Archive for July, 2008

Resistance to Change

July 30, 2008 at 11:00 pm · Filed under People ·Tagged , ,

What happens if I encounter a lot of resistance? 

There are a couple of reasons people resist change – one is they don’t want the boat rocked, they like how things are going now and introducing change might cause them to have to think differently (think period!), or do their work in a new way.  By understanding and knowing who your people are, by referring to Reaction Modes in Section 3 called “Get the Ball Rolling” in the 1 in 9 Dentists Change Blaster Kit…. you will have the opportunity to assess who will most likely be the biggest resistors to what you want to happen and to what you want to introduce.  The program gives you some tools to prepare for the resistance and gives detailed information on how to handle each of the reaction modes you might encounter.

If you already know ahead of time that this is a possibility; first you can set an intention that everyone will see how what you are doing will be a great benefit for them and the practice.  Just set the intention for how you want them to receive the news and you will immediately shift some of the potential resistance energy.  Remember that what you expect is frequently what you get.  You have the choice to have a chat ahead of time with the people who might likely want to sabotage your efforts directly or indirectly or just allow them to express themselves and use the guide in 1in9Dentists to assist you with the way to handle them during the meeting.  Make it so it is not going to be a problem and it won’t because you have all the tools in this program to handle it!  You are the leader and you can!

Another great benefit of knowing ahead of time what to expect from each member of your team gives you the opportunity to craft your messages, your content and your delivery in ways that will allow everyone to support you.  Change provides tremendous opportunities for growth. 

In another post we can discuss how having all the right people on your team makes this process easier.  It doesn’t mean there might not be resistance; it just means change is not something they embrace easily.

Meanwhile, how are your change efforts going?  What great things are beginning to happen?  I’d love to hear.

Thank you.

Kathy

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Who Should Manage This Project?

July 29, 2008 at 2:33 am · Filed under People, Who should manage this project? ·Tagged , , ,

Who should manage this project? 

 

 

My Front Office Manager “rules…” –  can I have her lead this effort?

 

First you must ask yourself - is this the way you want this to go?  Is this the best way of introducing the changes you have in mind to your team and if appropriate, the patients? What is your vision for this project and your role in the practice?  How well is your office manager received?  What kind of leader is your office manager – does he/she demonstrate the leader skills that reflect your values?  Will this allow you to focus on other aspects of the practice that are more fun for you?  Is this a part of your overall plan to develop the people in your practice and transfer authority to them.  Is this a part of your growth vision?

 

Once you decide that this is the best way for you to go, you can go through the program with your manager and determine who will be involved and at what stage they will be involved and who will communicate the information to the team.  You want to communicate to your manager that you want to make this seamless and provide an opportunity to create a standard strategy for handling change in your practice, communicating the plan, delegating responsibilities, creating execution deadlines and setting up celebrations for completion.  So absolutely, go for it!  And if he/she already knows how to take a program and run with it…then you can eliminate some of the steps above and proceed with the process you have in place for how and when you want to be informed and to what degree you desire to be involved.

 

Great leaders delegate and empower others and your choice to develop the people on your team will significantly build trust. 

 

The 1in9 Dentists Change Blaster Kit has everything your Office Manager needs to create a “replicatable” process for change every time you have simple or complex changes you need to  implement and communicate in your practice.  Once he or she has delivered this program for you and put everyone through the process, they will experience deep satisfaction and have developed a skill set many would wish to master.

 

Thanks for the question!

Kathy

 

More Resources for you:

I had an opportunity to meet Phyllis Waite the other day and she is dedicated to developing successful dental teams and effective leaders.  She has enjoyed enormous success and continues to seek new ways to change the face of the dental industry.  I like her no-nonsense approach and her candid remarks.  Although I am about change; her take on all this is that it is about growth.  Both work!  In my commitment to offer additional resources, give her a call – or check out her website!

 

 

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Symptoms indicating a need for a change intervention

July 24, 2008 at 4:42 pm · Filed under Symptoms for Change Intervention, Uncategorized ·Tagged , ,

I thought I would start out today with addressing some of the reasons you might want to consider implementing a change strategy with your team.  I feel that can best be described by answering the following question.

 

What are some of the symptoms that demonstrate my need for the “1in9 Dentists Change Blaster Kit”?

