Practice Solutions Blog

December 1, 2023

High Trust Relationships Lessen Team Turnover!

Filed under: Accountability,Appreciation,Attitude,Behavior,collaboration,Culture,Dental Practice Management,Judy Kay Mausolf,Relationships,Respect,Success,Team Building,Team Relationships,Trust,Trust,Uncategorized — Tags: attitude, communication, conflict resolution, Culture, Culture Camp, Dental Team Performance, Judy Kay Mausolf, performance, practice management, team building, teambuilding — Judy Kay Mausolf @ 2:59 am

Team turnover has risen to epidemic proportions. The expectations of long-term commitment have reduced significantly. In fact, some institutions are teaching the best way to climb the ladder is to job hop. However, research supports that higher job satisfaction results from high trust, long-term work relationships. High trust in work relationships lessens team turnover.

I have the privilege of working with dental teams nationwide. I have found that team turnover has increased and often for the smallest of reasons. There seems to be little to no effort from the employees to improve and invest in the culture. Instead, the mindset is to find a new job and move on. The problem is wherever you go there you are. The same issues will continue to plague us unless we invest in the relationship and focus on a resolution.

Often it is a false assumption that ends the relationship. The uncomfortable conversations that need to happen to avoid assumptions and resolve conflicts or concerns are not happening. I love the quote; “Short term discomfort avoids long term dysfunction!”

If everything goes well the relationship works. Relationships that are never challenged are a low investment and low trust relationship. They are at high risk when a challenge does occur.

High functioning relationships are based on high trust. High trust is developed from an ongoing commitment to invest in the relationship even when things are difficult. It is a belief that the other person has our back, and we are in it for the long haul.

Imagine a marriage where the first disagreement results in a threat to divorce. How much confidence would you have in the relationship? A disagreement where the team member threatens to leave the practice or is threatened to be let go is a very similar scenario.

I am blessed to say that I have been very happily married to my husband Steve for over 28 years. We have a high trust relationship because we committed to each other that we would invest in our relationship and not walk away even if times get tough. Investing means honoring, respecting, and committing to the other person. Resolving difficult situations fosters confidence and high trust.

So why invest in the relationship? Here are just a few benefits of the employer and employee’s benefits of investing in a long-term relationship.

High trust relationships with team
High trust relationships with patients
Highly skilled team
Compensation package maximized
Belong to something bigger than themselves
Ownership, value and purpose from long-term investment
High job satisfaction
Minimal team turnover stress and expense

Any time an employee leaves your practice, for any reason, they are called a turnover. You can calculate your annual employee turnover % by dividing the annual employee turnover number by total number of team members.

Losing only one mid-level employee that is paid $30 per hour and works 32 hours per week (annual salary of $49,920) can cost your practice anywhere from $24,960 to $99,840 in recruiting and training expenses. This dollar range represents a 6 to 24-month salary range of the mid-level employee. You won’t see it as a separate line item on the P & L. However, trust me it is there…hidden in reduced production and collection numbers.

Your patients come to your dental office expecting to see the same faces. Patients often build stronger relationships with the team than they do the doctor because they spend more time getting to know them. Patients often look to team members to reinforce the necessity of treatment. If you question this statement, ask your clinical and non-clinical team if they have ever been asked by a patient; do I really need this treatment, or would you do this treatment? High turnover results in declining trust and case acceptance.

Most dental practices don’t have spare team members just waiting to pick up the slack. Which means that an existing team member must spend a large portion of their time training the new team member. In most cases the team member was already working at capacity yet is expected to fit in the training and still perform at the same level. Very few practices adjust their scheduling to accommodate the training process. The added pressure spawns a culture of high stress, low morale and less than performance. In practices where there is consistent turnover there is very little desire to train the new team member. The mindset I often encounter is why bother…after all they will just be leaving soon anyway. Even a high-performing culture is at the mercy of turmoil from turnover.

Here are some ways for employers to invest in long-term relationships:

Interview and vet applicants for character traits, attitude and skill sets as well as fit with the practice culture, managers, and co-workers.
Set comparable compensation and benefits with industry standard. Review compensation and benefits packages at least annually.
Treat your team as well as you treat your patients.
Establish clear standards that are consistent for the entire team.
Create opportunities for open discussion with consistent daily huddles and weekly to monthly team meetings (frequency is based on amount of new team members, changes, and challenges).
Show respect and recognition to employees. Awards, recognition, and praise might just be the single most cost-effective way to maintain a happy, healthy and high-performing practice culture.
Maintain a realistic work schedule based on current employee coverage.
Create a positive practice culture with room to learn and grow.
Keep employees in the loop and informed about future growth and how they can get there. Annual reviews or midyear check-ins are important; also encourage workers to come to you with career questions and goals throughout the year.

Investing in long-term relationships will reap long-term happiness and success!

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November 1, 2023

We Have an Awesome Culture…Except For This One Person!

