We’ve all seen it. It’s been there the whole time, yet no one wants to point it out, nor does anyone want to talk about it. It is the elephant in the room. Almost every dental office we have coached has dealt with “it.” Whether it’s gossip, hard feelings about unfair workload, over-scheduling, dropping the ball, or just plain laziness, we’ve heard it all! Unfortunately, ignoring problems in your dental practice only means the issue will fester. Believe it or not, patients can pick up on discourse among team members or between the team and the doctor. Eventually, patients may not return, and team members quit in search of something better. The sooner you address the elephant in the room, the better off you and your practice will be in the long run. Today on the blog, our dental practice coaches share four ways to address the elephant in the room.
Establish Ground Rules
One of the first mistakes practices make in meetings that address problems within the practice is failing to establish ground rules. Ensure the meeting starts and ends on time and that each area of the practice is represented. It’s essential that everyone show respect when others are sharing by avoiding side conversations. This meeting isn’t a time to complain and point fingers. Instead, focus on processes, not individuals. Additionally, request that everyone maintain confidentiality.
Designate a Meeting Facilitator
You address important points during your meeting, so it’s essential to designate a meeting facilitator responsible for taking notes, reiterates ground rules, and keeps the team focused on procedural problems instead of letting the meeting get out of control and turning into a blame game.
Prepare Your Team for Challenges
What we mean here is to prepare your team for challenges that may occur throughout the development process. If you’re going to implement a new system, solicit feedback to determine how the change impacts each area of the practice. For instance, if changes are implemented in the front office on how they schedule patients, check with the assistants and hygienists to see how well the changes are working. It’s vital that everyone involved has a voice to know whether the changes are working or not. Adjust accordingly, but be open to hearing constructive criticism from other team members.
Develop a Plan to Move Forward
Accountability is quite honestly one of the most essential aspects of moving forward after addressing problems within your practice. Establish specific goals and protocols for how the team will move forward to fix the problem, and check in often either with morning huddles or one-on-one meetings with team members. Be sure to avoid blaming, shutting down conversations you don’t like about the topic, or making jokes or threats about the problem. It’s natural for a discussion about a serious topic to become heated. If it does, take a break and resume after everyone cools off.
Dental Practice Consultants
Addressing difficult issues within the dental practice isn’t always easy, especially from a doctor’s perspective. It’s natural to want to keep the peace and everyone to like you. But while that may make you feel good, you aren’t doing your practice or your team members any good. In fact, that mindset only sabotages your efforts. Therefore, it’s time to address the elephant in the room at your practice. We hope our tips help you lead your team down a pragmatic path of healing, as well as successfully reach your practice and team goals. For more information or to set up a dental practice coaching session, please call Bryant Consultants at (877) 768-4799.
