RecognizE Organizational Hostages

Let’s face it – your team – regardless of the number of team members you have, runs your practice. They can drive the success of your business, sell your dentistry, enhance the level of care provided, and without them, you essentially don’t have a practice. The challenge is that you may be facing an organizational crisis right now without realizing it. Let’s break down the dental team management strategies that can help you tackle this common problem in practices today!

Organizational hostages are easy to identify unless you’re in the middle of one. It can be a blatant seizure with demands, or a very subtle progression – either way, it’s very dangerous. For example: if the practice tolerates certain behaviors of a certain team member because he or she is the “only” one who knows the system, the software, or how to pull the reports and post payments, then they might keep their position because they’re the only one who knows the job. If you find yourself unable to make a change or implement a system because of an employee, you are now in a hostage situation, and your ship may be sinking! There are several ways this situation can take shape; so here are some dental team management strategies to help you steer the ship.

Build Relationships

Relationships are one of the most important areas in your practice. If you feel any of your patient’s relationships would be in jeopardy if one or more team members were to leave, you have a hostage situation. Also, if you rely heavily on a single employee, it may seem that patients might take their business elsewhere, but this is not necessarily the case. They came to your practice for many reasons, and although they talk to that employee more often than you, the reality is you have also developed a relationship with all your patients! This is one of the most important dental practice strategies a doctor can develop and embrace.

Never miss the opportunity to connect with your patients, either. Morning huddles are an ideal opportunity to prepare for the patients coming in that day. Focus on information such as a birthdays, a loss, or a cause for celebration! Also considering taking two or three minutes during each appointment to face your patient without your mask, loops, and barriers. Strike up a casual conversation: “So tell me about you, how are you, what’s new since we last met?” Try to avoid questions like “Is everything okay?” Use open-ended conversation questions, as this will let them see you are human and not a provider. This is something that you can implement daily and has the biggest impact regardless of dental team management strategies trying to wrangle team members to do this for you. Lead by example!

Establish A Succession PLAN

Feeling as if you cannot let someone go until you have another person to replace them is a terrible strategy. If a team member is toxic, tanking team morale, or putting out less-than-acceptable work – you’re going to be forced to overlook their poor behavior and poor performance because there is no successor. This tolerance shows the rest of the team what is acceptable and apparently ok. When this takes place, not only do you have a complete and total hostage situation, but you are also setting a precedent for the future problems. It’s a serious risk because you may lose other team members who are more effective while keeping the other person in the office.

No situation can last forever and yes it doesn’t always end well. Ideally you want as few setbacks and as little confrontation as possible. But it’s never too late to reorganize when these circumstances are dragging your team moral or performance down. Once you decide to pull the trigger, you may be surprised how others will step it up and rise to the occasion! It’s critical you use this moment as an opportunity to reinforce your team’s values and expectations. Reset with everyone on the team clearly defining their values, culture, and commitment. NEXT LEVEL CONSULTANTS’ dental practice strategies help keep your practice going in the right direction. We can show you how to avoid derailing disasters in your practice.

LEADERS MAKE HARD CHOICES

When it comes to dental team management sometimes you only have two choices. Either cut them out of your org chart, or you devise a plan to rehabilitate them. Maybe their fate hinges on how they perform. Evaluate the damage that may have already been done, their willingness to change, or follow a structure of accountability. You gotta ask yourself – “Is it worth the time and attention?” Often, we hear from doctors or office managers “I really don’t want to spend time training someone else. What if they leave?”  On the flipside, what if you don’t train that new person and they stay – which option is worse?  Embrace the mantra “train, train, train,” and then train some more! You must take the time to train and invest time your team regularly! What you’re doing is investing in your business.

Before you decide if the person in question should stay or go, you can always consider ways to coach them.  Not every difficult employee is a lost cause. Give them a chance to correct and make changes in the right direction. By giving them special support and attention you may find that it inspires others to pick it up a notch and follow suite. A rising tide lifts all ships!

About Next Level Consultants

The team at NEXT LEVEL CONSULTANTS has helped countless dentists take their practices to a higher level. We would be happy to show you our dental practice strategies and help you realize your dreams and goals! If you have any questions about our dental team management strategies or you’d like to contact the team for assistance, feel free to visit their website for further information.