In a small town, who better to take care of your patients than the woman who knows everyone? Until May, Mary had worked for my client for 19 years. The doctor complained a lot about her wretched four-handed assisting skills. Once she had been a decent assistant, he told me earnestly. He wasn't sure when the slip-ups started, but they became frequent and impossible to ignore. Like the afternoon she hit his hand during a procedure and the bur skittered over the patient's lip. It took three stitches to close the wound. What could possibly have caused her to hit the doctor's hand, you might ask? Oh. She was in the process of answering her cell phone at chairside. Now that I have your attention, let's get on with the story. Mary believed she was indispensable. Her true talent was talking to people. It's true; Mary could get someone to schedule treatment faster than a lightning strike. That talent kept her in place until she flatly refused to help fill the schedule. In fact, Mary refused with such defiance that our doctor calmly told her to start working unscheduled treatment...or clock out. She angrily asked him why the other assistants couldn't do the task. She had seniority! He reiterated his request, at which time she grabbed her purse, clocked out and left the building. She returns, unhappily, at the end of this story.

Oh, if you could join me in some of the phone conversations I have! The human condition is so universal, so honest and so real. One thing I've learned is that people bare their souls on the telephone. Think about it. In few situations are you free to say anything that's on your mind without managing your facial expressions. There are universal themes, of course, to these calls. You're not making enough profit? Call a coach. You're unhappy with your systems and processes? Ditto. But the most common topic, all year round, is the "weak link". Most dentists want to know if it's possible to keep their same team and be successful. The answer is always, always...it depends. But probably not.

I understand why you might be afraid to change out the players on your team.  It's natural to dislike the conflict that comes when you are required to insist that an employee do their job, or do it more effectively.  But if that tension is keeping you from success - then we're all dealing with the same exact problem. I'm not talking about your superstars or your solid employees. No, no... I'm specifically talking about weak links, prima donnas and the contract player. If you have one or more, you have headaches.