Dig For It

    "Why do so many...settle for so little?  I don't understand why they're not greedy for what's inside them."     ~Jack Gilbert~

    Have you even scratched the surface yet?  Do you know how good you can be?  So many times we become complacent about our performance at work, or even how we live our day to day lives, that we may be ignorant of what lies beneath.  We may underestimate our own abilities or we may have become so caught up in our routine lives that we are getting by with "just good enough."  I put that phrase in quotes because it's one that I hate to hear, I hear it a lot, and it's my mission to wipe it out of the popular vernacular.
    There's nothing wrong with "good enough" sometimes, and in some circumstances.  We have to use our discretion about what we give our all to and what we do "good enough."  What worries me is that so many people blink their way through life and before they know it, they've come to the end and look back and say "What happened?"  What happened to all the joy I used to get in doing things right, my interest in my work and relationships?  What happened to the person who got up in the morning ready to do great things.  Why did I pass my time just passing time?  Could it all have been more than "just good enough?"
    Some people spend a lot of time blaming their upbringing or their circumstances for their lot in life.  At some point you had the power to change things.  Not every successful person had parents who encouraged them or the money to go to the best college.  Some of them had to work harder than most to understand, had to start each day behind the rest, or had to grab whatever tiny bit of help was given them and then do something with it.  They had to spend more time taking advantage of the luck or privilege that they had, than whining about the lack of it.
    Dentists and managers, do you try to make your staff members see what is inside of them?  Do you expect more of them, and let them know they have to deliver.  After all, if you settle for what they are giving and it's not enough, you are the beginning of the problem.  Staff members, if your boss or manager tell you what they need, and you don't dig down and find it and bring it to them, you are going to be your own worst enemy.  Sometimes it becomes such a flash point for managers to discuss performance with staff members, they just settle for what they are getting, and then complain and vent at home or to colleagues.  This is wasted energy, time and emotion.  Because, dentist, your life and career are passing by quickly, also.  Do you want to look back and think about how nice it could have been if you'd had a staff that cared and dug deep to give your practice the performance it deserved?  Staff members, it's too late to be surprised when you lose your job because "just good enough didn't cut it." 
    When you think of the amount of time that is spent trying to get everyone in a dental practice on the same page and moving forward, you'd wonder where they ever find the time and energy to care for patients.  I've been in both situations.  Working with a team that is "just good enough" is frustrating and discouraging.  When as a co-worker, you see a team member idle away the day because she just doesn't want to put the energy into exploring her depths, you know that no matter what you are willing to do, she will hold you back in some way.  You may look at the dentist and wonder when he's going to do something about it.  Dentists, your team depends on you to deal with these issues.  The sad thing is, good team members are lost because of complacency on the part of other team members or the dentist. Then the situation spirals down until no one knows where to begin making it better. Working with a team like I have now is a dream.  We all want to do our personal best and are committed to helping each other realize that, as well.  We understand that when we do that, our personal best gets better, individually and as a team.  That realization makes coming to work every day an exciting adventure.  Between three of us alone, we have almost 60 years of combined experience and we still look forward to each new day and we all dig a little deeper to find out what else is in us.  Must be something to it.

Comments

[Ben Johnson]

I am not sure if you get copies of dental town magazine, but I saw one of your posts from the website in the current issue. You're famous! I thought you would like to know.

[Linda Zdanowicz]

Hi Ben, thanks for letting me know. That thread was started by Dr. Mac Lee and it changed the way I thought and felt about being an employee, a manager and a healthcare provider. I don't agree with everything Dr. Lee did in his meeting with his staff, but the general idea is sound.
Linda