Why Does Caring for Others Become Costly? What I Learned Leading Teams
I’m going to say something that isn’t comfortable, but at least it’s honest.
No one who leads a dental practice—or any business for that matter—responsibly enjoys making difficult decisions about people.
I don’t. I never have and I never will.
But over time, I understood something essential:
not deciding is also a decision, and very often, it’s the costliest one.
A practice doesn’t survive on good intentions alone
A dental practice doesn’t exist just to produce results.
It exists to care for people, build trust, and create stability—for both patients and the team.
That takes more than goodwill.
It requires clarity, structure, and people in alignment, all moving in the same direction.
When that alignment is missing, you can feel it.
In the atmosphere.
In the energy.
In the quiet fatigue of the team.
When someone begins to weigh more than the weight they pull
I’ve seen this situation repeat itself many times, and not only in healthcare.
People who:
- Do the bare minimum
- Question everything without offering solutions
- Ignore processes
- Drain energy
- And yet are still part of the team “because letting someone go is hard”
The problem is that the team notices it before the leader does.
Committed employees start asking themselves, silently:
“Why should I keep giving my best if nothing ever changes?”
That’s where real wear and tear begins—
not suddenly, but gradually over time.
A clear (and very well-known) example
Netflix explains this plainly in its culture with a phrase that makes many uncomfortable:
“We are a team, not a family.”
Not because they don’t care about people.
But because they understand that high performance requires coherence.
Netflix talks about the idea of a Dream Team:
a professional team, like in high-level sports.
They explain it this way:
- Families are built on unconditional love
- Professional teams are built on performance, clear roles, and accountability
This isn’t about being cold.
It’s about respecting the system—and the people who truly contribute to it.
That mindset isn’t theoretical.
Netflix generates over $2 million in revenue per employee, one of the highest figures in the corporate world.
That doesn’t come from perks, fancy offices, or motivational speeches.
It comes from every person knowing their role and what’s expected of them.
Protecting the system is also respects people
Another classic example is Toyota.
They don’t make termination decisions lightly. But when someone doesn’t align with the culture of continuous improvement, they act.
Why?
Because protecting the system is a form of respect toward the people who support the organization every day.
What I learned as a leader
Before making difficult decisions, I always try to:
- Train
- Support
- Clarify expectations
- And give them time
That isn’t weakness.
It’s responsibility.
But I also learned this:
Keeping someone who doesn’t want to—or can’t—align eventually becomes unfair to everyone.
To the team.
To the practice.
And as strange as this may sound, to that person as well.
Not everyone fits in every context.
And that doesn’t define who we are as people.
Closing a cycle is not failure
Once I understood that closing a cycle respectfully could open space for group growth, I stopped seeing it as failure.
I began to see it as part of being a leader.
And every single time that role was filled by someone who was:
- Committed
- Energetic
- Eager to grow
The practice began to breathe differently.
And so did the team.
The root of the problem is often the same
Over time, I also realized something much deeper:
Most internal conflict, inefficiency, and burnout
doesn’t come from bad intentions,
but from a lack of clarity.
A lack of clarity about:
- What’s expected from each role
- What real responsibilities are
- And how to contribute properly to the whole
Without that clarity, leadership becomes hard,
decisions get postponed,
and the system starts to suffer.
A practical step toward order and alignment
That’s why, at BEST, we offer the course
Basic Hat for Employees: the key to increased production and efficiency.
This training is designed to help teams:
- Clearly understand their role within the organization
- Assume responsibilities with greater awareness
- Reduce unnecessary friction
- And contribute meaningfully to production and efficiency
When each person knows their place and how to contribute,
leadership becomes clearer,
decisions feel easier,
and the team begins to operate as a true system.
If you feel that your practice has the potential to operate with more order, efficiency, and peace of mind,
this course is a strong starting point.
Discover the Basic Hat for Employees course here
