I hate flying.
It rates right up there with getting an RCT without anesthetic, or, an exam at the friendly proctologist’s office.
What’s to not like about it?
The smells.
("Crop dusting," aka farting, appears as an invisible art form for some on planes and in airports.)
Which leads me to…
The people. And…
The TB that’s been recently spread about.
Oh, and of course the TSA – thousands standing around.
At least they’re keeping us safe (if you really believe that, you oughta read the news).
Some day, I'll tell you about my less-than-fun experience with Agents at the Cleveland airport.
Anyway – enough of me complaining. We’ve got work to do.
One of the big challenges you identified to me you're faced with and want help with is leadership.
So, let's talk about leadership. Because, without proper leadership in your practice, dude (or dudette), you’ve got major problems.
The inmates will run your asylum.
Patients won’t follow your rules. They won’t show up. They won’t buy your best treatment options, and, they won’t come back for repeat visits (see, no point in talking marketing yet, until you get this leadership thing down).
And, I can guarantee, with near 100% certainty, if there is no leadership in your practice, you’re earning a small fraction of what you should or could be.
And, you’re the guy/gal that’s dipped into your 401-k or maxed out credit cards to keep things alive. I know…I was once that guy.
Failure to earn what you’re worth, alone, in my eyes, is reason enough to buckle down and ADAPT/learn what true leaders do, how they behave, what character traits they possess, and more.
Do you want to make more money with the same number of hours you’re already putting in?
(Sad fact? I don’t work in my dental office. This week, I’ve already made my less than 1-hour visit, yet, my office will throw up more production than the average practice…why’s that? How could that be? Read on…)
Your first assignment is to find your voice. Next, grab a sack of courage. Some might call 'em balls.
Then, sit down right now and write down what you want your practice to look and sound like and how you want your patients and employees to behave.
Make it detailed. Spend as much time on this -- on each, patient behavior and employee behavior -- as you would studying to place your first implant.
One of the very first steps a leader takes is defining their version of success. For me and my dental office, it was to never be at the dental office for more than a few minutes each week while simultaneously having a profitable operation.
I’ve achieved that.
So, I know a thing or two about this practice building thing…
Back to that writing down of your vision…
Once you have that, you need to start LIVING it by setting an example. The next step, while easy for me to write, will be your most challenging and is an absolute requirement for your future success:
YOU’VE GOT TO HOLD YOUR EMPLOYEES’ FEET TO THE FIRE.
You set the tone. You set the expectations. YOU must hold them accountable. (The same goes for your patients!)
A SIMPLE TEST: If work starts at 7:45 and you expect to have a morning huddle at 7:50 and 1 of 5 employees are there, what do you do?
A) Fire the 4 that are not there
B) Cancel the meeting and piss and moan all day
C) Throw instruments at the wall, scaring your 1 employee and patients in the waiting room
D) All of the above
It’s your first day of laying down the law and setting expectations, exercising your new-found power as a leader….what are you going to do? Oh, and you have a fairly full schedule. Not 100% because you’ve never made that a high (as in numero uno) priority (lack of leadership thing, perhaps?).
If you want to develop leadership skills, you’ll know how to handle this situation and dozens like it. You must become adept at doing so.
How would I handle it you ask?
I delegate it. I have a full-time COO, or practice administrator, to run my business. That’s my easy solution. If I had to personally deal with it, I’d:
- praise the 1 that showed up and let him/her know that behavior is the right behavior and
- when the other 4 decided it was time to come to work, I’d take the aside and give them a choice: you’re either on-time to the morning huddle tomorrow, or, don’t even both coming in.
- if any of them were late the next day, no matter the excuse, I’d send ‘em packing.
This behavior sets the expectations you have for your employees, at a high level where they should be. You are, after all, running a sophisticated healthcare-based practice/business.
And, your new behavior puts the fear of job loss into those who still have one if you let one go.
Now, I won’t be too popular with the "feel-good" consultants out in dental land with my next parry, but, a firing is often good for morale. It tends to light a fire under the rear-ends of those who don’t have it and need it.
Interestingly enough, I know business owners who’ve chosen D above, too. I’m a rebel – I don’t look for the answers from the multiple choice… I go outside the lines or the proverbial “box,” to get mine. I’d encourage you to do the same.
So, there’s today’s lesson in leadership. Oh, and, as the leader, if you’re setting these high expectations for your employees, you CANNOT set an example to the contrary – in other words, you must BE the example.
Live it.
More to come…
Adios,
Jerry
PS. You might be wondering how to be more productive as a leader – and, how you can better manage your time outside your practice. I’d encourage you to check out my book on Peak Productivity & Time Management at www.JJDBooks.com. It’s also available on Amazon.