Filed under: Accountability,Attitude,Behavior,cohesivness,collaboration,Communication,Culture,Culture Camp,Energy,Performance,Respect,Toxic Performer,Trust,Uncategorized — Tags: attitude, communication, conflict resolution, Dental Team Performance, Judy Kay Mausolf, performance, practice management, Practice Solutions Inc, team building — Judy Kay Mausolf @ 6:14 am

I have the privilege of facilitating Rise & Shine Culture Camps for dental teams nationwide! The Culture Camp is focused on co-creating a happier, healthier, and higher performing service culture!

I often hear the statement, “Judy Kay we have an awesome culture except for just this one person! BUT, they are really good at their job and with patients. However, not so good with their team!” It’s often followed by a statement of reassurance that the same behavior would never be tolerated with their patients. As if the double standard makes it the toxic behavior to the team somehow more acceptable.

Unaddressed toxic behaviors will quickly multiply and result in a toxic performer. A toxic performer is a team member who excels at their job and is toxic to their co-workers! They are often told they are the best assistant or best hygienist etc. and start to consider themselves indispensable. They have a Jekyll and Hyde behavior. Doctors and managers make excuses for the toxic behaviors. They allow/accept it as a tradeoff for skills and work performance. I often hear doctors say, “I know Susie is difficult to work with. We have even lost a few good team members because of her. However, she is so good with our patients. No one can do her job like she does. If she ever treated patients like that, of course she would be gone!” Excusing and justifying the negative behavior is what empowers toxic performers to continue them. Left unchecked theses negative behaviors will continue to escalate. What is not addressed will be deemed as acceptable by the toxic performer and the rest of the team. Team turnover will rise as a result.

One simple standard can change the health of the practice culture. “The team must treat each other as well as they treat their patients!” No exclusions and no exceptions or they are choosing to no longer be a part of the team regardless of their skills. That is assuming there is a high standard of patient service and care. Two great filter questions a team member can ask themselves:

Would I say this to a patient? (If not, how could I say it?)
Would I act this way towards a patient? (If not, how would I act?)

Asking these filtering questions before speaking or acting will alleviate toxic behavior. Well, that is unless negative behaviors are allowed/accepted towards patients.

Toxic performers will often ignore standards as they feel they don’t apply to them. They have their own agenda due to their domination and control issues. They dominate others to maintain control which they believe builds job security. Toxic performers are also emotional reactors. They are not in control of their emotions; anger quickly and lash out instead of taking time to understand. They may even pride themselves on being direct when in truth their reaction is instead brusque. They excuse their directness as they have a superiority complex which promotes treating others as inferior. They believe they are mentally, economically, socially, racially, or physically superior. Their beliefs lead to lack of empathy and justification of dehumanizing actions.

If the toxic performer chooses to continue their negative behaviors, they can no longer invited to be a part of the team.

Let’s address the elephant in the room! But what if it is the doctor who is the toxic performer? Have a one-on-one conversation with your doctor. Never approach as an entire team or the doctor may feel ganged up on. Always come from a mindset of care and concern not judgement and criticism. Give them the benefit of the doubt. They may not be aware of how their behavior negatively affects you. Doctors aren’t necessarily innate leaders. However, they can become one. It’s time for you to make a choice if your doctor chooses to continue their toxic behaviors.

Say bye, bye to toxic behaviors to work in a happier, healthier, and higher performing practice culture!

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October 1, 2023

Support or Sabotage?

Filed under: Accountability,Attitude,Behavior,Conduct,Conflict Resolution,Judy Kay Mausolf,Positive Psychology,Positive Thought,Relationships,Team Relationships — Tags: attitude, communication, conflict resolution, Dental Team Performance, Judy Kay Mausolf, performance, practice management, Practice Solutions Inc, team building — Judy Kay Mausolf @ 1:22 am

Beware there are master manipulators who can disguise sabotage as support. It is usually done under the guise of care and concern. The sad part is that the master manipulators may even be those closest to us that are high trust relationships. They can be our family, friends, and work colleagues. You may have heard some of the following comments:

“I want to prevent you from getting hurt!”
“I don’t want them to take advantage of you!”
“I don’t want you to make a fool of yourself when you fail!”

Think about your personal and professional life. Have you ever been challenged with similar statements by a family member, colleague, or someone you thought was your friend? They may even have made those exact same statements. If you are like me, you may have put a smile on your face while you winced inside. The hurt and disappointment may have been too deep to respond amicably.

When I started my business, I received some very interesting comments from friends. I say the word friends loosely.

“Judy Kay, when are you going to stop pretending and get a real job?”
“Judy Kay, what makes you think you can write a book?”
“Judy Kay, orange is not a professional color.”
“Judy Kay, you will never hold and audience!”
“Judy Kay, you can’t wear a denim jacket on stage!”

So, what’s the why behind sabotaging behaviors? I have found two consistent weeds at the root of sabotage behavior.

Fear of failure sabotage
Comparison sabotage

The first weed is Fear Sabotage. Fear sabotage is fear of failure and is deep rooted. People will project their fear of failure onto others. They believe they are protecting others. The ironic part is that fear is really only a negative prediction of the future. In most cases, what they worry about doesn’t happen. What actually happened, they didn’t even think about or worry about, and yet they still survived. It’s proof that worry is a total waste of energy and time.

