What we are about to discuss could change your trajectory and elevate your practice to the next level of excellence. Considering the “new dental economy” we find ourselves in, it is predictable that you might be the very practice owner that needs to read, reread, assess, and act on what we are about to discuss. We all have found ourselves in an employee conundrum. It is hard to keep team members, it costs more to hire new ones, and if we are completely truthful, most of us have lowered our bar on the quality of team members we are willing to hire. So desperate are many doctors, that basically, we hire anyone that can fog a mirror and will actually show up. A dire situation that takes us into one of the most under recognized, poorly addressed causes of stress, poor results, and the cause of mediocre dental practices. In fact, I would also argue that lack of attention in this one area may be the most significant oversite you will ever make. This fact is the greatest hurdle in assembling a great team.
Fact: you will never go any further in your practice than the person who has the lowest commitment to your culture and vision. The “weakest link” refers to the strength of a chain being no stronger than the one link with a flaw or casting imperfection. Take that chain and use it under a load, and it will always fail at the point of that weakest link. If you were a trucker or heavy equipment operator, you would spend an inordinate amount of time checking all of the restraints that tie your heavy equipment to your trailer. A missed flaw could injure or kill someone.
When describing the weakest link in a dental office, I tend to describe basically four categories of employees:
- No one likes the person (no other employees and not the patients) AND the person is unreliable (comes in late, calls out sick, etc.), does as little work as possible, always blames others for mistakes, “forgets” to do things that he/she is supposed to do, is generally grumpy and hard to get along with, and causes a ton of “drama” in the office. ?
- Everyone loves this person (other employees and patients) because he/she is always cheerful and easy to get along with, BUT is unreliable (comes in late, calls out sick, etc.), does as little work as possible, always blames others for mistakes, “forgets” to do things that he/she is supposed to do, is generally grumpy and hard to get along with, and causes a ton of “drama” in the office.
- No one likes the person (no other employees and not the patients) BUT he/she is the best worker you’ve ever had in the practice – does everything with excellence, never forgets anything, comes in early and stays late, always eager to learn/try new things, never complains, and never causes any “drama” in the office. To quote the theme song from Wagon Train: “Free them up, move them out”. We don’t fire people, we just free up their futures so they can move on to an average practice down the street.
- Everyone loves this person (other employees and patients) because he/she is always cheerful and easy to get along with, is the best worker you’ve ever had in the practice – does everything with excellence, never forgets anything, comes in early and stays late, always eager to learn/try new things, never complains, and never causes any “drama” in the office.
SUGGESTIONS/THINGS TO CONSIDER
If you have any Type 1 employees, ask yourself: Why are you paying someone to make your life miserable?
If you have any Type 2 or Type 3 employees, ask yourself: Why are you willing to “settle” for mediocrity?
If you don’t have any Type 4 employees, ask yourself: Why not?
Bonus Question: From the 4 types above, in which category would you place yourself? (Hint: Type 4 people want to be around other Type 4 people. Think about it.)
In the past I have referred to these weak link employees as energy vampires. In a way I think you could also refer to them as toxic workers. The scary part is that the toxin is not always easily apparent. It spreads out without obvious symptoms until it is too late. Many times it is hidden by the appearance that everything is fine, but under the surface it slowly corrodes your culture as well as your results. They come in many shapes and sizes, but they can be categorized into 8 types. A long time ago I promised myself a few things when it came to my employees. I will never hire anyone I cannot fire (best friend, family member, relative of another team member, etc.), and I will not allow an employee to stay in my office that makes my life miserable. I will always be slow to hire and quick to free up someone’s future. Lastly, I will always be looking for a better team member so that I will never hire from desperation. Not a bad creed to live by.
Toxic workers appear for wide variety of reasons, from the negative energy that they give off to a detrimental effect they have on others in your team. The effects can be wide ranging, from making your work environment uncomfortable to seriously impacting productivity and office satisfaction. If you have any doubt as to whether you have one of these toxic energy vampires working in your office, take the test by checking the list.
