So What?

"When I start to be too impressed with myself, I think, "So what?"  When I start to be too impressed with someone else, I think, "So What?"  ~Father Nick~

I was in church the other day and those were the sentences Father Nick started his sermon with.  What he was saying was, "What's the importance?"  I recalled when I first became the office manager in our practice.  I have to admit, I was somewhat impressed with myself.  So what?  What did it really mean?  In actuality, office manager is just two words, a title.  Just being told I was becoming the office manager didn't make me a good one.  Seven years later I can tell you what the so what is; it's the whole thing.  If the whole team didn't work with me, I wouldn't be successful at what I do.  I would just be an office manager with a chaotic team.  Actually, if that was the truth, I probably wouldn't be an office manager anymore, would I?

I thought about how "So what?" could be applied to just about anything to bring clarity and to give direction.  Let's think about our staff member that's having difficulty with phone calls.  So what?  Well, if she doesn't get better at it, she may need to be reassigned.  If we let her keep going as she is, we may have dissatisfied patients.  So, that brings a very specific consequence to this situation.

How about a staff member who wants a pay increase.  She goes to the dentist or manager with her request.  "Why do you think you deserve a raise?"  I work hard, I'm never late, and I never complain."  "So what?"  If she is prepared to answer that question, she'll be much more likely to get a raise.  "I've developed a recall system that works and as a result the hygiene department production increased 30% last year.  Staying on time keeps my patients happy and satisfied. I have time to educate my patients about their conditions and I believe that's why they are more receptive to treatment recommendations.  I researched it and 95% of my patients schedule recommended treatment at their recall appointment.  Not only do I refrain from complaining, I try to help others when I can and I believe I play my part in helping keep a positive atmosphere in the office, which patients frequently notice." 

Maybe you have a patient that needs a good deal of dental work, but nothing is hurting...yet.  "You have five large old fillings that are leaking and need crowns."   "So what?"  "Well, you're right, you can just keep going on as you are until something breaks or the decay progresses, but then you may need to have root canals or, depending on the severity of the damage, you may lose teeth.  That could double the cost of the treatment you need.  We always try to catch problems when they are less expensive to fix.  Bacteria can seep into leaking fillings and cause decay.  Once the tooth starts to hurt, your problem will be bigger than it is now."  Ok, now I see what you mean, I'd rather take care of it before we get to that stage."

"So what?" is a great question.  It's a grounding question.  It can show you something about yourself, and it can help others understand where you're coming from and vice versa.  "So what?" is a preparatory question.  It helps you to be ready for whatever may come up.  It's like doing your homework before the teacher actually assigns it.  Don't be afraid to look, it's a question that gives you a chance to make things right before they go wrong.  "So what?"  I don't know about you, but I like getting things right.