Dental Drills Bits – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Does the truth always prevail when rumors run rampant in the dental community? In this eye-opening episode, Michael and Sandy confront the damaging effects of rumors and misinformation that pervade the dental industry. They tackle the common pitfalls of comparing oneself or one's practice to others, emphasizing how this can erode confidence and productivity. Delving into specific scenarios such as production numbers and appointment cancellations, Sandy and Michael illustrate how external benchmarks often mislead rather than motivate, highlighting the perilous journey of false comparisons.

With social platforms like Facebook and Dentaltown serving as breeding grounds for misinformation, Sandy sheds light on how these spaces can exacerbate fears and quash morale. Her key message? Look inward. Dentists should optimize their internal systems and focus on teamwork to drive success, instead of seeking solace in unreliable sources. The duo offers practical advice to reclaim control, foster positivity, and nurture a practice culture built on verified insights and self-assured growth.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The risks of comparing your dental practice to others.
• How rumors and misinformation impact morale and decision-making.
• Effective strategies for improving internal systems and team dynamics.
• The role of social media in spreading falsehoods within the dental community.
• Ways to build confidence by focusing on internal measures and outcomes.

Tune in to discover how to shield your practice from the clutches of damaging rumors and boost your team's morale!

Sponsors:

Do you need a new website or marketing agency? Check out what DocSites can do for you: https://www.DocSites.com/landing-pages/ddb/

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Dentaltown

People:

Dr. Bob Westerman

Is gossip silently drilling holes in your dental practice, eroding trust and harmony?

In this episode of Dental Drill Bits, Michael and Sandy embark on a candid exploration of gossip within dental offices. Sandy dives deep, demystifying the corrosive nature of workplace chatter, sharing eye-opening stories, and offering firsthand insights. With the lively discussion, they expose how gossip not only deteriorates team morale but also impacts patient care subtly yet significantly. Sandy's storytelling captures the gravity of gossip as she narrates the poignant poem "Nobody's Friend," serving as a stark reminder of its potential damage.

Michael and Sandy arm you with actionable strategies to cultivate a gossip-free work environment. The episode underscores the power of clear communication, fostering team agreements, and how leaders can actively counter gossip's spread. This episode promises to enlighten dental teams on the path to nurturing a more cohesive, trusting workplace where everyone thrives.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The hidden costs of gossip on team morale and patient care.
• Practical strategies for fostering a gossip-free work environment.
• The importance of clear communication in preventing workplace gossip.
• How to implement team agreements to strengthen workplace harmony.
• The critical role leaders play in addressing and mitigating gossip.

Tune in now to eliminate gossip and build a healthier, more united practice!

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Events:

Poems:

Nobodies Friend poem

Hotels:

The Ritz-Carlton

Saint Hotel

Hamton Inn

Courtyard - Marriott

People:

Julia Child

Ina Garten - Interview

What happens when you appoint someone an office manager without proper training? In today's rerun episode Michael and Sandy dive deep into this critical issue afflicting many dental practices. They explore the stark differences between an office manager and a front office employee, debunking common misconceptions that can lead to team conflicts and inefficiencies. Sandy illustrates that in practices with under ten employees, appointing team leaders for different departments is a more effective strategy than designating an office manager. Furthermore, the episode highlights the essential role of an office manager as a key liaison, running protocols, handling team trainings, and guiding workflows, while they should steer clear from patient-facing roles. This division ensures each person contributes their best to the team's success.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• The true differences between an office manager and a front office employee
• Why mislabeling roles can create chaos within a dental practice
• Ideal staff filling roles when you have fewer than ten employees
• Core responsibilities that should define an office manager's tasks
• Areas an office manager should avoid to ensure focused management
• Importance of effective communication with and among dental office teams
• How to handle and improve issues with existing office managers
• The key qualities an aspiring office manager should possess
• Understanding the structural integrity needed for harmonious office dynamics
• Tips on restructuring practices to incite better efficiency and cohesion

Set your dental practice on the road to ultimate success—Listen to this episode now!

