THE ADA PRACTICAL GUIDE TO LEADING AND MANAGING THE DENTAL TEAM 7 Celebrating Wins and Acknowledging Opportunities for Improvement In the uniquely insular work environment of a dental practice it is especially important to recognize a job well done. It is equally important to address shortcomings, albeit in a specific way. A good mantra to follow is: praise in public, criticize in private. Dental Drama #4: My staff lacks initiative. We all love to hear about it when we are doing a good job. It builds our morale, helps us feel invested in our role and encourages us to keep progressing. As the leader of the practice, the dentist contributes to the overall spirit in the office, and when the staff succeeds, it is an opportunity to praise a job well done. While it’s easy to celebrate a win, it can be a struggle determining how to address mistakes or shortcomings. When errors are made or targets are missed without any effort to resolve the issue at hand, the atmosphere around the office can quickly become toxic. Staff members who are pulling their weight may resent those who repeatedly make mistakes. They can also begin to resent the dentist for allowing problems to fester. Neither the practice nor the team is able to function at peak performance if the staff is divided, so it’s necessary for any behavior changes to be addressed promptly and under the right circumstances in order to avoid potential drama. However, criticizing a staff member immediately and publicly can actually do more harm than good. Emotions are often high in the heat of the moment, and if members of the staff come to believe they will be chastised in front of their peers whenever they make a mistake, a nervous energy can develop. The dentist may come to believe the team lacks initiative, when in reality it could simply be that the staff members are simply nervous to make mistakes out of fear of being publicly scolded. Another way drama occurs is when the dentist decides that addressing the dental team as a group is the best way to address an issue that applies only to a single team member, hoping that person will somehow “know who I’m talking about.” In reality, it’s often the most high-achieving team member who assumes that he or she is at fault, while the guilty party sits idly by, convinced that the dentist’s comments apply to everyone else. Furthermore, strong leaders look at a mistake not as a negative situation, but as an opportunity for growth. Often mistakes are the result of an ordinary miscommunication or a flawed thought process. It can be a teaching moment for the dentist to help a staff member understand where he or she went wrong, and how to avoid the same issue in the future. Keep in mind that applicable law may require certain errors by staff members to be documented. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires a covered dental practices to document failure to comply with the dental practice’s HIPAA policies and procedures, and to apply appropriate sanctions (and document those sanctions). To best facilitate a behavior change, have a private discussion with the guilty party whenever possible. Take the time to sit down individually with the team member involved to get to the root of the problem. Remember that it’s best to get information about the situation straight from the source than relying on secondhand information or office gossip, so allow the individual to share their experience from their point of view. This helps the dentist better understand where