Exceptional Dental Practice Management

The Most Common Reason For Failure

The most common reason for failure is quitting.  In their new book, Three Feet From Gold, Sharon L. Lechter and Greg S. Gold explore ways to turn obstacles into opportunities so that you won't quit just when you were about to succeed.  I was sent a review copy of this book and have to admit, I took a while to get around to reading it.  I'm glad I finally got started, the book is a quick and interesting read based on the ideas of Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich. 

The book begins with the story of R. U. Darby and his uncle who were would-be gold prospectors during the Great Depression.  They didn't know much about gold prospecting and didn't do much research, they did know that they wanted to strike it rich.  You see, gold prospecting wasn't their purpose in life, the thing they felt driven to do.  They were successful at first and quite excited at the thought of fulfilling their dream to get rich.  Soon, however, the gold seemed to run out and they became discouraged and gave up.  They sold their claim and gear to someone who had always wanted to be a gold prospector.  Having his purpose in view, the new owner of the claim called in an expert for advice and then started digging as instructed.  He struck gold three feet from where the Darby's had quit.  Why did he succeed where the Darby's had failed?  He was pursuing his life's purpose and he was willing to ask for advice from someone who knew more than he did.  On hearing of their misfortune in quitting, Mr. Darby took the lesson about quitting and applied it to his work in his new business.  In addition, he shared his story with others so that others could learn from his mistake. 

So, now that we know that quitting is the number one reason for failure, and people quit because they're not committed to the cause, it stands to reason that in order to succeed, you must determine what it is that you can commit to as your life's purpose.  Then, persevere through obstacles to reach success.  Commit to the outcome.  Develop "Stickability."

More to come later.

What do you think is the most common reason for failure? I'm working on a post that will explore this. In the meantime, tell me what you think it is.

Understanding the "Cost of Gratitude"

"It isn't about me or you and how we feel. It is about recognizing that other people give us the life we live. Without them, we are nothing. There are no self-made men or women. Those who try to be, who think they are are the small people, confined into the narrow world of their own perception."

                        ~Ed Brenegar, author of the Leading Questions weblog

My friend and fellow blogger, Ed Brenegar wrote this on his Thanksgiving day blog for his Leading Questions weblog.  The whole post is really good so I encourage you to read it, but this one paragraph really hit home for me.  So often we spend countless hours and enormous energy thinking about how we feel.  We blow things well out of proportion to the actual event and inflict further pain on ourselves in the re-thinking. 

Feeling is subjective  and is only really true for us to the limit that we are able to truly be honest with ourselves at the time.  Have you ever noticed that the impact of an event seems to grow in intensity as we relive the event over and over in the telling and re-telling.  Then, all of a sudden, it dissipates and a week later you may be hard pressed to remember what you were so miserable about to begin with. 

Other people, and our reaction to them really do give us the life we live.  If we receive others with trust, understanding and acceptance, chances are we'll get that from them, along with gratitude, respect and support.  If we meet others with sketicism, disdain and resentment, they won't waste their best on us.

There are  times I notice that someone who seems to have little feeling or concern for other, appears to have it all.  They may be in a position of power, may have wealth and possessions; the easy life. It may seem unfair and you wonder why they are so lucky.  But, do they really have what counts?  The things that live in the heart and soul and can never be taken away?  To experience the love, respect and gratitude of others throughout life is the real reward and the true wealth.  To know that you've made a positive difference in someone's life, contributed some amount of good to the world and lived in peace with others is not vulnerable to the winds of fate or the uncertainty of economy.  Once you have it, it's yours, long after the events or even people have passed from your daily life.  

Love and gratitude are the true reward and the most pleasurable reality.  Work every day to make love and gratitude a part of your life.  Understand that your relationships are dependant on both if they are to be good, supportive and long-lasting.  Realize that you're not in this life alone and reach out to lend a hand whenever you can, and to take a hand when you need one.  Do others the honor of allowing them to be of help to you, too.

Oh Yeah, Thanks

If you're like me,  you're busy and find yourself thinking, "Oh, I forgot to thank them for that."  Maybe some courtesies become so commonplace that you feel that "Thanks" is assumed.  For instance, my boss and I go to lunch on Mondays for a business meeting and he picks up the tab.  We get so involved in our conversations and then rushing to get back to work that I realize I don't thank him for lunch every Monday.  I should.  He makes the decision to continue these lunches every week, I should thank him. 

