Track 1: Welcome back to the SPG Podcast. With me again today is Dr. Track 1: Derek Williams. This is the second in our series about the evergreen topic of Track 1: leadership, mindset, personal development, Track 1: and specifically today we're going to hone in on the qualities of a high-performing Track 1: team and what being on a high-performing team unlocks for us as individuals. Track 1: Derek, how's it going today? doing. Guest: Great just glad to be back for round two with you alex.
Track 1: Oh i'm glad you survived the first round Track 1: glad i survived the first round and again happy Track 1: the feeling is mutual happy to be back with you too and i wanted to set that Track 1: table for that for that topic of what it means to be on a high performing team Track 1: and how ironically being on Track 1: that type of a team allows you to stand to amplify your own performance.
Track 1: And so, you know, last episode, we talked a bit about your decision specifically to join SPG. Track 1: And I would define SPG as a high-performing team that's in pursuit of becoming Track 1: still a higher-performing team. Track 1: But how does that framing land for you, first of all? The notion of, Track 1: yes, we can do well on our own. Track 1: Yes, we can achieve great things without a team at our flanks.
Track 1: But how does that land for you as a concept that the idea of by being a strong Track 1: performer in your own right plugging into a high-performing team and thus amplifying Track 1: what's possible for you individually by virtue of that association with the team yeah. Guest: I think it's a very interesting and fascinating question that i'm curious how Guest: many people in the world really get to ask that question to themselves and plug Guest: themselves into a situation like this.
Guest: And I think as dentists, as you and I in our roles, Guest: I think the more trained you become, the more specialized you are in a specific Guest: area, the more powerful this principle becomes when put into action. Guest: And for all of us that have been... Guest: An owner of a GP practice, there are a significant number of hats to wear. Guest: And it can be daunting and overwhelming at times. Guest: It can be fun because of the challenge.
Guest: But there is definitely this, you know, what you're talking about here, you can see it play out. Guest: If I'm the owner of my practice and there's 10 employees, something like that, Guest: I have to wear a lot of hats. Guest: And there is this potential in Guest: a larger organization where you Guest: can potentially limit the number of duties and things that you do and be able Guest: to focus on just those and to see it's the principle of leveraging is what I'm thinking of.
Guest: Is that if as a GP owner, I have, you know, Guest: maybe two strong suits, but I've got to use 10, if I can plug myself in an organization Guest: or in some way where I can use those one or two, Guest: then my impact strengthens and increases significantly significantly.
Track 1: No, I love that framing of the different hats because I think when you're in Track 1: a practice by yourself, whether you're 100% owner, Track 1: partner, or employee or anywhere along that spectrum, you're going to have different hats to wear. Track 1: The number of hats is dictated by your role, obviously, partially by the ownership Track 1: structure, partially by the model of practice that you're in.
Track 1: Partially by the level of training and autonomy that each person on the team has. Track 1: So the total number of hats on the shelf, so to speak, differ depending on the Track 1: type of practice, number one. Track 1: And then I would argue that when you're in a practice all by yourself, Track 1: in a vacuum with very little support from a team, you're right.
Track 1: You're going to have to don each of those hats in some type of sequence with Track 1: some type of regularity, or else you realize, Track 1: oh crap, I forgot to put on whatever hat, the CFO hat, call it, Track 1: this month, and then the supply spend was way up, or whatever the case may be.
Track 1: And so I think that's a great framing is wearing the different hats and knowing Track 1: that there's somewhat of a juggling act between not allowing one hat to be worn Track 1: too much, maybe because it's more comfortable than the other hats. Track 1: Maybe the hat of being an operator, of doing the dentistry. Track 1: Maybe that's the well-worn groove in the vinyl record that we default to when things get tough.
Track 1: And so talk to me about your experience Wearing the multitude of hats However Track 1: many there are I think we could probably list out at least five or six But what Track 1: was that like Navigating which hat to wear when And how The comfort or the. Track 1: Predictability or the Lack of strain that came From wearing a certain hat led Track 1: you to Maybe not put on those other hats As much as you should have.
