What’s it like to work for you?

As a small business owner, you probably spend a lot of time analyzing your business. This probably involves time spent on marketing and advertising, as well as sharpening your clinical skills. It means not only being the HR department and CFO, but also staff psychologist and client services director. But how often have you thought about what it’s really like to work for you?

What are your employees thinking when they see you pull into the parking lot, and what do they say when you leave for the day? The answers to these questions are manifested in your office’s culture. If you are having trouble developing a loyal staff who is committed to the growth of the practice and delivering a patient experience second to none, maybe it’s you. One of the traits of great leaders is the ability to be self-aware.

Knowing your management style is a critical ingredient to being an effective leader. Are you decisive when difficult decisions need to be made or do you hide in your office? Do you take the time to really listen to employee suggestions and problems, or are you trying to send an email or text message at the same time? Are you constantly looking to make changes that will positively impact the patients, employees and the practice, or are you growing complacent?

Studies show that the main reason people leave a job is not money or benefits, it’s because of the manager or boss they report to. People are naturally drawn to places where they are appreciated, as well as challenged. People need an emotional connection, as well as a financial one. Nobody wants to play on losing team with a coach that doesn’t think they can win. Sometimes you need to give a great locker room speech.

Help Wanted – Technical Skills or Culture?

By: Joe McGonigal

Dental practices are always facing staffing issues, whether adding new members or dealing with turnover. Last I checked, most practices don’t have an HR department. The job of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring new staff members usually falls in the hands of either the dentist herself or an office manager. What criteria is most important when selecting new team members, hiring someone with the necessary technical skills or someone that fits the practice culture?

Placing a higher premium on skills could have widespread ramifications. How will the morale of the other employees be impacted? Will the patients’ experience change? Just adding a new staff member places stress on a practice, let alone when that new member begins to put pressure on the practice’s foundation.

I would argue that technical skills should be a baseline requirement, but not sufficient enough to earn employment. Practices spend months and years developing their culture. It’s woven into their fabric.. Once damaged it could be an uphill climb to rebuild. You can’t diminish how important technical skills are, but great practices are built on great people. How did you handle your last hire?

Here Boy

Guest Post by: Joe McGonigal

I have a three-year old yellow lab, named Murphy. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can relate to the popular book and movie “Marley & Me”, but for me it reads like an autobiography. The reason I am in this situation is because I am a terrible dog trainer. Of all the bad habits Murphy has, not coming when he is called is the one that bothers me the most. This command is also known as recall. A dog with good recall skills comes running to its owner’s side when the command is given. Many dog trainers would argue that it is the most important command you can teach your dog because it’s a safety issue. Imagine you are out with your dog and he starts running toward a busy street. If you call his name and he responds immediately, it could save his life. If he doesn’t respond, the results are left to chance.

So while I was out yesterday working with my dog on his recall, I got to thinking about the similarities between dog training and hygiene appointments. That’s right, dog training and hygiene.

Many times when I meet with clients, the topic of hygiene recall comes up. Doctors and hygienists frequently discuss their frustration about patients who don’t see the value in regular hygiene appointments. What I realized is that, just like with dogs, this is a trained behavior.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do your patients know why consistent hygiene is critical to their long-term oral health?
• Does everyone on your staff communicate the same message? (My wife and I use inconsistent training methods, thus sending mixed signals to Murphy. We’re not getting the desired result.)
• If your patients are responding differently than you would like them to, have you evaluated your training methods?
• Do your patients equate hygiene with prevention and being proactive?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions, this would be a great opportunity to talk with your staff and develop an action plan. It seems that relationships, whether owner and dog or patient and doctor are more fulfilling when each party knows how their supposed to act. Don’t leave your patients dental health to chance.
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Joe has been with Patterson Dental for nine years and currently serves as the Connecticut Branch Manager. He started his career as a territory representative in the Philadelphia area and has also worked as the Branch Manager in Arizona. In his different roles he has had the opportunity to work with several hundred practices and professionals in several different markets.

Go Ahead, Make My Day

I had an appointment with a financial guy, Chris, at my house the other night. While I was waiting for him to show up, I decided to get started on the leaves. Raking leaves is pointless in New England this time of year, but it still has to get done. As I was raking, I was thinking about work and relationships, and I started fantasizing that Chris would come meet me in the back yard and help me rake while we had the meeting. I pictured us talking and really building a great working relationship. We were living happily ever after in our client/rep world. It was pure bliss, and it would’ve made for a great commercial.

Some history – A few weeks back, Chris’s senior partner Anthony, had originally made contact with me and set everything up to come out to the house to meet. He came with Chris who was silent through most of the meeting, and I assumed he was learning the business. When I completed the homework and emailed Anthony for a second meeting, it was Chris who had responded, mentioning that he would be managing my account. I put him off a few times and probably would have left it at that; until he caught me on the phone a week ago. I was honest when he asked why I had not returned his messages. I told him I didn’t appreciate the bait and switch, and that I’d like to get to know the person I’d actually be working with. I suggested we start over and he come out alone.

Unfortunately my fantasy was not meant to be. Chris didn’t join me in the yard, and my second rake sat unused. Our meeting was fine, but as we were saying goodbye, the leaves came up and I joked that next time, he should bring a rake. The punch line: he said he saw me raking and was going to help, but for some reason didn’t. How often do we miss the opportunity to step out of our comfort zone? How often do we miss the chance to make someone’s day? It probably didn’t cost him the business, but it certainly would have locked it up.

With Your Success in Mind

If you’ve ever gotten email from me, you have seen this as my salutation. I admit that it sounds a little cliché, but I remember when I first saw it and I thought it was a great way to approach the relationship that you create with each client. Everyone measures success differently. Some want a big bank account, some want more free time, and others seek something else entirely different. As a dental professional, ask yourself if you are thinking first about the person you are working with. Are you hearing their concerns, fears, and wishes? Are you offering the highest level of education, treatment planning, and support that fits with both your professional expertise, and their vision? By focusing on your patient or client, you can build a culture that fits with your own vision of success.

Dentists are Scary, Salespeople are Liars.

Let’s face it, dentists and salespeople are never going to make the cut for a “Top Ten Most Popular People” list. People tend to think first of our negative stereotypes: going to the dentist means pain, and sales people are liars. I don’t think that’s you, and that’s certainly not me. I know what it’s like to fail as an entrepreneur, and I’m learning what it’s like to succeed. What I’m learning is that you run a small business, I run a small business, and your supply rep is running a small business. Each of us deals with overhead, team issues, and expenses. The idea for this blog is to bring our ideas together to build and spread the knowledge base. Certainly, there are hugely successful practices out there that you would like to ask, “How do you do it?” The other side of this story are the sales reps who work closely with, and help build these practices. There are a lot of smart people out there with great ideas who contribute to the success of our industry. I hope what you find here is some dentistry, some business, and some fun. I think you can expect to see 2-3 posts per week with some guest posts here and there. Your ideas and comments are always welcome.