Robin Morrison, Dental Consultant Connection Founder & CEO
As founder of Dental Consultant Connection (DCC), I would like to welcome you to the DCC blog, where some of the finest dental consultants in the world share their wealth of knowledge. If you are a dentist, or dental team member who is looking for timely and relevant information for managing and growing your practice – read on. I urge you to visit our blog frequently because each DCC consultant has their own special gems to share. Please consider applying their words of wisdom to your practice when applicable. We all look forward to serving the dental community.
Now … a contribution from Judy Kay Mausolf
Judy Kay Mausolf, Owner Practice Solutions, Inc.
Just saying the words conflict resolution can give many of us that uggh feeling in the pit of our stomach! After all who wants to be responsible for doing the dirty work of addressing the problems (elephants) in the room? We fear the reactions we will get; including hurt feelings, dislike, judgment, criticism, anger, and retaliation just to name a few. So why take a chance…why not just leave things as they are and not rock the boat? The problem with not addressing the elephants is they grow until they take over. We end up tiptoeing around each other and pretending the elephants don’t exist.
Communication becomes emotionally charged, difficult and something to be avoided. The environment is now filled with stress and negative energy resulting in performance and customer experience plummeting. A decrease in performance and patient experience results in a decrease in the bottom line. Here are 10 easy steps to conflict resolution to avoid the elephants taking over your practice
10 Easy Steps to Conflict Resolution by Judy Kay Mausolf
1. Set up time to meet with the person you have a concern or conflict with;
2. Don’t talk to anyone else about the conflict before you meet;
3. Have a positive attitude;
4. Be open – don’t come to the table with the solution, you haven’t heard their side yet!;
5. Don’t personalize; instead of saying you did this, say this didn’t work or I am not sure what you meant by it ….can we talk about it;
6. Listen calmly;
7. Focus on the solution; it will not be perfect for anyone, but can be good for everyone;
8. If you can’t resolve; all members involved meet together with whoever handles conflict resolution and agree on a solution;
9. Hold each other accountable;
10. Believe they have positive intent; old habits die hard, they may need a few reminders before the new attitude, behavior, or system sticks.