Guest: Yeah, that's a great question. I think this really came into play my first several Guest: months in ownership. I bought my practice straight out of school. Guest: And this is not something that I was completely aware of. Guest: For me, just running a schedule with one column of restorative and one column Guest: of hygiene to check was a challenge clinically, right? Guest: Just to be able to do a simple crown prep in an hour and a half, Guest: two hours was pushing myself.
Guest: And so, the clinical aspect was a challenge. Guest: And I didn't necessarily anticipate all of the other things coming into play as well. Guest: Staff coming to me and asking me a multitude of questions. Guest: You've got HR. It's like, what are you? Hey, are you still going to let us? Guest: Do we still have this vacation? Are we going to still have these benefits? Guest: This is what we always had. Guest: So there's the HR, there's the marketing.
Guest: How am I going to market this practice? How am I going to help it to grow? Guest: When do I decide to spend, you know, when, how much is the amount that I should be spending. Guest: And then there's just leadership decisions to make as far as how are we going to run the schedule? Guest: How are we going to do ordering of supplies? What is that going to look like? Guest: And then on top of that is managing patient expectations.
Guest: And when do I put my foot down and say, this is what my expectations, draw my line in the sand. Guest: So yeah, there's a good number of hats and I don't know if this is the direction Guest: that you're wanting to go, Guest: but that's one thing that I have found very fulfilling at SPG is we're not perfect at it yet, Guest: but what we are really trying to set up is this environment that allows the Guest: doctor to really step into this role and to focus on what they can do the best at.
Guest: And it's their clinical skills. It's to be able to have good relationships with Guest: the patient and to provide good clinical outcomes. Guest: That's the way that I see it. And so that's why we have team leads in place Guest: to do a lot of the heavy lifting, building the relationship and helping the Guest: patient to work through things. Guest: That's why we have a lot of the support systems as far as HR.
Guest: We're continuing to try and build and improve on marketing to try and set up Guest: these systems to revolve around the efficiency and productivity of the doctor Guest: as much as possible so that the doctor can do this exact same thing that I was Guest: talking about as far as my role, Guest: where they can take what they're really good at, Guest: build that out, and to plug themselves in and really leverage that to their highest ability.
Track 1: You just took the word out of my mouth. I was going to say, to me, Track 1: this sounds like what you said at the start of the episode around leverage. Track 1: Around this is how you actually achieve leverage in the purest sense of the Track 1: word by being able to offload some of the functions that don't require a dental license to do, Track 1: thereby freeing up doctors to focus on what they're trained to be excellent at.
Track 1: And generally, there's a lot of synergy between what you're trained to do well Track 1: and what you enjoy doing. Track 1: Because you have the skill set, you have the reps, you have the experience to Track 1: then actually derive meaning out of the efforts that you're putting forth. Track 1: So, that's one thing. The other thing that I wrote down as you were talking Track 1: was the idea of how in dental school, obviously, we learn to do the dentistry.
Track 1: And I would argue, this is up for debate, but I would argue that coming out Track 1: of dental school, we have the minimally viable skill set.
Track 1: That's going to be dependent on where you went to school. I think, Track 1: you know, since you went to Creighton, Track 1: you probably came out with more exposure to specialty procedures than someone Track 1: like me who went to UT and had a bunch of specialty programs siphoning off the Track 1: good stuff so that the undergrads only got like the basic things and you had Track 1: to really stick your neck out to get exposure to the more hairy procedures in dentistry.
Track 1: But when you come out of school, and it sounds like your experience was a little similar to mine. Track 1: You came out and you had the full list of things that you're responsible for, Track 1: not only getting your clinical feet under you, but also all of the different Track 1: hats from a financial perspective and an operational perspective and from a people perspective. Track 1: So you had to immediately start treading water and figuring out how to.
