"...You
cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring
about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage
earner up by pulling the wage payer down...You cannot build character
and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You
cannot help people permanently by... doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves." Abraham Lincoln
A dentist that I know posted this quote on Facebook. Reading it I realized that there are certain characteristics that define those who will succeed. Leaders tend to be strong, even to the point of toughness. When I read the words, "you cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong", they hit home. In my time as a manager, and even before that, I have realized that my strength, or even toughness has at times been a cause for concern for others who don't realize that it's the secret to most of the success I've had as a manager.
The problem for most people is that toughness is seen as meanness by weaker people. I believe that we in dentistry tend to play to weakness. We try to motivate the uncaring with promises of bonuses if only they'll do what they agreed to do when hired; work as hard as they can to make the practice succeed. We don't push too hard because we don't want to upset an employee to the point that she quits because the fact that she doesn't have what it takes, or won't develop herself enough, to do the job becomes obvious. We loathe change so much that we'll accept mediocrity and apathy. Instead, we push more responsibility on to our star performers and hope that they can withstand more pressure. Then, while the weak, but unchallenged employee whistles through her day, we are perplexed to see our star begin to burnout. Now we can see that the weak employee stayed the same or became weaker, but our strong employee is buckling under the added weight. So, we lose all the way around.
Successful leaders are willing to deal with change, and all it's accompanying discomfort to get to a better place. They are also willing to be judged harshly, absorb criticism, tolerate resentment, and overcome scorn in order to develop strength, efficiency and ability in their staff. They can talk about character issues without worrying that they are offending those who lack the traits needed for a practice based on integrity. They understand that the discomfort that is felt will either inspire those lacking to develop themselves or leave. Either way, that's a positive thing.
There are young dentists, who may be just starting out in this challenging economy, wondering how to incentivize an unmotivated staff. They develop complicated bonus systems that often they don't even understand, only to find advantageous staff members trying to find a way to work an angle to their advantage. The dentist who was hoping to find a way to build his practice, now finds that his staff is not looking at his point of view, but only at their own bottom line. So, the wage earner may be temporarily lifted, but in the long run if the practice suffers, it all comes crashing down. In contrast, smart, considerate staff understand that by working together to build the practice, they also build relationships that create a team that is cohesive, supportive and successful. That is when rewards make sense and everyone wins.
When we make excuses for poor behavior or bad attitudes, we take away initiative. After all, why should anyone attempt to control themselves, or leave their problems and issues at the door when they can let it all hang out and receive sympathy and coddling? Why would they use their common sense and make good decisions based on the instruction they've been given when they can avoid responsibility by dumping it in someone else's lap? Successful people look outside themselves and see that everyone struggles in some way. They find the positive and remember that they have a purpose to fulfill. They exercise self-control and exhibit self-respect. They don't count on the pity of others, rather they are a source of inspiration.
Dedicated managers hate to see things go wrong. We are driven to get results. Sometimes we need to stand back and let people experience the consequence of their mistakes, behavior, or irresponsibility. It is our impulse to keep everything on track that can keep lessons from being learned. In my post about herding yesterday,I talked about my friend Diane, who set up the operatories because her new roving assistant came in late and proceeded to spend 10 minutes in the bathroom doing her hair. Sure, the employee felt Diane's annoyance when she confronted her, but what if Diane had not set up the operatories? What if the new employee had to stand in the harsh light of everyone's realization that she had not come prepared to start the day correctly and then had to rush to get things back on track? Painful for the manager, but a lesson learned for the employee. The lesson? This will not be tolerated or covered up. I am expected to be on time and efficient. In the end, it was short-sighted of my friend to set up those rooms. She expanded her problem rather than suffering in the short term.
We, as managers and leaders, have the opportunity to help our staff grow. We have a responsibility to be good role models, to do first what we ask others to do so they can see our intention in action. We must be firm, but fair. We have to set aside our desire to be liked, or admired and do what it takes to help others succeed. We have to stand up to anger, tears, and complaints and do the right thing. We must possess the characteristics of success, maintain them and protect them from weariness or disillusionment, and believe in ourselves so we can be lead our teams through whatever trails and derailments we face. These challenges are all a part of the normal course of life when you manage a dental practice. Your strength must overcome any difficulty set before you, so that your staff can see the result of perseverance.
