Practice Plan Group’s Head of Sales, Zoe Close, talks to CSR expert and coach, Mark Topley, about the importance of CSR in dental practices
Zoe Close: If you’re a practice that’s not even thought about this Mark, how do you go about implementing a CSR strategy?
Mark Topley: The key thing is to start with ‘why’. There’s a famous TED Talk which came out in 2015 by Simon Sinek that’s well worth a look. It married up what people were seeing in terms of employee behaviour with the very latest kind of knowledge about neurology and how that all works together. And so, starting with why’s very important because the millennial generation, in particular, are very driven by ‘what’s the reason for doing this, why is this important?’
Millennials are 75% of the working population now, and 76% of them are looking for good CSR in employers. They want to make a contribution. They want to make a difference. And so, ‘why’ is very important for them.
Responsibility is also very important for them. I was on a call not so long ago with the Head of MORI, the poll company. And they were presenting some data on what younger people thought about sustainability issues. And there was a disparity between the number of younger people who believed that sustainability was important, and the number of people that were taking personal action. So, they dug into that a little bit more and it turned out the reason why there was that disparity was that younger people didn’t believe that their personal actions could make enough difference. They wanted institutions, business, government, others to step up and lead the way. And so, that’s why we have that kind of ‘why’ gap that we need to bridge when it comes to CSR.
And going back to that whole thing of meaning, people sometimes say, “Well, how do you find meaning?” “We do dentistry well” that sort of thing. Well, it might sound difficult, but I’ve met people working in what some would describe as mundane jobs, and they love what they do. Now, that could be their disposition. But there are people that love what they do because they found their sweet spot. However, the smart leaders that I come across recognise that it’s their job to identify what that meaning is for people and then keep reminding them of it.
And often when I work with practices the meaning is about confidence, the confidence boost we give to patients. It’s about the difference we make for them in being able to eat properly again or to be able to smile without worrying about it. There could be meaning at the core level of I’m fulfilling my mission as a person. I’m doing what I love. Meaning within the team, I’m part of a tribe. I’m part of a group of people that are working towards the same goal. Or I’m part of a business, I’m part of an organisation which stands for some good things, does great work, has high standards, and gives back to its community.
Those things are all really key and that’s why starting with ‘why’ is really important. So ‘why’ will help you to connect with people. And it also means when you get down the line and are talking about your CSR either to patients or presenting on your website or through social media, it gives it an authenticity which isn’t there if it’s a stand-alone project.
ZC: That makes sense now. What are the possible pitfalls if you don’t start with ‘why’?
MT: The reason I go through this process when I work with a practice is because people often start with the ‘what’, what can we do? What can we do to be more sustainable? But understanding what I need to do doesn’t drive behaviour. I know what I need to do to get fit. I know what I need to do to lose weight, but do I do it? No. Because knowing what isn’t enough, I need to have a strong enough ‘why’. And that’s why identifying that ‘why’ is really key. And when you talk about why you believe something and why you’re doing something, then people are much more likely to connect. It rings true all the way through. There’s more behind what you’re doing so it doesn’t open you up to that kind of, “Oh, they’re just doing it as a PR stunt.”
So, start with ‘why’. Connect it to your people and from that you can make commitments. So, this is why we are doing this, this is what we’re committed to across the three areas of people, environment and community. And then from that you choose manageable activities.
I have been working with a particular client for three years. It’s a small group of practices and they were telling me they like what they’re doing because it’s manageable. They’ve taken manageable chunks and put them into practice. This has meant people can get behind them rather than thinking, ‘let’s change the world before next Tuesday’. So, manageable activities starting with ‘why’ and then connecting it and communicating it to everybody. Talk about it, make it a part of everything else. Those were the main things that I would recommend.
ZC: Great advice there, Mark. Thank you.
About Mark
Mark Topley was the CEO of Bridge2Aid and was part of the founding team that grew it to become the UK’s foremost dental charity. In 2017 Mark made the decision to take his experience and passion into a new role, inspiring businesses to maximise the benefits to be gained from CSR, and work productively and meaningfully with charities. He has wide experience of designing, implementing and developing CSR programmes and partnering with companies from single-handed dental practices to global corporates and everything in between.
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