Track 1: Keep those three facets of the business afloat. Whereas I came out and I worked Track 1: for a large office, W-2 employee, Track 1: had a full schedule, and I just had to figure out going from dental school cadence Track 1: of one patient per morning, one patient per afternoon, to all of a sudden seeing Track 1: two columns of treatment with one assistant.
Track 1: So like for me, the learning curve was ultra steep clinically, Track 1: but then not so much on the people side or on the financial side. Track 1: Your learning curve was pretty steep, but on all three fronts, so to speak. Track 1: So I guess talk to me about how you felt your evolution along each of those Track 1: three fronts, operations of the practice, the financial side of the practice, Track 1: and then the people side of the practice.
Track 1: How did those evolve and where do you feel like your strengths started to align Track 1: if you were to say, hey, rank ordering, Track 1: me being excellent at operations, finances, or people, how would those flesh Track 1: out for Derek in 2016, 2017? Guest: Yeah, it's really interesting to hear you frame it in that context. Guest: I don't know that I've ever evaluated myself in that way. Guest: And I think I've always had a fascination with communication and decision making.
Guest: I remember as a teenager, I was really interested in asking my friend's parents Guest: how they made decisions in their family for what their rules were going to be. Track 1: That's a really weird question to ask, Derek, but continue. Guest: I was genuinely interested. Why do my parents see the world this way? Guest: How do they make these decisions? Guest: And why are the rules for me and my family different than my friends?
Guest: How did my friends' parents make these decisions together? Guest: And how much of it is one sided versus both of the parents being unified? Guest: And how do they come to a conclusion in those types of things? Guest: So from a young age, I was interested in communication and decision-making. Guest: And that was one area that it became kind of evident to me.
Guest: And so when you're talking about those three things, people, Guest: systems, or operations, and finances, it's clear to me, Guest: and I'm kind of realizing this in real time now as we're speaking, Guest: that number one is people and communications. Guest: That's what I've had an interest in, a fascination in that has come a little Guest: bit more naturally to me because of an inherent interest. Guest: And then after that, I would say.
Guest: Probably, I don't know, I probably would rank the other two as being tied after that. Guest: I'm good at analyzing and looking at situations and evaluating a system and how it's being done. Guest: But sometimes where the rubber has to hit the road and where that plays out, Guest: that may not be my exact strong suit. Guest: Same with the financial evaluation of things.
Guest: I've always trusted that if I'm doing the right things with the people and I'm Guest: maximizing the systems, that the numbers are going to work themselves out. Guest: So I guess in a sense, maybe I would rank it in those three. Guest: Number one would be people and communications. Number two would be system.
Guest: And then third would be finances. finances is kind of what's left after left Guest: over after you complete the first two objectives relatively well i don't know if that answers. Track 1: Your question but as you can tell i'm very much thinking. Guest: On the spot through this.
Track 1: Yeah no i'm i'm putting you i'm putting you on the on the hot seat with with Track 1: these questions and that was my exact answer to i think you're copying off my Track 1: paper but no it's it's for me it's people operations and and finance because Track 1: I look at it as inputs versus outputs. Track 1: Controllables versus non-controllables.
Track 1: And do we have 100% control over every aspect of people, operations, or finances? Heck no. Track 1: But we do have more control over some parts of each of those three facets than we do others. Track 1: And I think if we start with finances, that feels very outcome-driven. Track 1: That feels very lag-indicatory. that feels like we're looking in the rearview mirror. Track 1: There's some things proactively with lead measures you can do to get the financial outcome that you want.
Track 1: But in general, your thesis that you articulated has always been my thesis, Track 1: which is, if we take care of the people and put good frameworks operationally into place, Track 1: then we get the output of the financial picture looking the way that we want it more or less.
