support and, where possible, find a better fit within the team.
Importantly, they should never come as a surprise. Regular, open dialogue ensures everyone understands where they stand and what is expected.
Can you make a square peg fit?
So, can you reshape a “square peg” to fit a “round hole”? Lisa believes the answer is sometimes ‘yes’.
With the right support, training and confidence building, individuals can grow into roles that initially felt uncomfortable. “You can work on confidence. You can give them tips, but it’s got to come from within,” Lisa advises.
She is optimistic in her approach. “Even sometimes when I think, ‘I don’t think this is going to work’, I will always have in my head, ‘I would love to be wrong’.” However, this has limits. Not every role suits every personality. Recognising when to persist and when to call time is a crucial skill for any practice manager.
A more intentional approach to team structure
Ultimately, Lisa’s advice to avoid having square pegs in round holes is to adopt a more intentional approach to team design.
Start by understanding your practice goals and then defining clear standards for every role. When you have a vacancy to fill, recruit with personality as well as skills in mind and regularly review team performance and fit. Crucially, it will save a lot of heartache if you have open, honest conversations early.
When you get this right, everything becomes easier. Teams are more engaged and efficient, patients have better experiences and the practice performs more consistently. As Lisa puts it, getting the right person in the right role is like a jigsaw. You need a clear picture first. Then you can find the pieces that truly fit.
About Lisa
Lisa Bainham is an award-winning Dental Practice Manager and the current Chairperson of the Dental Practice Managers Association (ADAM). With over two decades of hands-on experience, she truly walks the walk and talks the talk, bringing real-world insight to every conversation. As Director of Practice Management Matters, Lisa supports practice managers across the UK with mentoring, training, and practical guidance. She is a regular contributor to leading industry publications and a confident presenter at national dental events. Passionate, knowledgeable, and still working daily in practice, Lisa champions the profession and inspires teams to deliver outstanding patient care.