Have you ever changed your mind about doing something because of someone asking, “But what if this happens”? You’ve just been “what if’d” out of action.

“Your life is a reflection of what you believe it can be!” ~ Judy Kay Mausolf

Fear of failure manifests itself in many worries. Fear of not being good enough, fear of not being liked or accepted, fear of judgment or criticism, fear of retaliation, fear of not being able to handle the situation; in essence, simply the fear of “what if”.

If we can learn to evaluate the real danger, as opposed to the perception of danger (what if), we will get a more realistic viewpoint and we will be less afraid to act. Whether or not we act will be based on our confidence in being able to handle the situation versus other’s what ifs.

The second weed is Comparison Sabotage. Comparison Sabotage has everything to do with the limiting beliefs of the other person. It has nothing to do with us and our capabilities. I love this quote, “When we compare someone always loses.” The comparer’s limiting beliefs are:

I am not worthy therefore why do you think you are?
I am willing to settle why aren’t you?
I can’t do it so what makes you think you can?

“What others think of you has very little to do with who you really are!” ~ Judy Kay Mausolf

How do we recognize the difference between support and sabotage?

Saboteurs

Their opinion is always right
Ultimatums their suggestions are ignored
Deflect when challenged

The saboteur will deflect when questioned about their limiting beliefs. They see it as a personal attack. They will redirect the focus, blame, or criticism away from themselves. It is an attempt to avoid dealing with negative consequences. It is also a reactive coping mechanism to avoid feelings of guilt and shame. At its worst is a narcissistic manipulation tactic to avoid ownership and accountability.

Supporters

Open to other’s opinions even when it doesn’t align with theirs
Willingness to initiate change initiated by someone other than them
Take ownership and admit to mistakes

Supporters will support you even when your dreams are bigger than theirs. Surround yourself with supporters who believe in you and are excited to help you achieve your dreams!

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September 1, 2023

Top 10 Leadership Strategies!

I have the privilege of working with dental teams nationwide. What I have found is that everything begins and ends with the leadership team. It’s what leaders do, allow, or accept that cultivates the culture. If the leadership team is not aligned and cohesive it will be difficult to get the team aligned and cohesive. Here are my top 10 strategies to build and aligned and cohesive team.

Strategy 1- United We Team. The We team consists of everyone involved with leading the team. It could be as simple as a solo doctor without a manager. In this case very simple to be united with oneself. 😊 However, once there are two or more it takes a focused commitment. The leadership team would include doctors, managers, team leads and anyone in a role that is responsible for leading other team members. The leadership team must always be supportive and united in front of the team. Any difference of opinion or disagreements must always be handled behind closed doors. Otherwise, it can create confusion and chaos within the team.

Strategy 2 – One Message. In order to have one message the leadership team needs to be on the same page. Owner doctors will need to establish four core values to build around. Email me at JudyKay@PracticeSolutionsInc.net to receive a Core Values Sample Page. Weekly leadership meetings help keep the entire leadership team in the loop and on the same page. Choose the same day and time every week and reserve it a year in advance. It is at the weekly leadership meetings that discussions and agreements are made. It is important to put the agreements in writing and save the information in a meeting log. Once agreements are made they are shared with the entire team at a team meeting.

Strategy 3 – Open Communication. Open communication includes the entire team. A team meeting setting works best to allow time for introduction, discussion and implementation of new ideas or changes. It is important to get feedback from the team members that will be responsible for doing the work. Never introduce a change or new process in a memo. It does not allow time for discussion and will limit end results.

Strategy 4 – Model the Waddle. In other words, lead by example. This is the number one leadership principle. There are no exclusions, no exceptions in essence no double standards. I often hear, “but Judy Kay I am the doctor. I can do what I want.” Yes, they can but not without exceptions. It is not what we say but what we do that inspires our team to follow our lead. Leaders must always walk their talk. For example, they need to be engaged and positive if they want their team to be engaged and positive.

Strategy 5 – When to Lead Versus Manage. Know when to lead and when to manage. Leadership is defined as the ability to influence and guide people.

Leading is providing a big picture view to the team and motivating them to be a part of the vision. Once the vision is clear it’s time to manage. Management is directing and controlling the process to reach a goal. Managing turns the vision into reality by setting and measuring smaller goals for the team to reach the end goal.

Strategy 6 – Hire the Right People. The right people are those that fit the team and practice culture. Evaluate as a team the aptitude, character traits, and skill sets necessary to perform the job. Never trade character for skills. Skills can be taught whereas character is innate in the person.

Strategy 7 – Training Benchmarks. Establish clear and consistent training benchmarks for new hires. Define what the minimum level of performance will be for each benchmark. Create weekly benchmarks for the first three months. Create monthly benchmarks for three months to twelve months. Clear benchmarks create clear expectations for the new hire as well as the existing team.

Strategy 8 – Accountability. Leaders need to hold everyone equally accountable. No exclusions or exceptions or it will feel like favoritism and divide the team. Adress negative words, attitudes, and actions as they happen daily. The verbiage I like to use is, “How does _________ support our core value of _________?” or “How does what you did support our standard process of _________?”