Track 1: And I think that's an Track 1: abundance mindset That's a mindset that looks at possibilities That looks at Track 1: the total size of the pie growing Rather than there being a shrinking size of Track 1: the pie That we have to just ruthlessly carve out for ourselves And I think Track 1: that makes for A really good way to lead people and lead a company The problem is.
Track 1: To me, and this may be controversial and you may take issue with this, Track 1: Derek, but I think that type of leadership on its own breaks down at a certain size. Track 1: And you need someone who is, maybe their ranking is different than ours. Track 1: Maybe their ranking is antithetical to ours. Track 1: Maybe we need someone that's, number one, I start with finances first. Track 1: That's a forcing function for everything else.
Track 1: What operations do we need? Number two, to be able to achieve that outcome. Track 1: And then number three, people, we need people that can be reverse engineered Track 1: into fitting into that system. Track 1: And I think that's a different perspective on leadership and company building. Track 1: But I would argue, this is the controversial part, that to have any company Track 1: worth its salt of any scale beyond four walls, you have to have leaders in both poles.
Track 1: It's almost like different opposite polarities you need both because if you Track 1: have one or the other stuff breaks down what are your thoughts.
Guest: Yes and when you're Guest: sharing this it continues to go back to Guest: the idea of of leverage that a little Guest: bit of what we talked about in our last episode is Guest: idea meritocracy the ability Guest: for people to share Guest: their strengths their opinions with each Guest: other and to at times recognize and Guest: say okay this other person has this opinion in this area and they generally
Guest: see these types of things in better context than i do or you know like i think And, you know, Guest: George has shared openly about a lot of the conversations he's had with Austin Guest: at looking at things differently. Guest: Objectively and trying to see a lot of perspectives.
Guest: And George has shared that in a lot of these conversations where they have disagreed Guest: on something and they keep trying to see each other's opinion that there's been Guest: the vast majority of the time, Guest: George has seceded to Austin's view of things.
Guest: And I think what you're saying here, Guest: or at least what I'm hearing, is that we can recognize each other's strengths Guest: and learn to trust each other, Guest: to be open to what that person is bringing to the table and give ourselves permission Guest: to step aside at times and allow that person to make the decision and to move forward with that, Guest: to evaluate things together, to allow each of us to play to our strengths.
Guest: But it can be a little bit of this tug of war where we have to allow ourselves Guest: to play both of these roles where we push and we fight for what we believe in. Guest: And then we also go back into this beginner's mindset again, Guest: thinking, okay, how can I be more open to this person's view? Guest: How can I allow myself to see this differently.
Guest: So we kind of continue to go back and forth. And I believe that by trying to Guest: find that balance, that's what is going to lead to the greatest results.
Track 1: Yeah, that's the multi-million dollar question is how do we navigate that, Track 1: persistent dichotomy between maintaining that Track 1: curiosity that stems from having a Track 1: beginner's mind to communicating with Track 1: authority and with conviction it you have Track 1: to find a way to do both i don't know if it's a toggle that you switch one on Track 1: you switch one off or if it's we think of ourselves as a coin with two sides
Track 1: that you flip on and off as needed because you can't completely be beginner's Track 1: mind or you quickly become a doormat. Track 1: You can't only speak with authority or else you become a level four leader that Track 1: becomes the genius with a thousand helpers and you steamroll everyone.
Track 1: You have to find a way to be in that harmonious middle ground where you understand Track 1: that maybe it's like bifocals where you have a prescription in one lens that Track 1: allows for the beginner's mind and then you have a prescription in the other Track 1: lens that allows you to view things through that more authoritative, Track 1: convicted prism, and you find a way for those two things to work harmoniously. Track 1: But what's your approach on navigating that dichotomy?
Guest: Yeah, it is a challenge. And I like the perspectives that you portrayed there. Guest: And I think all of those are possibilities for ways that you can see things Guest: or move forward through things. Guest: I don't think that it's ever going to be 100% clear for how to approach everything Guest: moving forward all the time. Guest: You're not always going to know, you know, how should I look at this?
