Leading through Discord

Does it feel like the whole world is out for a fight right now? Just watching a few minutes of television, listening to anything on talk radio or merely hanging out with friends, there is an air of someone getting into a heated disagreement. The same is true in many of the businesses that I visit. Someone is complaining about another person - they aren’t pulling their weight, cleaning their instruments, coming in late or leaving early before finishing the end-of-day chores. I feel like the world has lost its ever-loving mind!  

How do you, the owner, the leader of your team handle this air of discord within your practice? Since every situation is different, the answer will be different for everyone. To allow yourself a bit of sanity, here are several areas to look toward for methods to handle this unwanted behavior.

1. Stop the always, everys and nevers.

Leading a team means that you are empowering them to perform at their fullest potential. 

Yet, when you find yourself having to address one person on the team that is complaining incessantly that there is never enough time to complete her duties, or the hygienists always let their trays stack up in sterile, or Becky is always late so Mary has to open the office every day, you discover that you are having trouble getting your own duties completed in a timely manner.

Becky may be late often, but is it really always? I find it hard to believe that the hygienists never do their instruments. And if Mary opens the office every day, is it possible that she arrives before all other team members? Some people have that propensity to be the first one into the office. 

Language is important so when someone is telling you a story, an idea or a problem. Have them use an accurate description which allows you to see the true story. If the statement is that Becky is always late, you may ask ‘always … really always?’. Let’s put things into the proper perspective. 

2. Stay in Your Lane: 

Allow people to let you know what is going on in the office, yet control how often they are looking at other people’s behavior. I would recommend a separate notebook or file to keep notes on the habits of Mary calling out other people. Negativity feeds on itself and as someone continues to complain, they rewire their brains into thinking that this is acceptable behavior. To stop this activity, you may have to literally show Mary the number of times that she has called out her fellow workers. This preverbal slap in the face may help her to realize that she has assumed this role of the ‘drama queen’ without having to tell her directly.

One of my biggest pet peeves is tattling; especially with adults. My mantra is that unless someone is stealing, lying or physically hurting someone else, stay in your lane. Do your job and let other people do theirs. No one does anything the exact same way as another because we are not machines, we are humans. 

When Mary comes to tell me, yet again, that someone isn’t doing their job, my response may be ‘And how is this affecting you?’. Or merely, ‘thank you for letting me know’. 

Oftentimes, I will get a return visit from the chronic complainer that nothing ever gets done when she brings up issues in the office. My response is that I took care of things, between me and the other person and there is no need for her to follow up on anything. I will remind her that she needs to stay in her lane and allow me to do my job.

3.  Hold people accountable: 

There are rules and regulations everywhere, especially in the dental office. If you allow any of these rules to be bent or broken, you are letting that person know that it is acceptable behavior. 

For instance, at the staff meeting, you announce to everyone that if clinical notes are not completed daily, you will begin formal documentation of the neglect.

Judy fails to complete her clinical notes daily and a few times a week the office manager must remind her to close out the appointment so she can submit a claim to insurance. Nothing is done about her poor behavior.

The week after the staff meeting, Debbie does not complete her notes once and gets ‘written up’. 

You had also announced that people need to stay off their phones while on the clock; yet you walk past Joann who is not only on her phone, she is scrolling through Facebook. You do nothing about it. 

You can make all the rules you want, however, until you hold people accountable for the rules that are made, you are wasting your breath. If you correct some people but not others, you are telling the team that you have favorites. Only the favorites can get break the rules. 

This creates animosity and resentment within the team.  

4. Address matters immediately:

See something - Say something. Avoid turning a blind eye on anyone breaking the rules or negatively affecting the culture of your practice. If you have been doing that, you can’t go back and address previous situations, but you can start addressing these issues moving forward. 

I’m often told that people do not like confrontation, neither do I; I also don’t like people breaking the rules. Addressing unwanted behavior does not have to be confrontational. 

Let’s look at the previous examples: 

Debbie was written up for the same infraction that Judy had, yet Judy was only told to go back and do what she had not done. The two ladies should have been handled the same way - either with a write up or merely being told to go back to complete the task; following up with a reminder to each about the directive given at the staff meeting and a warning that next time there will be formal documentation.

As you see Joann scrolling through Facebook on her phone; you look straight at her and ask if she is on the clock? Or does she need something to do? Also remind her of the message given at the staff meeting.

Neglect of company policies is unprofessional and needs formal documentation. Possibly a warning may be in order, but only one. When you say it, mean it. Once you make a public announcement to the team, address infractions immediately and equally. 

5. Review your Leadership style:

Are you a micromanager? Do you feel that you have to provide excessive supervision to the entire team? You expect them to do things exactly like you do it or you feel the need to be in constant control of every aspect within your company. 

I have one word for you - delegation. Yep, I said it and I mean it. There is an empowerment for your team when you delegate responsibility to the people that you have hired to fulfill your dreams and vision. If you are keenly focused on every step throughout the day, you are not giving your company the ability to grow and dream of bigger and better.

Delegation builds confidence and loyalty within your team. It also gives you the ability to build trust in your team

This doesn’t mean that you need to throw your hands up and just give everyone full discretionary power to do whatever they want. It is still your business and only you have total cart blanche. As  you are delegating duties to your team, also give them terms to report their progress. 

You can spot audit activity to build your trust and monitor their accuracy on the completion of tasks. 

The flip side of micromanager is macro-management. Let everyone do their thing independently.  This is great as long as the policies and regulations are being followed. The downside to this style is often a disconnect between management and the employees. 

If there is a total laissez-faire attitude, then you may be giving up too much responsibility. 

A bit of self-reflection can determine which is your leadership style. 

6. Team building:

As humans we are social creatures and maintain a pack mentality. Although the impact of the pandemic hindered that process, the bottom line is that we need socialization to enhance our personal and emotional development. 

What does this have to do with the dental office? Our co-workers are our pack. We communicate and interact with each other more than even what we perceive to be our real pack - our families. Team building with coworkers has a significant effect on our day-to-day productivity in the office. 

With a minor amount of team building activity, we can enhance our communication by understanding each other’s styles. Additionally, we build trust and have a better awareness of the people we stand beside each day. It increases problem solving, fosters the true team approach and even decreases potential conflicts. 

A simple team building exercise may seem inconsequential, yet the positive effects are amazing. Most of these activities encourage collaboration, creativity, innovation and produce much needed laughter. 

As a business owner, and in most cases also a dentist, you have so much on your plate. Dealing with whining and complaining is not a lesson taught in any Wharton School of Business course, much less in dental school. It’s exhausting and a total time suck of your day. You would rather perform 75 root canals than have to listen to Becky tell you about Mary being late again today. 

I hope that some of the ideas here will help you grab the reigns and get in front of this behavior. 

If you feel that you could use some assistance, reach out to me (denise@GTSgurus.com) and let’s discuss it.

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Denise Ciardello, Consultant

Denise is co-founder of Global Team Solutions. A professional speaker and published author, her enthusiasm and knowledge about the dental profession has helped many dental teams. She brings experience, insight, and creativity into her management style, along with a sense of humor. In a profession that can cause anxiety in some dental employees.

Denise’s consulting approach is to partner with doctors and team members to help them realize the dream of creating a thriving, successful practice.

Denise can be reached at: denise@gtsgurus.com

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