"...You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down...You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by... doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves." Abraham Lincoln
A dentist that I know posted this quote on Facebook. Reading it I realized that there are certain characteristics that define those who will succeed. Leaders tend to be strong, even to the point of toughness. When I read the words, "you cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong", they hit home. In my time as a manager, and even before that, I have realized that my strength, or even toughness has at times been a cause for concern for others who don't realize that it's the secret to most of the success I've had as a manager.
The problem for most people is that toughness is seen as meanness by weaker people. I believe that we in dentistry tend to play to weakness. We try to motivate the uncaring with promises of bonuses if only they'll do what they agreed to do when hired; work as hard as they can to make the practice succeed. We don't push too hard because we don't want to upset an employee to the point that she quits because the fact that she doesn't have what it takes, or won't develop herself enough, to do the job becomes obvious. We loathe change so much that we'll accept mediocrity and apathy. Instead, we push more responsibility on to our star performers and hope that they can withstand more pressure. Then, while the weak, but unchallenged employee whistles through her day, we are perplexed to see our star begin to burnout. Now we can see that the weak employee stayed the same or became weaker, but our strong employee is buckling under the added weight. So, we lose all the way around.
Successful leaders are willing to deal with change, and all it's accompanying discomfort to get to a better place. They are also willing to be judged harshly, absorb criticism, tolerate resentment, and overcome scorn in order to develop strength, efficiency and ability in their staff. They can talk about character issues without worrying that they are offending those who lack the traits needed for a practice based on integrity. They understand that the discomfort that is felt will either inspire those lacking to develop themselves or leave. Either way, that's a positive thing.
There are young dentists, who may be just starting out in this challenging economy, wondering how to incentivize an unmotivated staff. They develop complicated bonus systems that often they don't even understand, only to find advantageous staff members trying to find a way to work an angle to their advantage. The dentist who was hoping to find a way to build his practice, now finds that his staff is not looking at his point of view, but only at their own bottom line. So, the wage earner may be temporarily lifted, but in the long run if the practice suffers, it all comes crashing down. In contrast, smart, considerate staff understand that by working together to build the practice, they also build relationships that create a team that is cohesive, supportive and successful. That is when rewards make sense and everyone wins.
When we make excuses for poor behavior or bad attitudes, we take away initiative. After all, why should anyone attempt to control themselves, or leave their problems and issues at the door when they can let it all hang out and receive sympathy and coddling? Why would they use their common sense and make good decisions based on the instruction they've been given when they can avoid responsibility by dumping it in someone else's lap? Successful people look outside themselves and see that everyone struggles in some way. They find the positive and remember that they have a purpose to fulfill. They exercise self-control and exhibit self-respect. They don't count on the pity of others, rather they are a source of inspiration.
Dedicated managers hate to see things go wrong. We are driven to get results. Sometimes we need to stand back and let people experience the consequence of their mistakes, behavior, or irresponsibility. It is our impulse to keep everything on track that can keep lessons from being learned. In my post about herding yesterday,I talked about my friend Diane, who set up the operatories because her new roving assistant came in late and proceeded to spend 10 minutes in the bathroom doing her hair. Sure, the employee felt Diane's annoyance when she confronted her, but what if Diane had not set up the operatories? What if the new employee had to stand in the harsh light of everyone's realization that she had not come prepared to start the day correctly and then had to rush to get things back on track? Painful for the manager, but a lesson learned for the employee. The lesson? This will not be tolerated or covered up. I am expected to be on time and efficient. In the end, it was short-sighted of my friend to set up those rooms. She expanded her problem rather than suffering in the short term.
We, as managers and leaders, have the opportunity to help our staff grow. We have a responsibility to be good role models, to do first what we ask others to do so they can see our intention in action. We must be firm, but fair. We have to set aside our desire to be liked, or admired and do what it takes to help others succeed. We have to stand up to anger, tears, and complaints and do the right thing. We must possess the characteristics of success, maintain them and protect them from weariness or disillusionment, and believe in ourselves so we can be lead our teams through whatever trails and derailments we face. These challenges are all a part of the normal course of life when you manage a dental practice. Your strength must overcome any difficulty set before you, so that your staff can see the result of perseverance.