I hope that everyone enjoyed this wonderful weekend. I spent the weekend in my garden, pulling weeds, cleaning out dead plants and conditioning the soil to make sure that the flowers had room to grow and reach their full potential. The time and effort that I invest in my garden each year always yields glorious results, albeit many aching muscles…ouch.
During my gardening adventure, I encountered the “monster” of all weeds. It was humungous with tenacious roots that forced me to dig deep to get rid of the “monster” before it took over and destroyed my garden. I had to slay the dragon!
My experience made me think of how bad attitudes can take over a dental office. The roots can become tenacious and the long term effects can be devastating. Like my weed, a bad attitude can choke the morale and motivation of an otherwise thriving business and like weeds, bad attitudes are contagious. They take root silently with malicious intent. Negative attitudes have no business in your business.
Within your organization, develop an “attitude of gratitude.” Create a written list of the performance and behaviors of employees and coworkers that are deserving of recognition. Add to the list periodically. Keep an eye out for people who do things on your list and recognize them.
If conflicts do occur, recognize and deal with them quickly. Conflicts must be resolved the same way they were started in the first place – through human actions. They must be confronted, addressed and worked through. Time may heal all wounds, but wounds must be treated first.
Tips for Effective Conflict Resolution
Plan what you’ll say and do before you meet
Get to the point – be respectful, polite and direct
Attack the problem – not the person
Share your feelings and how you were impacted – use “I” statements and not “you” statements – this helps the employee to realize the impact of is/her actions without feeling attacked
Pay attention to your body language and control your emotions.
Think dialogue – not monolog
Remember, effective communication is a two-way street. You are 100% responsible for listening and communicating effectively – they go together
10 important words to say
10 – “What can I do to help you be more successful?”
9 -“You can count on me to do what’s right”
8 -“That’s my responsibility and I will do it”
7 “I’d like to hear what you think”
6 – “Let’s focus on solving the problem”
5.-“You did a great job!”
4.- Let’s all work together
3 – “I respect you”
2 – Thank You
1 Important Word to Say
“WE”
What you do today determines where you will be and what you will enjoy tomorrow