 

This list is not comprehensive, yet is representative of many of the indicators for a change intervention – frustration with work requests incomplete or untouched, deadlines on important projects missed, difficulties within the team, inability to delegate, frequent turn over, burnout, lack of control, misunderstandings, patient loss, you are already going through change and want it to be as seamless as possible, you desire to develop change muscle or to master change, flexing with change, increasing your teams ability to adapt to change, creating strategies for handling current and future change, and finally mastering communicating change with strength and compassion.

 

Some critical behaviors that may signal a need for change – patient complaints, frequent misunderstandings, silly arguments, poor attitude, drop in performance, increased absenteeism, mini explosions when asked to do something, grumbling and that eerie feeling that things seem to be going well yet you sense a brewing storm.

 

Other specific situations that having a change intervention plan in place will be helpful include purchasing a new practice, melding two teams together, integrating new services into your practice, major technological upgrades, or preparing to sell your practice.

 

The most significant contribution to effective change is communication.  I will talk about that frequently throughout our posts since it seems to be the bridge to making complex things easy.

 

And on the lighter side – all of this is simply fixed, just not easy!

 

As a coach I am also committed to be a resource and as I searched for dental blogs I came across The Digital Dentist for anyone in need of a technology resource.  It is written by Dr. Lorne Lavine and he gives great insight if you are considering upgrading or changing your technology.  http://thedigitaldentist.blogspot.com/

 

 Thanks for your input!

 Kathy

 http://www.1in9Dentists.com

 

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This is my first post

July 23, 2008 at 6:01 pm · Filed under Welcome ·Tagged , ,

Welcome to the 1 in 9 Dentists’ Coaches’ Corner and Blog.

This is my first post and my first time working with a blog.  I’m both excited and a bit unsure about how to begin so here goes!

This blog addresses concerns and provides strategies for dental professionals who are creating positive change in their practices or who desire to create positive change in their practice. These changes could be from buying a new practice, joining a practice, changing billing procedures, adding new staff, developing your team, adding new services, reorganizing, getting ready to sell a practice, or any other source of change.  The main focus for this blog is supporting those practices who are using the “1 in 9 Dentists Change Blaster Kit” to guide their change efforts.

I will also address the concerns of other dental professionals who are creating positive changes.  Many of my recommendations will have reference to the tools and insights covered in the “1 in 9 Dentists Change Blaster Kit”.  There will be other contributions I offer that support you as leader, and that guide appropriate and timely communication during change.

I also welcome posts by brokers, attorneys, financial services, coaches, and consultants who help dental professionals.  This community is welcome to add how they assist the dental profession in creating lasting and positive changes in their practices and how they are contributing value. For the coaches and consultants who are facilitating implementing the “1 in 9 Dentists Change Blaster Kit” in their clients practices, feel free to share your experiences and positive results.

Since this is a coaching corner, I may ask you quite a few questions before I launch into suggestions or recommendations.  This is the way of a coach and helps explore possibilities that support and guide you. The questions open the door for your discovery of the answer that already lives in you.  It is also about expanding your thinking, developing new skills, brainstorming, and getting you to think expansively.  As you pose a question, think about what you want the answer to do for you, or your staff/team, your patients, or your practice.  That will help you clarify what you want to know.

If it is a specific question regarding the use of the product, one of the templates or forms, not covered in the FAQ’s, feel free to ask here.

The blog will begin with answering some of the unasked questions regarding using a system for change – how that could help what you want to make happen, what signs or symptoms in your practice might tell you that you will benefit from making some changes, who could benefit, and what you can expect.  Categories will be posted to make it easy to find the answers you seek.  I expect to post a minimum of three times a week and as comments and questions come in will increase that to make sure everything stays fresh and timely.

Many people resist change because they like their life the way it is; others love to change just for the sake of change, and then there are people who know if they could change just one thing it would make all the difference in their life and give them the life they want to lead and the practice they would love to talk about.  Almost everyone can benefit from a sounding board, a process, and a place to talk about change.  It is my intention that you will find a sounding board here and a place to talk about it.  As for the process, there is a great one in the 1 in 9 Dentists Change Blaster Kit! For more information – http://www.1in9dentists.com

My first answer will be up tomorrow!  Thank you and Welcome!

Kathy

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Hello world!

July 16, 2008 at 10:16 pm · Filed under Uncategorized

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!

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