Guest: And that's part of the fun is just viewing it as kind of this constant puzzle, this constant climb. Guest: I view it, you know, what we've talked about. The phrase I love to use is that Guest: the journey is the destination. Guest: If I'm asking the questions, then I'm already on the path. I'm already where I need to be. Guest: So I like to think of all of these different options as possibilities. Guest: Can I toggle back and forth? Yes. Can I flip a coin?
Guest: Yes. Can I have confidence in moving forward and at the same time think, Guest: have the thought in my mind, there is likely a better way than the decision Guest: and the direction that I'm moving forward with. Guest: But this is what I have with me and I'm going to move forward at this time and Guest: I'll continue to adapt as it comes up. Guest: So, I think it is possible to move forward and advance with both frames of mind Guest: in consciousness at the same time.
Guest: It's not easy and I'm not sure how often I'm able to do that. Guest: But like I said, I like to leave on the table all possibilities of ways to look Guest: at things and evaluate situations. Track 1: I love the framing of there's likely a better way. Track 1: And just because there's likely a better way does not give us permission to sit on our hands. Track 1: That's the thing that I think is the growing edge for a lot of folks is I don't Track 1: have 100% of the information.
Track 1: I feel like I only have 75% of the information. So I'm going to wait until I Track 1: have 100% of the information to move forward and do anything. Track 1: Which I think creates more problems than it solves, that reticence to move forward Track 1: with incomplete information.
Track 1: I think it's okay to move forward with incomplete information, Track 1: provided that asterisk, you have that insistence on continuing to adapt, Track 1: continuing to be open to the idea meritocracy that you mentioned. Track 1: And one phrase that I've tried to instill in my leadership is the notion of Track 1: disagreeing and committing. Track 1: Because sometimes you have to disagree and commit. Sometimes you make that decision Track 1: to disagree and commit based on.
Track 1: The majority, wanting to go one direction. Sometimes you disagree and commit, Track 1: knowing that you're starting to see trends that don't necessarily substantiate Track 1: what the decision has been. Track 1: But knowing that as you continue to get data, you can move that data up the Track 1: flagpole, and that might be a very high merit idea, ultimately, once it's fully formed.
Track 1: And there's at least two or three examples I can think of in our company right Track 1: now where feedback has come from the practice level or feedback has come from Track 1: the central team that starts to indicate, let's shift gears, Track 1: let's alter course, let's make an adjustment based on the latest and greatest Track 1: data that we're getting.
Track 1: So that the whole apparatus, the whole company can be better served because Track 1: of that idea meritocracy sometimes sourced from the grassroots level at the practices. Track 1: So, how does that framing sit with you, Derek, that disagree and commit framing? Guest: Yeah, I think when I was listening to you talking about not having all the information, Guest: you know, 75% or what have you, Guest: there, I think it is likely impossible to ever have all of the information.
Guest: Even when you look at data, you try and look at data objectively, Guest: you know, what is the amount of data that we could be recording on? Guest: And how can we report that? You know, it's basically an infinite number of possibilities. Guest: And then on top of that, you have the different perspectives of all the people involved in that.
Guest: And then on top of that, even if you were able to get all of those things, Guest: which is never going to happen, even if you could, things are changing every day. Guest: So it's impossible to have all of the information at any one point. Guest: So if we're talking in terms of controllables... Guest: It's only within our control to get a certain amount of data or to make the Guest: best decision possible based on the data that we do have.
Guest: So again, we know, even when I'm having conversations. Guest: Whether it's political or something like that, I think I try and keep the thought Guest: in my mind, I probably don't see this in the best, most objective perspective. Guest: There is likely a better way to look at this. Guest: And that helps me to be open to what other people are saying and sharing.
Guest: But then the flip side of that is exactly what I said, Guest: that I have to just focus on what's in my control and make the best decision Guest: on things based on what information is displayed and presented to me. Track 1: Think about how challenging that is to actually execute on for most of us.
