Monthly Archives: February 2017

Managing Team Conflict

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notlistening

Whose job is it anyway?

I Stopped at my favorite local Starbuck’s today and things were jumping.  Could it be coffee for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day?  Nonetheless, after I placed my order I couldn’t help but overhear what sounded like a heated discussion between one of the baristas and the store manager, Erica.  The level of conversation was high and continued to escalate in spite of the crowds and cross-banter at the coffee bar that should have drowned it out.  I’m sure that not only could I hear the conversation, but I suspect many others could as well.

“She never picks up after herself”, said Trevor, “and with that she runs out the door as quickly as she can and the end of her shift and I never see her grab the garbage or do anything to help the rest of us. I’ve really had it with her. You need to address it as soon as possible.”

The body language was almost as interesting as the dialog, with Trevor leaning forward and Erica looking stunned with almost a glazed look in her eyes.  It appeared as though Erica was near tears and didn’t know how to respond.  I was hoping that with every word Trevor uttered she would be intentionally moving him toward the back room, but this never happened. With Trevor’s rambling, it was obviously difficult for her to get a word in, or move him away from the patrons at least. Erica was clearly very uncomfortable

My coffee was placed on the bar and as they called my name I grabbed it as I heard Erica say, “Okay, stay a little later with me and help me make a list of the things you want me to address with Stephanie. Is there anyone else that has similar issues with her?”

Whoa, really?, I thought to myself.  I see a couple of things here that are unacceptable and problematic at best.  Why not stop him right away noticing the crowd that had been forming in the store? Why not immediately take him to a quiet place for a moment so that others wouldn’t be privy to the conversation? And why oh why would you encourage this employee to continue his anger with you so publically? These aren’t your issues, they are between him and a fellow employee and should be resolved between them without any interaction from their managers, bosses or superiors.

My experience today reminded me of those I have witnessed while working in practices over the years. It’s the team members airing their issues and not always in the most healthy manner or most opportune time. It’s the dentist/employer who will stop and listen to this rhetoric getting much more engaged in the story than they should.

Have you established guidelines and very specific “language” in your practice culture overview or employee manual to manage issues of this nature?

Direct your employees to solve their own problems and become more self-sufficient, for if you continue to offer them a platform to vent, their problems will immediately become yours.

How Long is Too Long?

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The Impact of Delaying the Inevitable

It is not at all uncommon for me to connect with a dentist who approaches me simply for advice, although often it is followed up by a full engagement.  The struggles and challenges vary, but one problem seems to be more and more prevalent; and that is the long-term employee who has actually stayed way too long. 

All too often when asked, “How long has this employee been with you and when did you realize that they were not right for you and your practice?”  I have heard things like, “Oh, about 25 years and I knew this wasn’t going to work about 24 years ago.”  The first time I ran into this I was shocked, but having heard a similar strain a number of times I am no longer shocked and have almost learned to understand the dynamics of why this happens.

Once again, we are back to the behavioral style of us dental folk.  We are not comfortable with change or confrontation, and in some cases to such a degree that we would rather deal with less than competent employees year after year than to either address their weaknesses or try to help them correct their inefficiencies.  After a while it gets to a point where the employer just accepts what “is” and learns to deal with it, at the expense of ideal practice culture, harmony, and effectiveness.  In some cases they are even willing to sacrifice good team members who leave the practice, unable to work alongside of the bad apple or non-productive, disinterested employee.

There’s no one “moment of truth” that puts the employer over the edge or gets them to a place where they know it is time to dismiss this person.  I haven’t been able to isolate one specific thing that seems to be the catalyst or “inspiration” that finally makes them wake up and realize that it’s time! I’m also amazed at how often I observe them saying goodbye to outstanding and valuable employees over and over again, knowing quite well that the contributing factor to their resignation is clearly based on the one employee that they also know is bringing the team and often the production down.

So are we slow learners?  Would a major catastrophe be something to get us going? What type of stimulus does it take to motivate an employer to do what they should have done many years ago?

I’ve written before about those dentist/employers that prefer to keep their heads in the sand. As for a recommendation going forward, there’s really no “secret”.  I think it’s just a matter of recognizing the problem team member and having the will to take action.