Deconstructing Dental Practice Management - Lesson 1

Is it me, or has managing staff gotten more difficult?  I'm not talking about seasoned staff that have been with the practice for a long time, but new staff.  To me it seems that a new staff member should come to work, ready to be taught what they need to know.  In recent years, new staff seem to feel that the practice should come to a halt while the manager tries to figure out how they learn and then adapt her style of teaching to each new individual staff member.  In these days where you'd think people would be glad to get a job, I find more and more people willing to flip you the bird over any small struggle and go back to being unemployed.  Ok, that's my rant, thanks for listening.

So, what's a manager to do?  I want to take a look at what good managing entails.  Here's lesson one, and it's all about ego, your's and theirs.

1. Your ego - check it at the door.  That's right, but be honest, it isn't easy.  Hey, you're in charge, you must be right all the time.  Wrong.  You are supposed to lead, not boss people around.  Staff is going to disagree with you sometimes.  You probably won't like it, and they may even be wrong; but they may be right and you need to know it.  You have to hear them out, weigh their opinion, and then whether or not you use their suggestion, you have to make sure they felt that their opinion mattered and was appreciated.  And you should find a way to appreciate it because at least they're engaged in some way.  If their purpose is self-serving, you, as a leader, have an opportunity to show them how to turn it out and serve others.  Then you've made a difference.
2. Sometimes you'll be uncertain.  That's ok, you're human, and it's good if you can admit it and ask for input.  That makes you approachable and helps you gain influence with the staff.  Then they follow you because they want to, not because they're afraid not to.
3. When ego gets in the way of good decision making ideas are blocked and mistakes and problems occur.  If you can't admit you're wrong, you can't prevent or repair mistakes.  You must be able to admit you're wrong when you are.  You have to accept responsibility.  You have to admit that sometimes a team member may be better at something than you are and be willing to delegate that something to them. You have to lead with your hands open, rather than holding all of the control of everything tightly in your fist.  You have to train your staff so well that you can trust them to do things well.
4. Their ego - work with it.  People want to feel important and valued.  They want praise.  They want to be accepted as they are.  They want respect.  Give, give, give.
5. Praise in public, correct in private.  You've heard it before, be sure you follow it.  An employee will never forget it if you embarrass them in front of their peers.  You could hand them a $100 bill every day and they'd still remember how you made them feel.  Don't do it.
6. Really listen to them when they are talking to you.  If they have a complaint, really hear and understand it and let them know you do.  If they have an idea, bounce it around with them, it may be a really good one.  If you don't have time right then, schedule a time later that same day. 
7. Make sure that they know what they need to know to do their job well. Don't hold back any detail that will help them shine, even if you think that it will help them do it better than you can do it.  Take pride in helping them get there, but give them the credit.
8. Nip bad attitudes in the bud.  Building people up doesn't mean that anything they put out there goes.  Be firm, be fair, but be straight with them.  The attitude needs to go.
9. Don't play favorites.  Yes, there's always an employee that will do more, be easier, smile faster, but if you show a preference, it will end up hurting them.  The other staff will resent them and you may unwittingly teach them to depend on props, rather than on their own innate desire to do a good job.  Don't mess with a good thing.
10. Be understanding of their individual circumstances, but don't make excuses because of that.  Encourage them to see coming to work as an opportunity to leave personal worries at the door for a few hours.  Yes, worries may intrude here and there, but don't dig into it with them or encourage drama.

Are you seeing a pattern.  Managing requires constant attention to what you are going to say and do next.  Everything matters.  That's it for today, but there's more coming.

 

Comments

[Dental Implant Beverly Hills]

Dental Practice Management is a very important topic. This blog contains nice information.

[Michigan Dentist]

Thats quite a list of tips that can be followed in real life to make things easier and use for the betterment of the professional ethos that currently need a lot of improvement at many a workplace.

[Fort Collins Dentist]

You hit the nail in the head and I hope many would stumble this article and pick the pieces of lessons you mentioned. Kudos for sharing!