Track 1: And I guarantee even someone like you who has the knowledge base and has done Track 1: the internal work to come to that conclusion about maybe I'm approaching this Track 1: from a position or an inherent bias that isn't the most objective, Track 1: that doesn't serve me the best at coming to this realization or solving this problem.
Track 1: And I think that's a very important thing to keep in mind, which is if you apply Track 1: this to SPG, say you have a challenge, say you have an organization-wide. Track 1: Opportunity to improve that we all see, but everyone sees it from a different Track 1: vantage point, Everyone sees it from a different perspective. Track 1: Everyone approaches it from a different set of assumptions.
Track 1: And I think that's the thing to highlight is that each of our assumptions happens Track 1: to be quite different depending on our experience in the company, Track 1: our experience before we joined the company, our experience of the challenge itself. Track 1: So, all of us have these different biases that sometimes are invisible. Track 1: And I would argue most times are invisible. And so having that wherewithal to Track 1: say, okay, I have a disagreement with someone.
Track 1: I have a difference of opinion with someone. How might my perspective on this be coloring my opinion? Track 1: And how might that person's perspective on this be coloring their opinion? Track 1: And I would argue that oftentimes that's a really productive way to start a Track 1: conversation is to say, look, from where I'm sitting, Track 1: here are the assumptions I'm operating under. Here's what I feel like is true.
Track 1: Here's what leads me to have that perspective. And I would love to hear you Track 1: outline how you've arrived at your perspective based upon your assumptions that Track 1: you're able to identify. Track 1: And I'm open to helping you identify what your assumptions might be if it's Track 1: hard for you to view them if you're open to that.
Track 1: Because i think that's a great way to level the playing field when you're hashing Track 1: something out is to come in readily volunteering here's where my blind spots Track 1: might be here's what my biases could be and so help me to understand yours yeah.
Guest: I it reminds me i was watching a debate one time, Guest: and one of the debaters shared this, I don't know, Guest: some kind of a psychoanalytic approach where if you could state back to a person Guest: in your own words what they had just said or what their opinion was in your Guest: own words and get them to agree with what you were saying that their opinion was, Guest: that's a very powerful method of being able to connect or to understand someone.
Guest: And so, I do that frequently on calls with doctors and. Guest: Where I will say, let me restate what you just said in my own words and see if you agree with that. Guest: And if not, tell me where am I missing things? Where is my disconnect? Guest: And I've found that very powerful in just a method for learning in life and Guest: connecting with people. Guest: I'll do that frequently with my wife in our conversations.
Guest: And I think that's part of what I'm trying to teach doctors to do in the consult Guest: process. That first step is to listen. Guest: And if a doctor can say, interesting. Guest: So what I'm hearing from you is you struggle with chewing. Guest: You struggle with confidence and you really want this. Am I hearing you correctly? Guest: If not, tell me, help me understand where am I missing?
Guest: What are the gaps in what I'm hearing from you? That's an incredibly powerful Guest: way to communicate where it allows you to really connect and to focus on that person. Guest: And it also allows that receiver, that patient on the other end to feel like. Guest: Wow, this person, this doctor really understands me. Guest: They're really making an effort to understand where I'm coming from and they Guest: want to get this information right.
Guest: And if you can build that foundation, then leading to the next step of making Guest: your recommendation for a treatment plan, a treatment option, man, that builds power. Guest: It's very effective because it's real. Guest: It's not just that we're trying to sell something. We're trying to really understand Guest: people, where they're coming from, and provide solutions and options to them Guest: that are really going to help them in their life.
Track 1: This is going to be really meta, so bear with me. But I'm going to restate what Track 1: you said about the importance of restating. Guest: Excellent. Track 1: Right? So it's like inception. It's like a dream within a dream.
