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TOP FIVE TIPS TO ADD LIFE TO YOUR TEAM MEETINGS
- If they are done right, staff meetings can become the perfect vehicle for constant communication with and among your staff members and can give you the opportunity to recognize their efforts in front of others.
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TOP TEN INEXPENSIVE WAYS TO INCENT
EMPLOYEES TO HIGHER LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE - Learn the 10 best, and least expensive, ways to incentivize your employees to work harder.
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TOP TEN WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY CRITIQUE YOUR STAFF
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
Every manager, leader, CEO, dentist has had the uncomfortable task of disciplining, correcting or modifying the behavior of a staff person. The way the communication is delivered determines if it is a positive or negative experience. When delivered apropriately and in a helpful way the results can be positive and an effective learning experience. The following Top Ten will provide guidelines to help you modify unacceptable behavior.
STRATEGIC RECRUITING; Where are the dental employees we need?
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
One of the greatest challenges to our dental practices today and likely to continue over the next decade will be finding, recruiting and retaining good employees with the skills necessary for jobs to be performed well. Even during times of economic slowdown, as well as in times of prosperity, shortages of well qualified dental employees are a concern for many dental practices. How do we find good, qualified candidates? Where are the workers? What can I do to locate as many quality candidates as possible when I need them?
HOW WELL ARE YOU RECOGNIZING AND REWARDING YOUR TEAM?
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
The number one issue facing my clients is “staff.” How do I get them motivated? What can I do to get them to work as a team? Why is morale such a day-to-day challenge? Unfortunately, many dental employers report a total absence of even the simplest of acknowledgements. The doctor gets “busy” and overlooks opportunities to celebrate the successes and accomplishments of his/her team. The impact on the practice is two-fold: First, low staff morale and high turnover and second, a decrease in productivity and practice profitability. With that as a backdrop, I developed the following assessment to help my clients evaluate how well they are recognizing their team.
Attitude Check Up Self-Assessment
Written
by Dr. Gary Imm
Emotional balance and attitude are as important as gas and oil to your car.
Sometimes you need a check up!
Take This Assessment
HOW TO P.E.R.K. UP IN A DOWN ECONOMY
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
Over the past 36 years of my business career I hear the phrase all the time. No matter what era, what decade, no matter whatever is happening in the economy at the moment, many weighty proclamations have been preceded by this phrase: “in these tough economic times,” or “in these challenging times”. The fact is every time is a tough economic time. Every period is a challenging time. Life was never set up to be easy. It was, however, set up to be fabulous.
Financial Aspects of a Practice
IT'S JUST “ONE MORE CROWN”
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
Have you ever felt like you have more month than money? Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this Ohio dentist that no matter how hard he worked, it felt like there just wasn’t enough cash to do all the things he wanted. Just about that time he had covered all his major expenses the air conditioner in his family van quit and to have it repaired was $738. As he sat looking at the estimate for the van repair he found himself thinking of the old phrase; “money just doesn’t grow on trees.” He found himself asking where he was going to come up with the cash on his already strained cash flow? Immediately, it came to him, “I’ll do one more crown and I’ll have the air conditioning repair covered.”
Sound familiar...
TOP TEN WAYS to CONSTRUCTIVELY CRITIQUE YOUR STAFF
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
As leaders and managers, dentists are often faced with the uncomfortable task of disciplining employees. Whether you need to help your hygienist improve productivity, address a conflict between two staff members, or discuss your receptionist’s inappropriate reaction to an upset patient, you need to be cognizant of the impact your feedback has on your employees. Your gut reaction may be to yell, to use harsh language, or to hide in your office, but if your goal is to instruct, develop, and retain your staff, you can’t rely on instinct. These Top Ten Tips have given me and my clients excellent results – they’ve improved retention and morale, increased productivity, and lowered the doctors’ stress levels, and they can work for you too!
TOP TEN WAYS TO REJUVINATE YOUR PRACTICE
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
It is so easy to get in a “rut” where our enthusiasm and excitement wane. Professional practice is demanding and in our quest to keep all of the pieces of the puzzle together, we may overlook some ideas that have the potential to renew our commitment and energize our practice.
THE NEW 'P' in DENTISTRY
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
Guest Columnist
In his landmark piece of research, “Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable,” author Seth Godin bluntly states that marketing as we know it is dead and those of us in the dental field need to heed his warning.
The purple cow story...
TOP TEN TIPS ON NEGOTIATING WITH A PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEE
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
Have you ever wondered why there isn’t much written about negotiating the terms of a job offer? It’s because many dentists consider it an uncomfortable part of the Right hiring process. Many doctors fail to understand the process of compensation negotiation. It is not simply offering the lowest wage for services rendered. Communication, preparation, trust, a mutual understanding of each party’s position and willingness to compromise are the key ingredients of successful negotiations. In the end both parties must feel they have reached an agreement that serves their mutual interests.
Below are the 10 keys to successful compensation negotiation. Follow these simple rules and you should achieve success in this important strategic tool of compensation negotiation.
CRISIS HIRING-TEN STEPS TO SUCCESS
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
Have you ever said this? “I have to hire someone immediately. How do I find the right person for my office. What do I need to do to get someone that fits me and the team?
TOP TEN WAYS TO TAP YOUR TEAMS BRILLIANCE
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
Frequently, team meetings produce more silence than ideas. When asked for ideas, team members look around the room hoping not to be called on or hoping someone else will come up with some brilliant idea. Karen Robinson, a public relations manager in California, suggests to get everyone involved and generating valuable solutions to business isuses, assign a “writer” who can jot down everyones ideas while you move around the room encouraging participation. To get your brainstorming on the right track and encouraging creativity consider the following Top 10 steps:
TOP TEN TIPS ON HOW TO DO OFFICE SURVEYS
by Ronald F. Arndt, DDS, MBA, MAGD
Master Certified Coach
Patient feedback is vital to running your practice. If you don’t ask you don’t get…..a Coach Ron-ism. When you ask your patients for what they want or how you’re doing, you will be amazed what you will learn. Use simple surveys that give your patients the opportunity to provide you and your team feedback. Consider doing office surveys at least twice a year. What you can expect to receive is information that will help you grow your practice……as well as your income. Nationwide, satisfaction surveys have long been popular among health plans and employers. Increasingly, experts say, physicians and dentists are also conducting surveys, and for good reason. (1) But experts point out that measuring patient satisfaction isn't as easy as slapping a few questions on a card. The process needs to be carefully mapped out, from the way you ask questions to the way you respond to results. (1)