Do you thank your staff for all they do?  Sure, it's their job, but some people do that little bit more that makes working with them a pleasure.  Thank them to encourage them and let them know you notice their extra effort.

Do you thank your boss for a great day?  Bosses need, and deserve thanks, too.  Too often we take those in leadership positions for granted, thinking that somehow they don't need appreciation.  They're human, they love feeling appreciated as much as anyone else does.

Do you say it like you mean it?  Throwing a thanks out there doesn't check another task off your list.  Thanks has power and impact.  We once had a young assistant whose thanks made an impact.  Her thanks came from deep inside of her, whether it was for a gift, a favor, a compliment, etc.  She meant it and you felt it.  It wasn't just a rote response.  It made you want to do something else nice for her, just so you could hear her thanks again.

On this day of Thanksgiving, I'd like to say I'm thankful first and foremost for my family, who I love more than anything.  Thanks Mark, for almost 30 years of marriage and sharing the trials, tribulations and joys of raising 3 children, numerous dogs, a few cats, one rather obnoxious hamster and a spattering of fish. Thanks to those 3 kids for the pleasure, love, and panic only children can bring.  The panic keeps you on your toes.  The love gets you through the panic.  The four of you are everything.  Thanks to friends for support, laughter, silliness and love.  Thanks to everyone who has supported me in my efforts to find outlets for my constant stream of thoughts and ideas through encouraging me to blog, write or speak, even though I might have been terrified of the latter.  Conquering fears is an amazing achievement.  Thanks to my boss, Nigel Morgan for being delightful and inspiring.  You are the grand prize of my professional career and you make coming to work everyday like opening a present. 

Thank you to all those serving our country.  Without you we wouldn't have as much to be thankful for, the freedom to express it or the abundance of joys to be able to take any of it for granted.  Thank you for your sacrifice of time with your family, time to pursue your interests and the willingness to risk your very life so that we can have our freedom.

Oh yeah, thanks for reading my blog.  Every now and then I think I've said just about all I can say on this subject, but then someone sends me an e-mail that says that something I wrote helped them and I know I want to keep going. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to look for all the good things in your life. 

Patient, or Victim?

Let's face it, we've all heard the line, "Sorry, I'd rather be anyplace but here."  When we hear it we all think, "Wow, I haven't heard that before.", right?  It's universal because it's true.  Patients usually don't want to be in our chairs.  When you get one that says, "I must be weird because I like coming to the dentist.", we tend to agree.  People hate coming to the dentist because they feel that once they warm up the seat a little, they start to lose any control over what is going to happen to them.  Things can be going along just fine and all of a sudden, the bur hits a sensitive spot.  Since they're just waiting for it, their perception of the pain and reaction to it tends to be magnified.  Now you've got a victim clutching the armrest or putting a thumbnail into the back of her hand, and it's all your fault.  At least that's how it feels to your victim.

I noticed the other day that patients tend to become either helpless or angry when they are in the chair, especially adults.  If you gently retract their cheek, you'll feel like a gorilla who just pawed the poor person's cheek out of your way so you could get to their teeth.  Their whole head will swing in your direction and even if you ever so gently urge them to turn straight, it's just too much.  They've already given in to the helplessness and you'll spend the rest of the appointment wondering if you are just approaching the whole thing much rougher than you feel like you are.  You might even ask your assistant, "Is it me, am I really that rough?"  No, you probably aren't, you're just dealing with the past. 

You can change the past for some people, but it takes time and awareness.  The patient has to be open to learning to expect a different experience, and you and your staff have to be constantly aware that everything you do, every nuance in your words and actions will either aid in making the change happen, or reinforce their long-standing perceptions.  Some patients are open about their fear, but others just come off as gruff or unpleasant.  Getting them to open up is a challenge, but very satisfying if you can get there with them.  You can be successful faster if the patient is up front about their fear right from the start.  That will allow you to form a partnership with that patient in creating a new expectation.  They have to do their part and tell you how it's going for them.  You have to keep asking and working to find their comfort zone.  Between all of you, you can create a new reality for them, at least dentally.