Guest: Yes. Track 1: So what I'm hearing from you is that it's doubly valuable to listen to understand Track 1: so that once you understand, you're able to, number one, Track 1: learn truly from a place of curiosity where the patient is coming from, Track 1: what they're optimizing for, what they care about, what their objections might Track 1: be to getting treatment done.
Track 1: So that then, number two, you can reflect all that back to them, Track 1: which also allows you to connect with them better. Track 1: Because if you've listened to understand, to educate yourself, Track 1: and then you're reflecting it back to the patient, you're showing that you give Track 1: a crap about them, number one.
Track 1: Number two, you're connecting with them so that when you do do them the service Track 1: of making a recommendation, Track 1: you're on a much more level playing field you've already Track 1: smoothed out a lot of the rough edges and removed a Track 1: great deal of friction to actually getting that Track 1: relationship built so that in the figurative sense and in the literal sense Track 1: they're buying what you're selling well said okay that was inception so that
Track 1: that could be the the joking tongue-in-cheek title of this episode is like listening Track 1: inception or something like that. Track 1: Derek, the last thing I wanted to cover is one layer deeper on that necessary Track 1: dichotomy between having that beginner's mind and communicating with authority.
Track 1: And I think we just scratched the surface of it on that last point about as Track 1: a doctor in particular, but this could also be extrapolated to every member Track 1: of the team, whether we're at the practice level, whether we're on the central team.
Track 1: Keeping those two extremes in balance between having a beginner's mind, being curious, Track 1: listening to learn, while at the same time evoking the authority that you have to levy an opinion, Track 1: to send out what you think is the right approach, and just finding new and creative Track 1: ways to live with one foot in each of those mindsets. Track 1: So what would be some advice that you would have to people that are on our teams, Track 1: doctors and non-clinical folks alike?
Track 1: What would be your piece of advice to juggle and oscillate and toggle between Track 1: being a beginner, being curious, while at the same time speaking with authority? Guest: Yeah, great question. And before I share that, Guest: I want to paint the picture and just add this perspective that when we're talking Guest: about all of these things, this can lead to greater results and outcomes. Guest: And a huge benefit is that it's just more fun. It's just more enjoyable.
Guest: For the picture that I just painted in the consult with a patient, Guest: that's great because it can lead to higher case acceptance. Guest: It can lead to us doing more procedures and the company as a whole becoming more successful. Guest: But aren't those interactions just more fun to have with patients?
Guest: Isn't it more fun to connect with people and to understand rather than feeling Guest: like, oh, well, they have this point and I have this point and I'm going to Guest: drive it home and they keep trying to tell me this? Guest: There's conflict in that. Guest: So, on that same tone that it's more enjoyable and how to apply this, Guest: I think a lot of it, For me, Guest: it comes down to interactions with the doctor and other staff members, Guest: team leads and assistants.
Guest: And a lot of times there is some sort of friction that's happening somewhere Guest: that the ball is being dropped in either the perception of the team lead or Guest: the assistant or the doctor. Yeah. Guest: And I think, you know, a great way to move forward in that and in applying these Guest: principles is to go to that person and to say, Guest: hey, I want to talk through something with you and I want to get your take on this.
Guest: The way that I'm seeing this is, you know, we're moving forward in this way Guest: and it seems like we're dropping the ball in this way. Guest: Or it seems like this is a big challenge that's not getting completed or, Guest: you know, we're struggling to accomplish this. Guest: And I have some ideas on why I think it's happening, but I want to get your Guest: side of it. Where do you think the disconnect is?
Guest: Where do you think we're dropping the ball? Or what are the greatest challenges Guest: on your side of things in accomplishing this? Guest: Because it's very easy for us to, you know, look, you know, as a doctor looking Guest: at the assistant and saying, oh, I've asked them to, you know, Guest: do it this way and they're not doing it this way. You know, I've asked this how many times?
