The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, And The Annoying

We all want our staff to work together in harmony, to overlook small slights and mistakes, and to see the good in each other, don't we?  What percentage of each day can you say you see that happening?  In our office I'd say that on any given day it happens at least 98% of the time.  I'm not kidding, our staff likes each other, enjoys each other's company, shares information willingly, and doesn't gossip.  Really, I'm not kidding.

Did we just get lucky and get a magical mix of personalities that meshed perfectly right off the bat?  Yeah right, let me tell you about this bridge I want to sell you, it's in Brooklyn.  Nope, we've had our share of ups and downs, or should I say knock downs and drag outs?  I would bring the offenders into my office and chat with one or both, but it always went back to the same petty arguments and tensions.  Sound familiar?  Here's how to fix it:

Buy each staff member a small notebook.  Have them write down everyone else's name, including your's, on separate pages.   For the next week they should jot down 3 things they found themselves appreciating or admiring about each other person.  

At your next staff meeting have everyone bring their notebooks. Now pick someone to start, and they should tell the person to the right the 3 compliments that they wrote down over the first week.  The person receiving the compliment may only respond by saying "Thank you."  We tend to through off compliments rather than take them in.  The person complimenting should continue with the next person to the right until she's given everyone 3 compliments.  Then the person to her immediate right starts and you go on until everyone has given everyone 3 compliments.  You will be amazed at what that will do.  

First, you'll notice that while some people will get the same compliment from a few people, there will be some things said that will be very surprising and heart-warming.  If you're the dentist or manager, you might find yourself very surprised about how the staff feels about you.  It will probably feel awkward at first, but keep encouraging everyone to really hear and enjoy the nice things that other's are saying about them.

Ok, so that's your nice, feel-good meeting that will help your staff see each other as good people who appreciate each other. You may also realize that you never really looked at your staff members in that way and you may see that they have qualities that you didn't notice. This helps build trust and openness.  

Now, tell your staff that they'll be using their notebooks again.  This time they'll be writing about themselves.  As the week goes on, tell them to jot down things that they find themselves doing that keeps them from being the best they can be.  Maybe they don't share information, they don't respect other's boundaries, they're pushy, they don't feel comfortable talking about treatment, they're judgmental, etc.  

At your next staff meeting (hopefully you can arrange to have one within the next week or two) ask for someone to volunteer to read something off their list that they'd most like to change.  Now, ask if anyone has any ideas for how they can improve with that.  Your job is to facilitate by asking questions as people give suggestions that will help everyone picture how the solution will look, how it will work, and how it will make life better in the practice. Also, you must ensure that the suggestions stay positive and productive.  This is not the time to let anyone slip a dig in, ("bless their hearts.")  Finally, ask the person who gave the problem if they will be ok, if staff members give them gentle reminders when they fall back into the behavior.  It works, we solved a very annoying and tenacious issue between our hygienists who now support and love each other tremendously.  

You don't have to live with the Bad, Ugly and Annoying any longer than you want to, and you can bring the Good into focus and keep it going and growing.

 

Comments

[Family Cosmetic Dentistry]

I adore every information you have here. Glad you've shared this. Thanks! :)

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That's an excellent article. I love your blog, and I think I must focus on my Good side more often :P
Keep it up!

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Working on enhancing the Good in me!
Thanks for such a Good post :P

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This post is so inspiring. You are absolutely right, but sometimes it's so hard to get rid of the Bad.
Thanks!

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Excellent post, i love it! thanks!

[dentist melbourne]

You should just focus on thinking positive and don't stress yourself on small things. That's the secret to it.