Strategy 9 – Appreciation. Appreciation is not just nice to do fluff stuff! Appreciation gives team members value and purpose. It is also feedback on performance. Leaders catch your team members doing things right and show appreciation. Appreciation motivates. Criticism demotivates. What is rewarded gets done.

Strategy 10 – Celebration. Celebrate successes daily. Morning huddles provide an opportunity to share successes from the day before. I am not just talking about the financial goal. Highlight positive patient interactions as well as positive team member to team member interactions.

Implementing these 10 leadership strategies will help you build an aligned and cohesive team.

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August 1, 2023

Four Cornerstones to Strengthen Teamwork!

I love this quote by Phil Jackson; “The strength of the team is each individual. The strength of each member is the team!”

Here are four cornerstones to strengthen teamwork!

TRUST

CORE VALUES

COMMUNICATION

CLEAR ROLES

Trust

Trust is a cornerstone of happy, healthy, and high performing teamwork! The dictionary defines trust as instinctive unquestioning belief in and reliance upon something. The trust I am suggesting is not one of blind faith but instead one of confidence! Confident trust is based on consistency! Consistency of good reasons to trust based on significant past evidence and experiences.

Some examples of a low trust:

• Difficulty getting the team on board and willing to follow their lead

• Not keeping the team in the loop with details that pertain to the patients, team and practice

• Adding rules or steps for everyone to compensate for the inadequacies of a few

• Extra staff to cover for lack of accountability with a specific team member

• Redundant systems and processes

Together as a team create your list of Trust Agreements.

• Be transparent by keeping everyone in the loop

• Be consistent with daily tasks

• Address questions or concerns with only the source

• Help when you see help is needed

• Ask for help when help is needed

• Do what you say you will do when you say you will

• Don’t gossip and stop gossip

• Tell the truth using compassionate words and tone

• Don’t be late or absent for trivial reasons

Core Values

Healthy team cultures rely on clear and consistent core values. They will help guide the team’s attitude, behavior, and communication. It’s very difficult to get others to follow our lead if we don’t even know who we are and what we stand for. Owner doctors, what 4 adjectives in order of priority describe your core values? Email JudyKay@PracticeSolutionsInc.net for a sample list.

They are important for the entire team to know and understand as they will help guide making decisions. Defining the core values will help avoid the distractions of the daily mundane and other people’s shoulds. They will also establish a strategy for how to show up every day. Core values become a blueprint on teamwork expectations. Every action, attitude or conversation is to be examined before proceeding. Does this action, attitude or conversation support the core values?

Clear Communication

Healthy team cultures are built on open and honest communication. Doctor to doctor, doctor to team, team to team and team to doctor. Clear communication, conveyed through defined channels, is critical for teamwork. Larger and multi-location practices will benefit greatly by creating and following a clear and consistent communication flow chart. The flow chart will define who goes to who, when and how. Positive and honest feedback will build trust and create clarity.

Encourage team members to ask questions, address concerns, as well as discuss processes and procedures. There are so many moving parts in a dental practice. Chaos and discord will arise without ongoing clear and compassionate communication. Together as a team create your list of Communication Agreements.

Clear Roles

Everyone on the team needs to understand their role and responsibilities that contribute to the team’s success. It is important for every team member to become proficient at their role as well as cross trained to help support their co-workers. Cross-training also helps create an awareness of their co-workers’ responsibilities and lessens judgment.

Every team will experience ups and downs with staffing. Putting untrained or inexperienced people in roles will lead to frustration, stress, accidents, and mistakes. Sustaining successful teamwork requires a commitment to ongoing training. Establish clear training expectations for new hires that include specific weekly and monthly goals. There will be times that training will take a priority over productivity. Investing in training time on the front end will reap quicker quality results on the back end.

Cultivate the four cornerstones, trust, core values, clear communication, clear roles, in your practice and you will harvest happy, healthy, and high performing teamwork!

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July 1, 2023

Get Happier! Part 2

Happiness is not just feel good, nice to have, fluff stuff. When we feel happier more often, we entirely change our beliefs about our world, what we can achieve, and ourselves. Harvard and Mayo Clinic research supports that the happier we are, the more successful, more intelligent, more creative, more productive and healthier we will be.

Here are the final two of four strategies to create a happier culture.

Smile Power

We get happier and make others happier when we smile. Smile energy is extremely powerful and wide spreading. A smile instantly creates positive energy in the environment and uplifts the mindsets of the giver, the receiver, and everyone in the vicinity. People want to spend time around people that make them feel better. Smiles are contagious.

A simple smile can change how you and everyone around you feels. Try to think of something negative and keep smiling. It is very difficult to do. When you smile, your body recognizes it as a positive body pattern and sends a message to you that everything is okay, and that life is great. Smiling changes our mood. When you’re feeling sad, or stressed, start smiling and you will feel instantly better.

Smile when you don’t feel well to improve your health. A smile can boost your immune system by improving your general feelings of well-being. Smiling makes you feel more relaxed which reduces your blood pressure and feelings of stress. People who smile live an average of seven years longer than people who do not. Get happier and live longer by smiling often every day!