The best thing is to start out with a great experience.  That is a gift you can give to the children in your practice that will benefit them for a lifetime.  Children who are not afraid of the dentist, become adults who do not avoid dental care.  If you can't develop a great manner in treating children, please don't treat them at all.  I've seen both sides.  I once worked with a dentist who was fine with well-behaved children, but who lost it with children who were fearful or difficult.  You could actually see the child decide that going to the dentist was scary and just plain terrible.  It was sad, and shouldn't have been that way.  I finally convinced that dentist to refer most children to the pedodontist.  My current boss, Dr. Nigel Morgan, is absolutely amazing with children.  First of all, he takes time to let them get comfortable with him.  He talks to them and jokes with them until he's got them giggling and excited to see what's going to happen next.  I'm smiling as I type this, just at the memory of how cute it all it.  If you look over at the parent, you can see that they're enjoying it just as much as the child.  Parents love to see someone care that much about their kid.  Dr. Morgan lets the child know what he's going to do in kid-friendly terms and before you know it you have child giggling through their injection at the thought of a tooth bug pulling out his sleeping bag to take a nap.  The adventure continues as the sleeping tooth bug wakes up and realizes he's about to be chased out of his home, and finally packs up to find a different mouth to inhabit.  The child leaves with a smile, a toy and a healthy outlook on dentistry.  No victim here. 

Whether you're facing a phobic adult or an anxious child, you can make a difference.  Encourage open communication, allow requests and try to honor them, and be patient.  Victims aren't much fun to work on, and you certainly don't want to become the victim of an anxious, angry patient yourself.  Work with intention, not reaction and you and you're patient will both benefit.

Check out this article in the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/health/17brod.html?_r=1

Bully

When you read the word bully, who do you think of?  We've all had a bully in our life, whether we realize it or not.  Bullying can be as obvious as name-calling or intimidation, or as subtle as disappointment or disapproval.  Let's look at the obvious first.

Most of the time bullies are pretty easy to spot, even when they try to disguise themselves by acting as if they are helpful, or sharing critical confidences about others with you.  I remember working with two women who could never pass up an opportunity to gossip about someone else, including each other.  They made life miserable.  The problem is, often a bully can be nice, and even enjoyable to be around.  It's when you turn your back that the knife will be inserted, even as your heart is being blessed.  Every now and then you may think that you've made some progress with a bully, only to be blind-sided when they get you again.  Unfortunately, bullies often drive good employees away.  They erode their self confidence and try to stunt their growth and progress in the practice.  Why?  Because bullies are insecure and can't stand to see anyone else do well. 

The benign bully may not even realize that they are intimidating someone else.  This type of bully usually just wants to control someone else.  Guilt is the weapon of choice for a subtle bully.  They use guilt to keep people in line and make them think like they think.  Got a complaint? You'll wish you kept it to yourself.  Feeling overworked? Did you forget how lucky you are to have a job?  Shame on you!  The guilt bully will teach you.  You'll learn how to repress your feelings, swallow your opinions and make you wish you'd never opened your mouth.  They're counting on your work ethic, decency and love of your job to keep you coming back for more.  How do you know if you're dealing with a benign bully?  You change your mind, your story, or your request when you really don't want to, just so they'll be happy with you.  Benign bullies can be great people and lots of fun to be around.  You'll know it's them when you express dissatisfaction and rather than finding a solution, or allowing you to vent and get their opinion,  they act wounded or try to invalidate your concern.

Ok, here's the tough part, look in the mirror.  Chances are you are looking at someone who has bullied someone else at some point in the past.  How do you rate yourself on a scale of 1-5?  It's hard to say it, but I fall somewhere around a 3 on the benign bully scale.  I'd give myself a zero on the more deliberate bully scale.  That doesn't let me off the hook though.  I'll need to watch any comments that induce guilt. 

So, what can you do if you're feeling a little squirmy right now because you've realized that you have some bullying tendencies?  First, if you're a mean, deliberate bully, knock it off.  You hurt people and make them feel insignificant.  They don't like you because of it, so you're hurting yourself, too.  You have to make a conscious decision to change, and it won't be easy.  You should be encouraged by the reaction you'll get, though.  Most times, a person who's been bullied will gladly accept better treatment.  They'll embrace the new you and welcome an improved relationship with you.  They'll be surprised, but they'll usually quickly adapt to the change. 

