Starbucks Didn't Teach Me This.

It Reminded Me.

Recently, my granddaughter started a new job at Starbucks. What happened during her first few weeks didn't teach me anything new. But, it reminded me of something very important that many leaders forget.....

Like many new employees, she was trying to learn - and it was a lot more than you would think! Formulas, products, techniques. Who knew there was so much to creating the perfect cup of coffee or fancy drink? Then there was that awkward feeling of trying to "fit in" and figure out where, or if, she belonged. As a young adult that is harder to navigate than for those of us with more scars of experience under our belt. Still, you know very well how that feels. The desire to be part of the team and belong really is a thing.

Then, something happened that changed everything. Her teammates wrote a collection of encouragement cards. Handwritten. Signed by each member of the team. They were posted on a green apron in the breakroom. When she saw them, what happened was something much bigger than a simple welcome gesture! The self-doubt messages she was struggling with in her head were silenced. She went from...

"I don't know if I can do this"

"I don't know if they like me or if I fit in here?"

to

"I AM doing a good job!"

"This is a cool place to work"

"I really do want to be part of this team".

Do you see how her confidence shot up like the caffeine rush from a Nitro Cold Brew? Here is the truth I fully believe is behind what happened that day.

People don't perform at their best until they feel like they belong.

The Green Apron Applause card is part of Starbucks system.

Systems should support people, not exhaust them.

There it is. The underlying core value that every dental office needs to embrace. Honestly this is a core leadership truth for all business owners and leaders . Coffee, teeth, grocery stores, you pick one - if people work there - then this applies.

The Compass Lesson

Let me translate into what I know for a fact after years of leading teams and working with people. Yes, primarily women, but gender is not a factor here honestly.

Generosity with structure becomes great leadership.

Those cards are generosity. They are tangible.

The fact that every new employee receives them is structure.

Together they create culture.

I am often asked how to create a healthy culture in a dental practice? The answer is found in this core principle. Generosity with structure.

Let's just go ahead and say this part out loud, okay?

Belonging isn't a fluffy HR poster. Generosity isn't soft. It's honestly a whole operating system. A lot of business owners and leaders treat this like something you hang on a break room wall and never actually fund. Then they stand around genuinely confused why their best hygienist has mentally checked out, why the front desk has a revolving door, and why nobody ways a word in the morning huddle until something is already on fire.

Here is the part people don't want to hear: your team will not perform at their best until they feel like they belong. Not "kind of". Not "eventually, once they prove themselves." Belonging is a precondition for performance, not a reward for it. You don't earn your way into it after you've hit the numbers - you need it in order to hit the numbers.

Belonging isn't the reward you hand out after performance shows up.

It's the operating system performance runs on.

If you are saying, "Yes! I know what you are talking about here" then you will appreciate the insights every week in The Compass Newsletter. It's real-world dental office. You will glean tips you can put to work that day in your office. Even better?

The first month is free on me!

Subscribe and let me help you lead with confidence and clarity.

Calmly Stay the Course,

Coach Anna