Dental offices are unique small businesses, where the success of the practice requires everyone on a tight-knit team to work together.
There are lots of moving parts, but when you’re with a patient, you have to be ready to give them 100% of your attention.
Even in the best run offices, there’s no doubt that as a dentist and a small business owner you either have or will face your share of uncomfortable conversations with employees. As the leader of your team, it’s important to be able to quickly and efficiently manage team issues before they become a problem affecting the entire team — or worse, they become apparent to your patients.
Staff issues are without a doubt the number one reply we get when we ask dentists what causes them the most stress in and out of the office.
But chances are, in dental school they didn’t spend much time on staff management or leadership development.
Just One Negative Team Member Can Spoil the Whole Bunch
Negative team members are common enough. There always seems to be someone in the office assumes the role of (CCO) — Chief Complaining Officer.
Complaining is not the same as offering solutions, and once you’ve let it slide once, it’s game on: more than likely, your Chief Complaining Officer is now in the habit of grumbling about every little thing, even the concerns that have been resolved. And this only escalates — it’s a snowball effect that takes out other members of the team.
Several personalities destroy the energy in the office, here are a few of the most common.
- The whiner. Pretty self-explanatory – more often than not they express dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
- Smarty-pants. The person who thinks they know more than the owner dentist about dentistry.
- My way or the highway. This is smarty-pants on steroids: not only does this employee believe that they know it all, but they impose ultimatums.
- Not my job. Someone who isn’t a team player.
- Never ending personal drama. Consistently brings personal problems to work.
You as the practice owner have sleepless nights over it, other team members get wrapped up in it and can be influenced by it, and worst of all patients can feel it, negatively affecting patient experience. As the leader of the team if you let it simmer and don’t address the issues it can affect your business in some way, like:
- Diminishing your role as the head of the practice, this can be very hard to get back
- Other staff can harbor resentment that will grow stronger the longer it is overlooked
- It can kill productivity as the time spent complaining is wasted not to mention the lingering distraction it causes.
- Patients will pick-up on the negative vibe, and you risk the offender might be sharing their gripes with your patients
- The complainer might take more time off than other team members, or worse cause, others not to want to show up to work
All the above can negatively impact the profitability of your practice. And let’s face it: you’re a small business that needs profits to survive.
Don’t even think about letting these issues slide: it has the potential to become a huge liability, as a disgruntled employee is likely to be on the lookout for an opportunity to file a legal claim.
The Importance of Good Leadership in a Dental Practice
When we ask dentists what causes them the most stress in and out of the office, staff issues are always the first reply. It doesn’t have to be this way, even when you’ve got employees who bring negativity to your team.
I worked in several dental offices throughout my career as a Dental Hygienist, so I’ve learned a thing or two about office morale in a dental practice.
One of my worst experiences was working for a dentist who feared confrontation. The result? His team walked all over him. His lack of leadership negatively affected morale, productivity, team dynamics and ultimately patient experience. Not to mention the fact that the poor dentist left the office exhausted each day: the stress from the unhappy work environment was so bad, it even began to affect his personal life.
My experience at dental practices with a healthy, happy level of morale was entirely different. I quickly learned that practices with the best morale all had 2 things in common:
- Clearly defined policies
- Strong leadership from the owner/dentist
Those practices ran a tight ship, and they always resulted in functional, happy teams.
Your Leadership Can Fix Team Problems in Your Dental Practice
It is critical to address any team issues immediately. The more proactive you are as a leader, the less fallout will result from the situation.
In the next blog, we’ll explore ways to find your way as a leader and effective ways to handle some of the most common team situations.
At ClearEdge Innovation, we’re often hired to help with marketing the practice. However, if you are having staff issues these marketing dollars will not provide a high return on investment (ROI).
If you’re ready to develop your team leadership skills and learn how to unify your personal and professional goals – go to www.clearedgeinnovation.com/successedge and learn more today.
Also, feel free to comment below about the most common team management issue you find in your practice.