What if you're being bullied?  Approach the bully and ask them why they are acting that way.  Ask them to stop.  If they don't, ask your supervisor or manager to help you work toward a solution.  Be objective, just state the facts.  Be willing to face the bully, don't just dump the problem on someone else.  Honesty and openness are the best weapons to combat bullying.  Stand up, try to affect peace, and then move on with your life.  If the bully changes, that's good for both of you.  If the bully stays the same, that's their problem.  You know who you are, be secure in that.

Finally, what if you are a manager who has a bully on your team?  Don't turn a blind eye.  If you do, you're letting someone down.  Don't let it play out, letting a bully have extra rope won't hang them, but it will trip everyone else out.  Being a manager means accepting leadership.  You are asking others to follow you.  Don't just lead the ones that are easy to lead.  Make a real difference and lead bullies to a better way.  Everyone will thank you for it, maybe even the bully themself.

The Dignity Of Discretion

A reader commented on a post I wrote recently.  She said that she just went to work in a dental office at the front desk.  She was surprised, and I think dismayed, at the amount of personal information her office manager discussed throughout the day.  She said she is 50.  I'll turn 52 next week and I've noticed the same thing and I wondered if it's a generational thing.  I don't remember co-workers being quite as open about their personal lives when I first started working 34 years ago.  I do think that people share much more than they used to at work

Here's the problem: when you tell too much at work, you are inviting people to judge you.  I remember working with a very pretty young woman a few years ago, who seemed compelled to report on her personal life every morning.  It got to the point that staff members were waiting at the front desk for her to arrive so they could hear all the details of whatever she had done the night before.  Now, these details were extremely personal, always racy, and often demeaning, even though she didn't seem to realize that.  It started to bother me to see what it was doing to our staff.  These nice, very down to earth ladies were becoming voyeurs.  A voyeur is defined as  an obsessive observer of sordid or sensational subjects.  Not what I wanted to see our staff dissolve into.  My first step was to talk to our staff members and help them see how they were contributing to her degradation by encouraging her to talk about these things.  Once they realized what was happening, they agreed to stop their part in it.  I then talked to her and told her that they weren't asking because they admired what she was doing.  They were titillated by it.  She was becoming a living, breathing soap opera.  She seemed to get the picture and said she'd stop.  Within a week she was talking again.  I realized that it made her feel important.  She didn't have anything to replace it with that would enable her to reproduce the feeling of popularity and importance she got when she opened the door into her personal life. 

I've noticed that people get competitive with this kind of talk.  They seem to have a need to top each other with something more bizarre or shocking.  It escalates because no one objects, no one says, "Enough."  Even when we know it's wrong to encourage someone to talk in a way that demeans them, we want to know more, we want to be shocked, maybe we want to feel superior.  When we urge someone to tell more, we need to stop and ask ourselves why we are doing that.  We need to learn to tactfully guide the conversation to a more dignified subject.  I know I sound like an old fart, but that's ok, as long as you believe me and do the right thing. 

It's a bad feeling to go home and know that you've revealed too much about your personal life.  Once it's out, it's out.  What you put out about yourself, is the information that will shape people's opinion of you.  If you want to be respected, use discretion.  If you want to be interesting in the long term, use discretion, leave them wanting more, rather than giving them something to talk about. 

Where Are All The Normal People Hiding?

If you've ever interviewed for an opening in your practice, I'm sure this thought has entered your mind.  I am currently interviewing for a roving office assistant and I am disheartened by the attitudes of the applicants I've been interviewing. 

To begin with, I can remember interviewing for positions when I wanted a job.  I tried to present my skills, abilities and willingness to be an integral part of a team.  I never asked what the position benefits were until we were clearly negotiating my employment.  Once I was hired, I understood that if I wanted my salary to increase, my skills and value to the practice would have to increase first.  I didn't expect to be paid more for being nice, or funny, or for just existing.  I knew that I'd have to take on more responsibility, find ways to improve what we were doing, and be an overall asset in terms of my physical, personal and psychological presence in the practice.

Let's break it down.  When I say my physical presence, I mean I have to work.  If a patient cancels and I'm an assistant, I have to find other things to do, even if it's just wiping down shelves or straightening the supply closet.  I have to offer my help to others in the office.  It doesn't mean sitting in the break-room with a cup of coffee and the newspaper.  The dentist is already losing money because of the cancellation, I'm not going to rub in the fact that he's paying me to read Ann Landers.  This holds true for any position in the office. 

