Archive for Dental Office Staff Management
How Much Do Your Team Members Know About Your Dental Practice?
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How much have you shared with your team regarding your practice numbers? What do they know about your financial and operating statements? When did you last discuss the profitability of your business?
Too many dental practices operate under the philosophy that these numbers are a secret to be held only by the doctor. Failure to share key financial information misses a huge opportunity to get everyone involved in growing a profitable business and dental practice.
The best way to ensure the success of your dental practice is to teach everyone from your Appointment Coordinator to Chairside Assistant how to read the company’s financial statements and discover how their individual function contributes to the profitability of the dental practice. Educate your team to what each line item means and how it impacts the practice profitability.
Why do this?
- This provides employees an opportunity to make better decisions and can lead to explosive growth.
- It implies that you trust your team, you believe they are capable of understanding the “business of business” and that you have faith in their commitment to the success of the practice.
Recognize And Reward Your Stars
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Your STARS – Synergistic Team Member All Ready Stars – are the most important part of your practice. They are your biggest asset – yes, even more important than the building or equipment.
Your team dazzles new patients, comforts the timid, jumps in to help other team members, laugh and encourage smiles all around them, and get the job done right.
They can’t help themselves. Some are born this way, some are created. All have unique and special gifts to share. Some light the way for us and make our jobs easier, less stressful, and more fun. Some show up every day on time and ready to go. Others are skilled at calming frightened children and adults. Some need us to point out their specialness, while others are special because they never forget birthdays, anniversaries, or the first day you began your practice.
STARS are all around us and sometimes we don’t see them. Surprising, isn’t it? Each team member provides a special something in your practice. It is up to you, the Dental CEO to notice and reward that. Take the opportunity to recognize achievements – large or small. Your reward? Stars will shine brighter every day!
Action steps!
- Establish a service recognition system. Make a “big deal” out of every anniversary. Let people know you appreciate them and the job they do.
- Recognize individuals for STAR actions. Hang up a bulletin board and periodically spotlight one of your team members.
- Let patients know how much you appreciate your STARS!
- Invite a team member or two to lunch today, and don’t talk about business – focus on learning more about their lives, and sharing more of yours. People want to work with people they like!
Notice and reward “out-of-the-way contributions”:
- Write a thank you note
- Public praise at a group meeting
- Give out a spot bonus
- Schedule an offsite activity or a lunch
- Offer movie tickets
- Buy certificates for a special latte at Starbucks
- Provide enhanced facilities (on site masseur, concierge services, plants in the break room)
“The deepest principle of human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” ~ William James
Tips on How to Increase Team Accountability
Posted by: | CommentsRemember that increasing levels of accountability within your dental practice is essential if you are to grow and prosper. Below are my top tips on how to do so:
- Develop an “IDP”- Individual Development Plan. Schedule time to meet with each team member and outline a plan for continuing professional learning. Set times on the calendar for future meetings – quarterly, semi-annually, or yearly so that team members are fully invested in their professional growth. Calling this practice an IDP lets the employee know that you are committed to their professional development.
- Document all conversations with date and initials. Note any behavioral issues with full descriptions. Remember to evaluate observable behaviors against the IDP.
- Begin with positive communication. The best tip I can give is to engage vs. alienate. Start off the conversation with something commendable. For example: “I feel you are an important member of our team.” Make your comment sincere and honest. People see through a façade.
- Offer incentives. Offer incentives to develop the behaviors you need and want. If your team has not been asking for referrals, create a simple game where the individual who asks for the most referrals during the month wins a full tank of gas, an iTunes gift card or 4 movie tickets next month.
“If you don’t set a baseline standard for what you’ll accept in life, you’ll find it’s easy to slip into behaviors and attitudes or a quality of life that’s far below what you deserve.” ~ Anthony Robbins
How to Deliver Feedback to Your Dental Team
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Read on for my four special tips on how to deliver feedback to your dental team so that positive, immediate behavioral change happens!
- Give frequent and informal feedback. A once-a-year performance review just won’t cut it. Team members need to hear feedback weekly, perhaps even daily. Good feedback motivates and problems get fixed sooner rather than later. Fix problems as they happen.
- Ask team members for self-feedback. Give team members an opportunity to comment on their own behavior or productivity. This works well as people are usually tougher on themselves than you are on them. They will also work harder to improve areas they target. Give your opinion after they have had an opportunity to express themselves.
- Write, crumble, write. As THE DENTAL COACH©, I work with many dentists who are frustrated at their teams. This coaching tip has been particularly popular with the dentist who is angry at a behavior and wants to critique NOW. Take the time to write out your critique….let your anger flow through your pen. Then crumple up your paper now that the anger is gone and rewrite your critique more calmly. Better results are guaranteed when emotions are removed.
- Critique the behavior, not the person. Rather than direct comments at the individual who becomes defensive and argumentative, direct it at what they did. Example: “I am unhappy with your behavior in the presence of our last patient. I sensed she was irritated when you raised your voice to her.” The ego remains intact and the team member will be able to “hear” your observations.
“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own.” ~ Benjamin Disraeli
To Grow Talent: Provide One Part of Frequent Feedback
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I know that dentists have best intensions when they offer “constructive criticism.” They hope that a team member will appreciate the information and make positive changes. My, how frequently that is not the case!
Every dentist has had the uncomfortable task of disciplining, correcting or modifying the behavior of a team member. How the communication is delivered determines if it is a positive or negative experience.
When the dentist starts with “Let me give you some constructive criticism”, a barrier is instantly created. The team member immediately goes on the defense and can often feel embarrassed. No chances of the behavioral change happening here.
