I was in an office the other day speaking with the staff and Doctor. The Doctor’s wife also works in the office a couple of days a week. While observing the office and strategizing how they could take it up a notch or two, I was hit with the fact that this office, like many others, had one employee that was going to make changes impossible. You probably have one in your office right now. They have been with you many years. They do a good job most of the time, but always resist change. If you think about it, they are not that warm and fuzzy with the rest of the staff (and the patients). It is always their way or the highway. But they do seem like they know what they are doing. Once you actually start measuring their performance you see the real picture. In this office, even the wife avoided this person and everyone tiptoed around her when it came to confrontation. She was always the naysayer in staff meetings: Always seemed to find a reason not to change. If the rest of the group agrees to some system, you will usually find that she does not seem to comply and when stressed falls back to doing what she did in the previous office she left. She is not a team player and is not engaged in team planning and practice building. In fact she is probably actively sabotaging your office.
We call this the “Bob Principle“: When Bob (or in this case Christy) has a problem with everyone, Bob (Christy) is the PROBLEM.
- Bob is a problem carrier. There are mail carriers that deliver mail. Bob delivers problems.
- Bob is a problem finder. Bob’s approach is that anytime things appear to be doing better, Bob would say you have overlooked something.
- Bob is a problem creator: If there were two buckets (water and gasoline) Bob’s would be the gasoline and would create a disaster.
- Bob is a problem receiver: Bob loves nothing better but to receive and pass on a problem.
What to do: FREE UP BOB’S FUTURE NOW!