Action Plan – Smile Power

Make eye contact.
Smile genuinely.
Don’t worry about their response and whether they smile back or not. It’s not important.

Laughter Power

We get happier when we laugh more often. Add a regular dose of laughter to every day and you will not only be happier, you will also be healthier! However, it is not always so easy to do. We get so busy that we focus only on getting the job done. We don’t slow down enough to take time to laugh. We need to add laughter to our list of daily priorities!

Laughter triggers healthy physical changes in the body. A good, hearty laugh:

Relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to an additional 45 minutes
Boosts the immune system
Decreases stress hormones
Triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals.
Improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems

Think about it. When was the last time you had a hearty laugh? No, I am not talking about a little chuckle. I am talking about a throw your head back, side holding, tears streaming, almost wet your pants laugh! You don’t need to have a sense of humor, be happy or have any reason to laugh. Just laugh for the sake of laughing!

Action Plan – Laughter Power

Fake it until you feel it.
Schedule time to practice laughing every day.
Surround yourself with people and things that make you laugh.

The more you practice laughing, the better you will become and the happier you will feel!

Implement the four strategies to get happier, Focus Power, Choice Power, Smile Power, and Laughter Power and you will get happier!

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June 1, 2023

Get Happier! Part 1

Filed under: Affirmations,Appreciation,Attitude,Behavior,celebration,cohesivness,Communication,Conflict Resolution,Culture,Culture Camp,Decision Making,Eggshells,Elephants,Energy,Fear,Focus,gratitude,Habit,Happy,Inspiration,Judy Kay Mausolf,Mindful Talk,Mindset,Motivation,Orange Energy,Performance,Positive Psychology,Positive Thought,Practice Solutions Inc,Relationships,Rise & Shine,Smile & Shine,Strategy,Stress,Stress Monsters,TA-DAH,Team Building,Team Relationships,thought leader,Toxic Performer,Uncategorized — Tags: appreciation, attitude, change, communication, conflict resolution, Decision making, dental Practice Management, Dental Team Performance, drama, energy, focus, Habits, Judy Kay Mausolf, performance, positive energy, practice management, Practice Solutions Inc, purpose, show your shine, team building, Thoughts — Judy Kay Mausolf @ 12:11 pm

Get happy! Fame, money, stuff, or even other people can’t make us happy. Just look at all the famous and wealthy people who are miserable. Happiness doesn’t have anything to do with what we have, where we’ve been, or who we are. Happiness comes from within. We are happy when we choose to be happy. We have a choice: to enjoy our lives or to find fault. We truly do write our own stories of happiness.

“Every moment you make a choice of what you want to keep, and what you want to let go of…and that’s how you write your story!” ~ Judy Kay Mausolf

Here are the first two of four strategies to get happier!

Focus Power!

We get happier when we change our focus to positive. You can be happy even when life seems difficult. Here is the big secret about staying happy and positive in difficult times. It does not take any superpowers or anything special. It is simply a clear understanding of the power of focus.

“Our focus creates our attitude.” ~ Judy Kay Mausolf

Our attitude is a learned behavior. Having a positive attitude is a skill. If you focus on the positive, you will have a positive attitude. If you focus on the negative, you will have a negative attitude. When you hear people say they are in a bad mood, it is because they choose to linger in the negative emotions. The physical part of any emotion only lasts thirty seconds or less. Any emotion after thirty seconds comes from hanging on to the emotion. Woe is me people, or what I refer to as wallowers, choose to be victims of their emotions. They wallow in them like a mud bath and tell everyone how miserable they are in hopes of eliciting sympathy. They actually enjoy the drama and negative emotions.

The science behind the thirty seconds of emotion pertains to fight or flight. Our immediate responses to negative or positive emotional stimuli are the result of a chemical reaction in our brains. Responses such as a rush of adrenaline lump in our throats, being out of breath, a dry mouth, sweat running down our backs, faces turning red, nervous laughter, flailing, and kicking, and tears welling up in our eyes – these responses happen in the first five seconds. In the next 25 seconds, we battle to take control of our bodies. It is best not to suppress nor deny the emotion, but to let ourselves feel it, observe the physical effect on us, mentally step aside from it, and let it go.

We can choose not to be negative, angry, hurt, stressed, frustrated, grumpy or whatever. It is always our choice. Instead, focus on finding a solution and a reason to be happy and feel good in every situation.

Action Plan – Focus Power:

Here are action steps to achieve Focus Power:

Whenever you feel stressed and, in the fight, or flight zone, breathe deeply and count to ten, slowly for thirty seconds.
Feel and observe the physical reaction and then let it go.
Identify three positives in the situation. Even in the most horrific circumstances there are positives.
Shift your focus from what is negative or missing to what is positive and present.
Spend 10% of your time focused on the problem and 90% on the solution.