By approaching a team member with, “May I provide some feedback to you?” or “I have some feedback to offer when you are ready” will open the doors to more effective communication. These simple “re-structuring” points create a positive environment and overcome resistance.
Hold The Team Accountable: Raise Your Standards
Posted by: | CommentsIn my last post, I talked about developing standards in your dental practice so that they come naturally.
Here are some actions steps to make sure that happens:
- Review standards for common areas and individual roles. Survey each team member and update or delete out-of-date standards. Ask team members to write standards as they might expect them to be five years in the future.
Hint: Consider levels of knowledge and technology changes. Think about what social media and smart phones have already done for/to your dental practice.
- Survey patients. Determine levels of service satisfaction and set standards for improved or new services. Patients will not be bothered, rather, they will be impressed that you care.
- Evaluate some current standards of practice operation: i.e. start times for Morning Huddles, office hours, sterilization procedures, and new patient intake. Standards must be posted and presented to team members so that everyone enjoys a common expectation of behavior. Better yet, have each team member sign off on the standards.
- Review your “short notice” cancellation and “no show” policy with your team on a quarterly basis. Be certain that all team members know, with total clarity, the scheduling boundaries by discussing the policy regularly. Ask individual team members to explain the policy succinctly, clearly, and correctly to the entire team during a staff meeting. This will immediately raise your scheduling standards.
“Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.” ~ Wendy Wasserstein
Set S.M.A.R.T Goals For Performance Growth
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For many of us, it is the START that STOPS us from moving forward and achieving our objectives. When we look at a big project, we immediately feel intimidated. This “bigness” or “I don’t know where to begin” leads us to procrastinate taking action to make our goals a reality. I see this happening with many dentists in my work as THE DENTAL COACH©.
Raising the overall performance of your practice begins with developing the skills of the individuals. Set goals that address improvements in knowledge, skills, or behavior. The best goals are S.M.A.R.T. ones.
Below, are my definitions of a S.M.A.R.T goal.
- Specific – Define what needs to happen or how behavior should change.
- Measurable – How will you recognize success? Is it about task completion (i.e. cleaning up filing backlog), results (i.e. 10% increase in…) or behavior (observable change)?
- Action-oriented – The best goals challenge people and require that they do something new, at higher level, or in a new way.
- Realistic – Make sure the goal is achievable. Attending a seminar, or having a discussion, or reading about a new technique is realistic.
- Time-bound – Goals should have an element of time – frequency (do this daily/weekly), or deadline (do by 4-1).
Example: “Complete a minimum of ten past-due patient follow-up calls by phone each day for the next quarter.“ This is simple, yet it is still a S.M.A.R.T goal. Why? It meets all of the requirements: It is specific (“past-due patient calls”), measurable (daily), action-oriented (requires a change in behavior), realistic (ten per day is attainable), and time-bound (“each day for the next quarter”).
Create A Lasting First Impression
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When a plant is moved to a new location, it is not enough to just stick it in the dirt and say “grow!” We water it carefully, fertilize it, watch closely for signs of transplant shock, and pay special attention for its first growing season, until it establishes new roots.
A new employee needs special attention, too, to become firmly rooted. How do you nurture a new employee relationship?
Typically, a new hire gets a one-day, five-step program: Paperwork, Tour, Meet-The-Team; Read This, Get To Work. I see this in so many dental offices. I have a better approach: Orient in smaller chunks, over a longer period of time.
- Break up all the “stuff” and cover a portion each day for a week versus the first hours. Increase the complexity of information as the new employee’s base of understanding grows. They absorb and learn better. This is more efficient for your dental practice as a whole.
- Plan to check-in with new employees several times in their first month. List these check-ins in your calendar. Create opportunities to ask those “dumb questions” about how you do things.
- Invest time to explain the history and logic behind what you do. Studies show that the learning curve on a new job is typically six to twelve months. During that time, a new employee is still “putting down roots” and can be affected more deeply by change or neglect than more established team members.
When you make it easier for new hires to take root, they contribute more and you retain them for a longer time. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: the cost of hiring a new employee is much greater than retaining an old one.
The Biggest Asset That Should Be On Your Balance Sheet
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The most important resource in the dental office is the team. It makes sense to show them as an asset on the practice balance sheet. Unfortunately, quality talent is at a premium.
A study by a team from McKinsey & Co., The War For Talent states, “as the demand for talent goes up, the supply of it will be going down. The search for the best and the brightest will become a constant, costly battle.” We are fighting that battle not only with other dental offices down the block, but across all industries.
One of the ways to attract talent from today’s decreasing pool is to make the compensation package competitive. Remember that top performers command top wages — as they should.
Provide a package of benefits in addition to a base wage. With rising costs in healthcare premiums, I understand that it may not always be feasible to offer top benefits. In this case, think of what other benefits you can offer – a day off on their birthday, a $30/monthly reimbursement for a gym membership.
More on the Scramble to Find the “Right” Staff Person
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Continuing the discussion on the scramble to find the “right” staff person…
Evaluate your practice capacity. When do you have the greatest demand for your services? How well are you staffed to meet this demand? If your afternoons are a higher demand time for patient care, what staffing configurations are most profitable to your practice while supporting your patient service?
Do This Now!
- Develop a list of questions to ask yourself before beginning the hiring process. Start with, “Do I really need to fill this position?” This will enable you to know “if” and “when” you need to hire.
- Determine staffing needs based on your current level of productivity and factor in future growth you anticipate or desire.
- Call a team meeting and invite everyone’s input on what level of staffing is appropriate to maintain patient service, quality and practice productivity.
“Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” ~ Author Unknown