When I talk about personal presence, I'm referring to the mood you create around you.  I try to be upbeat and optimistic, try to help my co-workers and look for ways to help them stay on time and relieve stress for them.  I don't wait to be asked, I don't act like a request is an imposition and I don't feel like they owe me something if I help them.  It's all work, it all needs to be done, and I'm getting paid to work; seems like a no-brainer.  Everyone knows they can come to me for help and I like that. 

Finally, having a healthy psychological presence in the practice is so important.  We've all worked with people who bring their baggage to work with them.  They seem to define themselves by their quirks and expect others to find it endearing.  It's not, it's usually annoying.  They seem to think that it's their God-given, legally protected right to be weird, and if we are unlucky enough not to catch it in the interview, we're stuck with them. If we really can't take it and we let them go, we're going to end up paying unemployment while they sit home watching The Price Is Right.  They may even manage to seem fantastic during the interview process, only to unleash their poor work ethic, entitlement attitude and generally unacceptable personality flaws soon after beginning to work. All of which would have been huge red warning flags slapping you in the head if they hadn't so carefully hidden them while they were sitting in your office convincing you that if you just gave them the chance they'd be a dynamic part of your hard-working team.

What I am finding, despite the poor economy, are people who want to spend the interview time telling me what I'll need to do to make them feel cherished and happy.  They are applying for an entry level position, but want to tell me what responsibilities they will assume, rather than show a willingness to progress by learning what we want to teach them in the time-line we have developed.  I'm sitting there listening to what they apparently consider the thoughts of a genius, and thinking, "Where are all the normal people hiding?"  Sometimes I even wonder if my boss has set up a hidden camera somewhere in my office, but I think Candid Camera has gone off the air.  I have developed an interview system that usually saves us from making hiring mistakes, but it's arduous and time consuming. 

I've heard that this is a great time to be hiring because there are a lot of talented people available due to cut-backs and lay-offs.  What I'm really seeing are people who are willing to take a job outside their area of interest until something they really want becomes available.  During the interview, if you ask them why they want to work in a dental office after attending nursing school, they'll tell you that they realized they don't like working in a hospital, but really love the dental environment.  Two months later, they may tearfully hand you their resignation when a nursing job is offered.  I understand that people need to do what is best for them, but it's made me harder to convince when the next person comes along.

I want to interview someone who will show an interest in becoming a hard-working member of a fantastic team.  I want someone who will not damage the culture of our practice with bizarre behavior and unreasonable attitudes.  In other words, someone with a great work ethic, a desire to serve our patients, and a pleasant and caring personality.  Anyone like that out there?  If so, click on comment, I'd like to interview you.

A Culture of Nobility

"So long as we live among men, let us cherish humanity."  ~Andre Gide~

How often do we look at other and notice their flaws?  It's so easy to see the sour look on a grouchy patient, the obnoxiousness of someone who always has something sarcastic to say, and to hear the whine of a complainer.  Often we can spend so much time thinking about how annoying those traits are, that we forget that there might be something positive about them.  Their name shows up on the schedule and the groans begin.

For the last 18 months I've been lucky enough to work with someone who sees and responds to the good in others.  My boss is not blind to the less pleasant personality traits in others, he just manages to look beyond them and play to their strengths.  At first I thought his magnanimity was the result of new practice ownership.  Surely time would deter that optimism and what a sad thing that would be.  Instead, not only has his accepting nature remained intact, it's contagious.  Things that used to bother me, don't seem that important anymore.  I don't find myself liking people despite their flaws, I like them because of their attributes which I seem to find myself noticing more often.

Dr. Morgan has a noble mind.  He has a generous character that assumes that the benefit of doubt is a God-given, human right.  He doesn't dwell on hurts and wrongs, but looks for the next good thing that he is certain is going to happen.  His high-minded, unspiteful attitude makes life good for everyone.  He's a happy guy and we are happier just by osmosis. 

I think people tend to assimilate the attitudes that they are most often surrounded by.  It would make sense to surround yourself with happy people if you want to be happy.  Our practice is a happy place to be.  Laughter is a common sound and the mood is vibrant.  One of the best things about being around someone with a noble mind it that he elicits the nobility that lies within each person.  He creates a culture of nobility.  The good news, it only takes one person to get nobility started.  It can be you.