Guest: But if we were able to take a step back and to go to the assistant and say, Guest: okay, help me understand, you know, we've kind of, I feel like I've talked about Guest: this before and it's not happening. Guest: And I know that there's a lot on your plate. Help me understand what's the biggest Guest: challenge for you in this situation, you know, when you're setting up or, Guest: you know, during the procedure, what are the thoughts on your mind? Guest: What are the challenges?
Guest: And then just listen. and by being able to really understand where they're coming Guest: from or understanding what's on their mind as they go through those different Guest: things, that's going to allow you to see a different perspective. Guest: It's going to allow you to see things from their point of view or to then think, Guest: you know, to realize opportunities where you can provide more support and guidance Guest: and feedback. So, I think,
Guest: That's, again, connecting the dots. That makes it more fun to communicate in Guest: that way where it's not me against you. Guest: It's, hey, look, this is what we're trying to accomplish. This is what the challenge seems to be. Guest: What's your take on it? How can we solve this? How can we work on this together to find a solution?
Track 1: I think you just hit on the motherlode there. And I think as you're talking, Track 1: that's going to be the focus of our third episode together, which is, Track 1: number one, how do we make it fun? Track 1: And then number two, why do we care about it being fun? Track 1: And I think the answer comes down to, when it's fun, you perform better. Track 1: When it's fun, the level of service for our patients is better.
Track 1: When it's fun, the teamwork is just going to be that much more harmonious. Track 1: And so I think normalizing fun is going to be a wonderful thing to focus on Track 1: for our third episode together. Track 1: And from my perspective, everything that you just said rings true as it relates Track 1: to what's my most fun patient consultation that I've ever done. Track 1: If I were to rank my top 10 favorite patient interactions ever, Track 1: it's been ones that were fun.
Track 1: And the fun came about because we were Track 1: on the same page because we were speaking the same language Track 1: we were resonating on the same wavelength rather than Track 1: one person coming in one way one person coming in another we just hit it off Track 1: and sometimes that was me doing the work to get on the same wavelength but usually Track 1: I just blundered into it like I just happened to have a patient that was ready Track 1: to move forward with what I recommended
Track 1: but I would say that you can scientifically as you were describing. Track 1: Cull through those objections, cull through those areas of resistance that people have. Track 1: And this is true whether you're a doctor, a team lead, a lab tech, Track 1: a dental assistant, a PCC, a central team member, whomever.
Track 1: There are ways to think about where am I encountering roadblocks or friction Track 1: and then going to that person or going to that situation and thinking about Track 1: what about my perspective may be coloring this, may be affecting this situation? Track 1: What am I putting into this equation that may not be entirely helpful?
Track 1: What about how I'm approaching this is informing that person's perspective and Track 1: approaching these areas that can cause things to not run smoothly with that sense of curiosity? Track 1: Because only with that curiosity can we go in and make improvements in areas Track 1: where otherwise we might feel stuck or otherwise we feel like our performance Track 1: is capped or we feel like there's a ceiling that we have yet to break through.
Track 1: Asking those questions and committing to working through those things is the key. Track 1: And so I think next episode, let's focus on, okay, if we're shooting for fun, Track 1: if that's our outcome, what are the steps, what are the inputs to get there? Track 1: And then once we're there, what does that sense of fun unlock for us as team members? Guest: Love it i think that will i think that will be a lot of fun.
Track 1: Ah okay now it's your turn to be Track 1: meta yeah so thank you for helping me build Track 1: out the spg pod content calendar derrick this this is Track 1: excellent thank you for spending time with us Track 1: this morning like i've done with a couple of these episodes i think Track 1: i'll it's it's in the queue to get released on all the different podcast apps Track 1: but what i'll do is i will download this on loom and push it out to our teams
Track 1: early to get the sneak preview and then people that listen but aren't in the Track 1: company will have to wait for the, Track 1: eventual release of it but i'll push it out to our internal teams today so derek Track 1: thank you for the time thank you for for speaking with our spg faithful and Track 1: we will see you guys next time on the spg podcast.