Choice Power

We get happier when we choose to be happier. Have you ever thought, “I was in great mood until “___________” happened”? When we allow “___________” (whatever the blank is at the moment) to affect how we feel, we are in essence relinquishing our power and allowing circumstances to control our emotions. If we allow our circumstances to control our emotions, we become a victim of our circumstances. The truth is that circumstances don’t dictate how we feel – we do! It is always our choice!

“Happiness is always our choice!” ~ Judy Kay Mausolf

Action Plan ~ Choice Power

Wake up.
Affirm it is going to be an awesome day.
Choose to be positive regardless of how you feel.
Choose words and actions that have a positive impact.

Implement the first two strategies and you will get happier! Tune in next month to learn the about strategy three and four to get happier!

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May 1, 2023

Stop Walking On Eggshells!

I have the privilege of working with dental teams nationwide to help them co-create a happier, healthier, and higher performing culture. There are so many moving parts in a routine dental practice’s day. The schedule, among other things, doesn’t always happen as planned. There are even some days when it feels as if the wheels may have fallen off. We need to as a team be able openly discuss what is working and what is not. The obstacles are the eggshells that get in the way.

What are eggshells? Eggshells are the fragile feelings that arise when we try to resolve a conflict with another. These fragile feelings are a result of what we perceive based on our past personal experiences and not necessarily the other person’s intent. Some of the fragile feelings I am referring to are fear, anger, judgment, retaliation, desire to be liked, insecurity, nothing changes, peer pressure, hurt feelings, disrespect, it’s not nice, or it’s not my problem.

These eggshells stop many of us from addressing the elephants (the unstated issues or concerns) in the room. We create barriers between each other by laying our eggshells all around ourselves and worrying about stepping on those that others have laid around themselves. We believe if we talk about what is not working or what is a problem or a concern we will step on their eggshells. Almost everything becomes too uncomfortable or off-limits to discuss. So, we don’t! Instead, we just keep everything inside to avoid the eggshells and the practice culture deteriorates. The chance to make good things happen, (better results, better relationships, and more responsibility) disappears. What appears instead is a herd of elephants. Everyone knows they are there and yet no one will talk about them for fear of stepping on an eggshell.

The problem is, if we don’t discuss the issues as they happen, they don’t go away. Instead, the issues become elephants and the herd continues to grow until it takes over the entire practice. We end up tiptoeing around each other’s eggshells and pretending the elephants don’t exist. Or gossip grows out of frustration. Communication between team members becomes emotionally charged. The conflicts continue to grow; resolution becomes almost impossible. The practice culture becomes stressful and negative. This emotional stress and negative environment can drive even the best of team members to leave the practice!

To overcome the eggshells, we need to first acknowledge they exist. Have a team meeting to talk about the eggshells in the office. Have each team member identify which eggshells they surround themselves with most often. I recently held a team meeting where each team member identified their eggshells. There was a variety of answers; desire to be liked, hurt feelings, judgment, criticism, retaliation, and nothing ever changes. They differ for each team member because of their past experiences.

Once the eggshells have been identified, discuss the importance of talking about issues as they happen regardless of their existence. This proactive communication helps to prevent and remove the elephants from the room. Reinforce the message; we are all working together towards the same goal of a healthy, happy, and high performing practice culture. To accomplish this, we must give each other a break and believe that our other team members’ intents are good. We need to talk about the issues even if talking about issues creates eggshells like hurt feelings, judgment, or criticism.

We need to stop assuming we know what someone meant by their actions or words or the way they said something. Sometimes even what they say or the words they use can mean something different than what we believe them to mean. Approach with care and concern to help relieve tension and avoid defensiveness. Respectfully ask questions until you understand the other person’s true intent. Here are two questions I recommend based on issue.

I am not quite sure what you mean, please tell me more.
I am not quite sure what happened, please tell me more.

Once we understand each other’s intent our trust grows, and it becomes easier to talk about the issues and resolve conflict. Resolving conflict as it occurs will help to prevent elephants and promote a happy, healthy, high performing team environment.

Be a good egg; approach and be approachable!

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April 1, 2023

5 Essentials to Embrace Change Successfully!

You may have heard the quote; “The only thing that is constant is change!” It is true, change is inevitable but not always positive or successful! The reality is that some work cultures support positive change, while other cultures sabotage change. There are many factors involved, such as team workload, other current changes in progress, team beliefs about change, clear communication about the change, benefits of the change, appropriate training, coaching and support provided during the change, etc.

I have the privilege of helping dental teams nationwide create a happier, healthier and higher performing culture that they will enjoy coming to everyday. This always involves making changes. I often observe team members roll their eyes and let out deep sighs of frustration when they hear there is another change heading their way. They stress and worry about how it will affect them and how long it will last. This article is dedicated to learning how to rise above the pain of change and make it a positive process.

Change for many of us is often scary. The fear of change comes when we start the assumptions of “what if” thoughts! How many times have you been afraid to make a change because of saying to yourself, “But what if this happens”? You just “what if’d” yourself right out of action. Think about this. It’s a biggy! How many times has fear stopped you? The ironic part is that fear is really only a negative prediction of the future. In most cases, what we worry about doesn’t happen. What actually happened, we didn’t even think about or worry about, and yet we still survived. Its proof that worry is a total waste of energy and time. If we can learn to evaluate the real danger, as opposed to the perception of danger (what if), we will get a more realistic viewpoint and we will be less afraid to make the change. Imagine how much happier you would be right this second if the fear of “what if” had no impact on your decisions. What would you do or change? What would your life look like right now?