Talk Is Useless

Everyone can talk, people do it all the time.  Everyone's talking, but who's communicating?  Think about it, dentists hire consultants and pay them a lot of money to talk at them and their staff.  Dentists talk at their patients and tell them what they need to do if they want to keep their teeth.  Hygienists talk at patients and tell them they need to brush and floss every day.  Staff talk at each other about who isn't doing what they should, who said something they shouldn't have, and the cluelessness of the doctor about the fore-mentioned.

When you talk about problems without looking for a solution, you are complaining.  When you talk about others to anyone but the person involved, you are gossiping.  When you talk at patients about treatment without educating them about their conditions, you are wasting your time and their's.

Talkers talk because they like to hear their own voice, like to hold center stage, like to get reactions, or just don't know the difference between talking and communicating.  Talkers aren't bad people, they better not be, since a majority of us spend a great deal of time talking without really communicating. 

Communicators listen, wanting to hear.  They've learned a better way.  That's right, communication is a learned skill, that's good, it means you can learn it, too.  They ask others what they think and feel about what they are doing together.(1)  They want to improve the work they do together and increase the quality of their relationships.  They strive for honesty and openness and are not afraid to give or receive either.  They speak with an intention to build-up, not break down.  They understand that the growth of the people around them allows for their own growth as well.  They realize that they are all on a journey toward the same destination.When people talk about problems without striving for a solution, they intensify the problem.  Since a solution was not achieved, the problem seems bigger because now two of you recognize it's existence.  As that recognition expands through further talking, it keeps expanding until it seems insurmountable.  More people talking = more convolution = more stress.  Communicating would have put the problem on the table, asked for ideas and more information, leading to different takes on the situation and facilitating brainstorming and finally a solution.  No wringing of hands, no victims, no negativity needed.

When people talk about others to others, they cause pain.  Even if the subject of their gossip never finds out, they cause some amount of pain for themself, because we all know what's right and what's wrong.  Gossipers know they shouldn't have gossiped deep down, and they lose some, even small, measure of self-respect.  The person who hears the gossip feels a loss of respect for the gossiper, even if they enjoyed hearing it.  The victim may notice a difference, but may not be able to put their finger on what it is or the reason for it.  I remember hearing a story as a child about a person who gossips and then goes to confession (I went to Catholic school) and asks for forgiveness.  The priest tells the confessor to tear open a feather pillow and let all the feathers get blown away by the wind.  Then they are told to collect back all the feathers.  "But, that would be impossible, I could never get every single feather back."  The priest replies, "That is how it is with gossip, try as you may, you can never wipe the gossip out of the mind of every single person it will be passed on to."  Something to think about.  Better to go to the person you are concerned with and tell them what you're thinking.  Let them know that you want to understand what they did or said and want to work toward a better relationship.  Don't be embarrassed.  It's less embarrassing than being faced with the discovery of gossip.

When health care professionals talk at their patients about treatment without educating them about their conditions they cheat the patient out of making an informed decision about their oral health care. They cheat the practice out of the opportunity of serving their patient and receiving referrals from a completely satisfied patient.  No one benefits from being talked at.

Think about the phrase, "I'm going to give him a good talking to."  It might as well be "talking at."  We've all been on either end of that talk.  When we're are being talked at about a mistake or bad decision, we feel beaten down, reprimanded, or scolded.  We don't feel much hope and our self-esteem usually takes a hit in the talk.  If you've ever given someone a "good talking to" you know that there is a moment when you think, "Is any of this getting in?"  No, it's not, because you are usually throwing criticism at someone who now feels like a victim and has likely shut down in an effort to protect themselves and salvage some measure of self-esteem.  If you have someone on your team who refuses to be open to communication, maybe you need to communicate the importance of their ability to learn to communicate.  If they can't or won't, they may be wrong for what you are trying to build in your practice.  Give them one final opportunity to succeed by communicating the seriousness of the situation.

When consultants, staff, managers and dentists sit down and start communicating, amazing things will happen.  Areas that need improvement will be correctly and accurately identified, stressors will be revealed and relationships will be examined.  Communication will enable and encourage the development of focus and purpose and align everyone on a journey that will lead to the same destination.  Fractured, damaged or undeveloped relationship will be discussed with an intention toward repair, re-building and strengthening and this will result in cooperation, support and a much higher degree of friendship and satisfaction. 

Talk is useless.  Communication is priceless.  How would great communication improve your practice and make your life more enjoyable ?

(1) If Aristotle Ran General Motors, by Tom Morris