(This episode originally aired on Nov 03, 2022)

Mentions and Links:

Communities/Groups:

Dental Gumbo Group

Did you know if your team is less than 10 employees, you more than likely should NOT have an office manager! Some practice owners put someone who has some dental experience in the front and name them an office manager. That is not the right thing to do. 

In this episode Sandy breaks down the real responsibilities of an Office Manager and when is it time to bring one on. We also discuss how promoting or having someone considered an “office manager” can actually cause more harm than good. We also discuss how to demote an office manager and discuss the proper script and terminology on how to do this.

There’s a shocking statistic that Sandy mentions in this episode which is: 1.6 million people are changing dentists and 25%-50% patients are lost over a 5 year period. This means we MUST work on our attrition, retaining these patients! 

In this episode Sandy tells us the 3 main reasons why we lose patients and how we can stop making these major mistakes. She also gives us a system on what our team should do to make sure our attrition rate is good. We also discuss and talk about scripts on what we should ask our patients to make sure their experience is always above and beyond!

You know what? You shouldn’t even call them “performance reviews” anymore! In this episode Sandy lets us know exactly what we should do with the “one on one” meetings we have with our team members. Meeting one on one with team members is always a good thing.

Sandy tells us how we should call them a “one on one” and bring the employee’s:

• Attendance record
• Statistics
• Ask them “how do you think it’s going”?
• Involve the whole team

She breaks each one of these things down and dives into specifics on how we should handle every point. Another good thing to keep in mind is we should never tie “one on ones” or performance reviews with raises! Listen to this episode to understand why!

If you haven’t heard “How to Handle “Inter-Office wars” which was the episode before this one, please go do so! It got so much feedback! Because of all the questions we received, Sandy decided to answer those questions and do a part two!

The 2 most popular things that people contacted Sandy after the previous episode was:

1. What to do if you are new to the office and you witness “inter-office wars”/ what do you do if you are a team member watching on the sidelines “inter-office war” happening? What should you do? 
2. Team members complaining to the doctor or gossiping to the doctor. Trying to get to the doctor on their side. 

In this episode Sandy dives deeper on these two scenarios and also shows you how to handle them from an employee perspective and a practice owner's perspective.

Are you experiencing gossip, negativity, conflicts between your team, dishonesty, and employees always shifting the blame to other employees? This episode will help! 

20% of all workers are unhappy with their jobs! This means that 80% are trying to get along with their workers and the other 20% are sabotaging that relationship! A lot of this dissatisfaction doesn’t have to do with the job itself, but it’s with the worker’s attitudes. 

One thing Sandy has observed over the decades of handling employee conflicts and “inter-office wars” is that the more organized a practice is, the more the agreements that are in place, the less “inter-office wars” happen! In this episode Sandy gives us the definition of what “inter-office wars” means, how this is occurring in many offices today (either the front office doesn't get along with the back office, or someone on the team keeps gossiping about another team member, etc.) and she tells us exactly how to handle it!

Nowadays there are lots of consultants out there. Specific consultants and consultants who try to cover everything under the sun. However, what is the ultimate goal of a consultant? In this episode Sandy gives us insight on this and what we MUST look out for, when it comes to bringing on a consultant.

Sandy tells us what questions we should ask before hiring the consultant, what their goal should be, how much productions should be going up, how the team should feel, what road-bumps the consultant may face, how can you tell you are getting a “cookie cutter” consultant, and what data they should have.

A consultant's goal is not to be hired and work for the practice forever, it's to work with the practice until the owner (and team) is completely satisfied with the results. Listen into this episode if you have EVER thought about hiring a practice management consultant.

“Quiet quitting” is nothing new, it just has a name now. According to a recent study: “Quiet Quitters” make up 50% of the US workforce! 32% are disengaged employees and 18% are the type of employees that go on social media and trash talk or display how they hate their employer. Why does “quiet quitting'' happen?

In this episode Sandy lets us know how we can identify these "quiet quitters" and what you should look for before it’s too late. These types of employees will kill your productivity and also drag down your team culture and ultimately hinder your growth. 

As you’re listening to this episode you may start to identify that you MAY have a “quiet quitter”. So listen to this episode to see how you can handle any “quiet quitting” situation.