Change requires us to have courage to face our fear of “what if” in unpredictable and unknown! Regardless of how dysfunctional, unhappy, unproductive or toxic the current culture may be it often feels safer to keep the status quo. The known almost always feels safer than the unknown. That is why it is imperative that the value of the change be clear to those asked to make the change. It is essential that the value and benefits of change rate an 8 or above on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being high. Otherwise, the chance for the change to be positive and sustainable is limited.

I have found 5 essentials to help dental teams rise above their fears and embrace change as a positive process.

Trust in leadership
Clear and consistent direction
Structured plan
Adequate training and practice time
Realistic workload

The number one essential necessary to embrace change is trust in the leadership. If the team members trust their leader(s) they will be more willing to step into the unpredictable and unknown. Leaders can build trust by embodying the following traits:

Model the waddle is the number one leadership principle – in other words lead by example
Have a clear and consistent direction
Be transparent by communicating to keep the team in the loop as much as possible
Be open to suggestions and feedback
Address any obstacles, fears or concerns the team may have about the change

The second essential is to communicate a clear and consistent direction. It is important to use a decision strategy to avoid fly-bys and emotion driven decisions in the heat of the moment. I teach the following four strategic steps:

What’s in the best interests of the patients, practice and the team – not any individual and long term
- Think about 10 months and 10 years instead of next 10 minutes or 10 days
What is practical and realistic based on time, people and money currently available
What is the precedent being set
- Is it fair, if we can’t do it across the board for everyone on the team it will feel like favoritism and divide the team
What is the level of passion we are willing to support the decision
- Will we support it when push comes to shove even if it may result in losing an employee or a patient

Set your team up to succeed by communicating the change clearly and concisely. I suggest the following communication process:

Clarify expectations
Ask questions to make sure everyone understands
Write objective down in bullet points if more than a couple of things
Identify equipment and supplies necessary
Schedule adequate training and practice time
Set realistic expectations for completion time and date
For more involved longer tasks schedule a check in

The third essential is for leadership to work with the team to develop a well-structured plan. If you want the team to embrace a change, ask for their suggestions and feedback on how to implement the change. If you want the team to have ownership, give them authorship as well. A well-structured plan is well thought out and clearly defined. I teach teams the R.I.S.E. Implementation Process to help them work together to create a well-structured plan. R.I.S.E. is an acronym for Review, Implement, Sustain and Evaluate.

Review
- What is it we are currently doing
- What is working and what is not
- Keep what is let go of what is not
- WIIFTT – What’s in it for the team if we make the change
  - It is important for the value/benefits to rate an 8 or above on scale of 1 to 10 or it is difficult to sustain
- Implement
  - What are we going to change
  - Who is going to do it
  - Who are we going to do it for
  - When are we going to do it – including time, sequence and flow
  - Where are we going do it – very specific location
  - Why are we going to do it
    - WIIFTT if we make the change – there must always be something in it for the team for the team to sustain the change
  - How are we going do it
    - Practice verbal skills
    - Practice role playing – yes, I know it’s awkward and it’s effective
    - Practice the entire physical walk through – never test it out for the first time on a patient
  - Create standard operating procedures
  - Schedule the roll out date
- Sustain
  - In order to sustain it is important for the new change to become a habit
  - It takes a range of anywhere between 17 to 257 days to form a habit depending on the difficulty with the average being 66 days
    - Give any new change at least 60 days to get comfortable before considering any changes
  - Be precise and consistent to form a habit much sooner
    - Same sequence and steps for every team member every time
  - Support the change positively in words, actions and attitude
- Evaluate
  - Is the process still working effectively
  - If not, what is the value and benefits in a change
  - Any change takes ongoing tweaking

The fourth essential is to schedule appropriate and adequate training and practice time. I have found that the most positive and successful changes happen when the team has time to train and practice.

For new team members have clearly written weekly goals for the first 3 months. Review the progress with the new team member weekly. From 3 months to 1 year change to clear written monthly goals and review monthly. Having clear written goals helps manage the expectations for the new team member as well as existing team.

For existing team members, meetings are the perfect opportunity for training and practice time. Utilize your team meetings to:

Review and update systems and protocols
Implement new ideas
Monitor process of yearly goals
Practice, practice, practice
- Verbal skills, role playing and physical walk through

Team meetings are most effective when you:

Schedule often enough
Schedule time enough
Schedule when most can attend
Get feedback from the entire team
- Encourage solution focused suggestions on how to overcome potential obstacles

The fifth essential is to be realistic with the workload. It will be very difficult to get the team excited about embracing something new if they are already swamped and consistently running behind. It is important to evaluate whether there is adequate time, money, and people to successfully implement the change. Don’t firehose your employees with changes. Implement only one or two new changes at a time. Even the most committed employees will become resistant to change if they are consistently overwhelmed.

