Dental Team Leadership that Encourages a Positive Environment

[Anonymous]

Linda shares her methods for turning negativity and complaining around in your practice.
NOTE: For the complete version of this newsletter, please download the attached PDF file.

Let’s be honest the economy is still a bit weak; healthcare reform is making changes for a lot of our patient’s insurance; the insurance companies are driving us MAD with their “new” rules, criteria, disallowables, slow reimbursement and reduced fees. There is a lot to complain about in our dental world. The growth path that dentistry was on looks different these days. Compare the Dental Growth RATE* in the following two time periods: Year Growth 2004 4.9% 2005 5.7% 2006 5.0% 2007 5.8% 2008 3.7% Year Growth 2009 3.2% 2010 2.7% 2011 2.0% 2012 2.8% 2013 2.8% *Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index – Detailed Report With all of this, it is hard not to be in Complainer’s Stew. It can be frustrating when patients who used to be loyal-you thought-leave you to see a dentist “on their plan” to save five dollars on their insurance co-pay. The patients who used to be loyal with their proper recall interval are waiting it out since they lost their insurance due to a job change or retirement. Patients who used to be open to your cosmetic or comprehensive dental treatment plan are defaulting to “what their insurance will pay.” Yes, all of that is true. The truth is as the old song goes, “No one promised you a rose garden.” The financial planners will tell you that the bull and the bear come along and change places. What’s a manager or dentist to do?? First, get out of your own Complainer’s Stew. The team will follow your attitude. If you are dwelling on the negatives and the thorns, they will too. Leaders are pathfinders and if your path is one of complaining and blaming, your team will follow along. The difference between the practices that are thriving, reaching their goals and breaking records is the attitude the leader(s) bring in EACH and every day. Time spent complaining and blaming is a waste. Complaining gives negative energy to your work place. That alone will infect your patients. Yes, social psychologists call it Emotional Contagion. Your job is to change your approach by going into problem solving. New problems, challenges or thorns are not solved by doing the same thing and expecting magic to happen. Change your approach these ways: Low-budget – Read an inspiring book and buy one for every staff member. Discuss one chapter at a time at a staff meeting. Yes, this is the time to change up your staff meetings. Your team is your best asset and they are creative if allowed the opportunity. Mid-budget –  You and the team attend webinars in the office. Choose topics not necessarily in dentistry such as: customer service, sales (yes, we are all in sales especially with the new consumer), communication, leadership, telephone skills, marketing, or social media. Attend one webinar per month for the next year. Upper-budget – Take the entire team to a dental meeting – not just the dentists. (My experience is that often dentists overeducate themselves and undereducate their team.) Look for at least two or three courses you can ALL attend together. Look for courses on one of the practice areas you find yourself complaining about or struggle with. After the meeting, buy dinner for the attendees and discuss how you plan to implement what you learned. Then implement! There are plenty of dental meetings in your region or perhaps, somewhere out of town, for a treat. And, ask a fabulous consultant (who, moi?) to create a retreat for your team in an away location for at least two days. Often when you get stuck in the rut of wanting things to go back to the way they were, you can ignore options for changes. Often a Kick in the Pants is needed. As an entrepreneur or manager, you are the only one who can make a plan to get the practice off flat line and back into growth. If complaining and blaming has found its way into your practice, give yourself a mental Kick in the Pants – STOP it. Take Action in a new direction. Michael Jackson said it best, “I am looking at the man in the mirror and asking him to change his ways.” Download that song and play it at your gym for a week and you will take ownership for your Complainer’s Stew and get yourself out and up. PS: Browse my newly redesigned website and find a list of great reads to download in my latest blog post:  Linda’s Reading List .  If you are not reading at least one book a month to give you ideas or inspiration, you can easily fall victim to Complainers Stew.

        

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