- They are “secret” know-it-alls: These are devious deluded employees who are perfectly pleasant and agreeable and maybe a team player when the dentist is paying attention, but quickly revert to an annoying know-it-all who can’t seem to allow room for any other opinion but their own. I had one, who was one of my assistants. Passive aggressive types are in this category.
- They act like they are a “made man”, like in the Mafia: They act like they have already paid their dues. This is the person that thinks that just because they have worked here longer than anyone else, that fact alone gives them some level of superiority or special pass to behave in any way they wish. Often this same staff member gets by doing as little as possible and expects newer employees who are currently “paying their dues” to shoulder a greater amount of the work. Been there. It was an office manager that ,early in my career, I had to free up her future.
- The “Yeah, but that’s not my job”: This is a running joke with some hygienists/associates and can be a real nightmare to be around. They will crush an otherwise good team culture. They are very narrow minded and hold a very rigid view of what their jobs entail and leave little or no room for flexibility or “taking one for the team”. They take anything they don’t want to do and treat it as a “hot potato” and quickly pass it along to others. Remember the pillars of a Super General Dental Practice: Purpose Driven, Doctor Led, Staff Owned. It is this lack of ownership mentality in your culture that will hold you back in your growth and results. To read more, just go to www.supergeneralpractice.com for a free copy of the second edition of the Super General Dental Practice book.
- A great self-image for no apparent reason: Often they think their experience is a tangible commodity. They have this vague notion of their perceived experience, without it pointing to any clearly defined skill set or measurable contribution to the team. In my experience these types of employees refuse to learn new skills, grow, and adapt. Experience can be good, but dentistry is at a breakneck pace of change, and everyone must get on board and embrace this change by learning new things and applying the
- The Gossiper: Negative talk and gossip have no place in a dental office. Work doesn’t get done, people’s feelings get hurt, and it takes your focus off the goal and culture of your practice. Not only is their workload output minimal as a result, they’re often a drain on others around them: A classic lose-lose situation.
- They use peer pressure to hold other people back: These energy vampires treat our dental practices as a reality TV show in which they create alliances and enemies and manipulate others around them to achieve their selfish goals. This toxic staff member manipulates and holds other people back while propping themselves up. Quickly vote them off the island.
- They are quick to grab the glory: I even see this in doctors as well as staff members who fail to acknowledge a success as the result of teamwork and collaborative effort. They tend to hog the spotlight and pretend that every success is the sole result of their own influence and contributions.
- They are even quicker to throw others under the bus: This is kind of the flip side of number seven. They are quick to point the finger at others and assign blame when things go sour. These types of people keep everyone on edge and on their toes at work and not in a good way.
If you have checked the box on even one of these types of toxic energy vampires, you need to step up, re-engage, begin to take back your position as a leader, and free up their future. You will never, never go any further than that one person with the lowest commitment to your vision. Each of the 8 types are standalone reasons you will not make it to the next level of practice. I have yet to ever ask a doctor this question and not have them immediately name a person, and sometimes more than one: “Is there anyone in your practice that you would not rehire if everyone quit?” Are you kidding me? Don’t continue to let a person who is sabotaging your practice daily stay one more day.
Just a few more things to discuss about these energy vampires that suck away the joy of creating a positive culture in your office. One of the great disappointments in my life is seeing a doctor struggle and a practice stumble because of these toxic team members. The greatest regret is when I have to tell the doctor that they are that vampire. I hope this has not escaped your review of these weak links. Yes, many times it is the owner doctor. And that my friend is a tough pill to swallow. Remember this when you listen to a lecture, read a book or article, or even sit and listen to advice from a mentor. If people tell you what you want to hear, they want to sell you something. If they tell you what you need to hear, they are trying to help you.
I love stories, so let me take one more step to help you understand the gravity of your plight if you allow these people and their attitudes to remain in your culture.
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 notion 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 team, and possibly not with the patients either. 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 will see the real picture. In this office, even the wife avoided her, 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 else in the office, Bob 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 than to receive and then pass on a problem to someone else, making their life more difficult.
What to do: FREE UP BOB’S (the weakest link) FUTURE NOW!
Michael Abernathy, DDS
972.523.4660 cell
[email protected]