Cultivating a culture with these 5 essentials will help you rise above the pain of change and make it a positive process.

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March 1, 2023

How to Have Difficult Conversations – Approacher-Approahcee

There are hundreds of moving parts in the day-to-day activities of a dental practice. Stuff happens even in the most successful practices. It is vital that the entire team is empowered to discuss and resolve issues. However, the fear of confrontation and conflict can often prevent many team members from having necessary difficult conversations. Avoiding the short-term discomfort of having difficult conversations often causes long term dysfunction. When we don’t address issues as they happen, they will spiral out of control. We have all experienced something little grow into something big.

It’s time to have the difficult conversations to sustain a happier, healthier, and higher performing service culture. The conversation includes two roles. The Approacher(s) and Approachee(s). The Approacher(s) is the person conveying and inquiring and the Approachee it the person receiving and responding.

The Approacher’s Role

A difficult conversation is always in private and starts with positive communication from the Approacher. The Approacher shares what they appreciate about the other person. They build up instead of tear down by focusing on the other person’s strengths. A positive conversation has a minimum of a three to one ratio. Three positives for every one growth opportunity. Research shows that exceptional relationships have a five to one ratio. You may be thinking; what if I can’t find 5 positives. Every person has a least 5 strengths you can highlight! We will discover their strengths when we shift our focus from their weaknesses to their strengths. How ironic that our strengths are just taken for granted and minimized whereas our weaknesses are highlighted.

Be specific instead of generalizing. Focus more on objective points than subjective opinions. Just saying “I don’t like it or you’re doing this wrong” is not helpful. On the other hand, stating the specific strengths or skills you would like to see developed is helpful.

Don’t make it personal. Talk about issue not the person. Avoid saying, “you need to”. Start the conversation with the word I instead of saying you. For example, “I noticed,” “I have seen,” “I observed,” or when sharing feedback from others, “I have had reported to me.” “I” conversations are issue-focused instead of person-focused. Always consider how your words may impact the other person. Ask yourself; how can I say what I need to say and be respectful of how they may feel.

Keep your energy neutral and come with a mindset of care, curiosity, and concern instead of judgment and criticism. Never have a conversation when you are angry or frustrated or your emotions will rule the conversation. Instead take a few minutes to process and get calm. Start out by making eye contact with the other person. Be mindful of tone and body language as well as words. A tone of care and concern communicates a sense of importance and provides the appropriate level of sincerity to the conversation. Avoid using sarcasm or derogatory words or the content of the conversation will get lost in the harshness. Once you say something it cannot be taken back. An apology doesn’t mean we forget. The old nursery rhyme that goes sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, is not true. Words can destroy even the best of relationships.

Break your feedback down into key points. Don’t give your feedback as one big lump. Break it down into various key points, then give your feedback point by point.

Give examples of each point. What are the exact issues, situations, or examples where the person exhibits the behaviors you highlighted? There is no need to highlight every single one. – just disclosing a couple of examples per point will be sufficient. The purpose is to bring the person’s awareness to things which he/she may not be aware of and clearly illustrate what you mean.

Be timely! Try to address issues/concerns as they happen or within 24 hours of the occurrence. I have actually seen employers make a list of everything an employee has done wrong or needs to improve on for the year and go over it at their annual review. It reminds me of Santa Claus’s naughty list! It’s no wonder why reviews get a bad rap!

Ask the other person what they need from you (communication, support, training, practice) to be able to achieve the desired results. Together discuss and agree on a resolution.

The Approachee’s Role

The aproachee is to start out by just listening and not taking offense. The team must be able to talk about what’s not working to resolve issues. It is important to recognize that the approacher’s intent is good and to realize that it is not easy to approach someone.

Listen intently before responding. Make eye contact with the other person. Instead of defending, deflecting, or blaming someone else consider how your actions or lack of actions affected the outcome. Be honest with your response.

Acknowledge you heard and understand them. Never assume. If you are unsure ask questions until you clearly understand. If you are thinking I think they mean this…ask more questions.

Don’t take it personal. If the issue pertains to the patients, the practice, or the team it is necessary to address. It can be difficult to hear when we are not meeting the standards or expectations. However, it is necessary to address to create and sustain a happier, healthier and higher performing culture.

Take it seriously. It may not seem important or be a priority to you, but it is for the other person.

Control your emotions. If you are upset don’t just walk off in anger or frustration. Instead, let them know that you need a little time to process the information they shared, and you will respond later that day. Try respond within 24 hours.

If you are on the receiving end of anger or frustration, ask the person if they are okay. This is their cue to reset their energy to calm and neutral. A response of frustration, sigh or rolling of the eyes, may actually be inward focused and yet can feel directed outward. If you are feeling attacked or uncomfortable let them know. For example, you seem frustrated or angry is that directed towards me.

Share what you need (communication, support, training, practice) to be able achieve the desired results. Together discuss and agree on a solution and make a commitment.

Have the difficult conversations to sustain a happier, healthier, and higher performing service culture!

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