Now, where were we…?  Oh yes! We were in the middle of figuring out how a dental office is like the Ryder Cup golf tournament.

When we left our hero, Paul Azinger, he was ready to look in some unusual places to find a winning strategy for transforming the fiercely independent U.S. golfers into a cohesive and effective team. His quest led him to turn to such diverse sources of input as the Navy Seals and clinical therapist Dr. Ron Braund. In the end, he shaped his effort to include the following vital points:

• Focusing on relationships produces positive results.
• Team unity comes by understanding each person’s unique behavioral style and contribution.
• Relationships trump assets.
• Control the controllables.
• Giving responsibility and authority fosters trust and confidence.
• Communicating with people according to their needs, not our own, encourages peak performance.

In his book Cracking The Code: The Winning Ryder Cup Strategy, Azinger sums it up like this: “There are no shortcuts to success. You can’t wish for it. You can’t hope for it. It’s all about preparation.” And Dr. Ron Braund added, “Any system, no matter how effective, requires execution from great players.”

In the end, the 2008 Ryder Cup Team that Paul Azinger captained was victorious, by the biggest margin of victory for the U.S since 1981.

So, to return to our riddle, “How is a dental office like the Ryder Cup?”

The answer: they are both complex undertakings where a complex group of intelligent, independent people work together to achieve a common goal.

The difference is, the 2008 Ryder Cup Team only had to do it once. You and the members of your team have the responsibility – and the privilege – of tackling this challenge on a daily basis.

How smoothly is your team meshing? Can you think of one thing you can do, personally, to improve your team dynamic? It’s worth going after.