Are You Teaching Your Team Not to Think?

Yeah, you mean like they're micromanaging so heavy that people are like, hey, I don't know what to do.

I'm going to ask the doctor.

I'll wait till later at the end of the day after we're done with patients and I'll ask the doctor, what do I do next? Yeah, yeah.

You know, I think some of that comes from just from experiences.

I'm thinking about this is fear, like they're scared they're going to make a mistake.

And again, that's leadership is how are you managing and what are you doing when someone does screw up? Are you allowing them to make a mistake and letting them, helping them correct it and get things right? You know, that's another thing to think about.

So you want to know, here's the thing in dentistry that makes it so hard because, you know, I talk about this all the time and dentists tell me, and I know some of you that are listening are, you know, you're thinking, yep, I said that to you, Sandy.

It's like, I don't know what they're doing up there.

So it kind of ties into that.

It's like, I don't know what they're doing.

And so I feel like I have to micromanage.

I feel like I have to ask a lot of questions to see what's happening.

And so it kind of starts when they're first hired.

You've got to make sure that people understand what is wanted and needed by you to do a good job.

So when they arrive, part of that onboarding, so that plays into what you're talking about, Dana, leadership.

Okay, what is a leader? Do they lead? And then some doctors are thinking, well, how am I supposed to do this? Because I'm seeing all the patients.

I'm responsible for everything that happens here.

How can I do this? And this is why we talk about it's so important to put in that structure and have it there so when you do hire somebody, they know.

So see, when you provide a job description and you provide a procedure manual, which we call SOPs, now you're giving them permission to do the job.

And if they come across something that they don't know how to do, they have a reference point.

They have a resource to go to.

And so that is another thing that's part of leadership, too, is providing those tools for your team.

I would agree.

I think when we're asked questions as leaders and you answer immediately, you've taught them to not solve the problems.

If every morning you're reminding people of, you know, what they should already know, you've taught them not to remember.