Latest / Back in 10 / Episode 16: Meeting Mayhem - Implement Change Without Freaking Everyone Out

Transcript

Episode 16: Meeting Mayhem - Implement Change Without Freaking Everyone Out · Back in 10

• 0:00
  Chris Stone: Here they are.
• 0:00
  The Boston Bombshells in 3, 2, 1.
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  Jen Steadman: Back in 10 is a podcast for dental leaders who do it all
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  and need 10 minutes to themselves.
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  Savanah Carlson: It's about real conversations, not curated ones, the
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  kind that happen off the clock behind closed doors, and between the chaos of
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  running a practice and running life.
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  Jen Steadman: Hosted by Savannah Carlson and Jen Stedman, two women who've led,
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  learned, and laughed through it all.
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  Savanah Carlson: This show brings honest stories, leadership truths, and
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  the occasional sassy take on what it really means to lead in dentistry today,
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  Jen Steadman: because sometimes the best leadership happens when
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  you step away for 10 minutes.
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  Savanah Carlson: This is back in 10.
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  Jen Steadman: Welcome back everyone to back in 10.
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  I am Jen.
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  I'm Savannah.
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  On our last episode, we were talking about conferences, what
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  to pack, our top three things that we always make sure that we pack.
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  We talked about talking to your doctor about going to a conference,
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  about speakers and what we do with, you know, all of the information
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  and different note taking tips and different things like that.
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  So today what we're gonna be talking about is what do you do after.
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  Savannah after a conference, yes, there is so much information that you need
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  to download, not only like from your noggin, but reviewing your notes and
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  getting prepared and wanting to make sure that your doctor sees that the
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  investment that they made in you and for you, being out of the office for
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  that amount of time was a good decision.
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  So where do you start?
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  What do you do?
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  Savanah Carlson: I always like to start with my game plan.
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  What was my game plan going into conference?
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  What had I discussed with my doctor about the courses I was taking
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  and or the vendors and industry leaders I was going to speak to?
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  What did we decide was most important to go from the get go and.
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  That's where I would start with the game plan.
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  Go back to your game plan.
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  See if you've knocked off all of those bullets first, that those
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  discussions with the, the leaders and get that all done in writing.
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  Then you have your, your bonus plan.
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  What other new and exciting things did you learn at this
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  conference or this meeting that.
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  Would benefit the practice and its success.
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  Um, so you have those, those two separate things.
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  Priority, always gonna be that game plan and then the bonus stuff.
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  That's the extra extra why for the investment.
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  So let's look at that game plan and what was on that game plan.
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  Did it involve the rest of the team?
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  Was it financial questions that your doctor had that you were
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  tasked of getting the answers for?
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  Um, was it for patient outreach?
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  Then when you've decided on how that is broken up, we get into the nitty gritty
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  of, okay, how slowly or how quickly are we going to implement this new knowledge?
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  Who is it going to affect?
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  Who is going to help me implement this?
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  And most importantly, why is it important that it gets implemented?
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  If you're unable to answer the why.
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  You shouldn't be doing it.
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  Mm-hmm.
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  Then it just creates chaos and confusion and creates resentment among the team.
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  So always have a why when you're implementing any type of change.
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  That's what I would do to start Jen, honestly.
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  Mm-hmm.
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  Jen Steadman: I love that.
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  Get get it ready.
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  Yeah.
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  Yeah.
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  I love that.
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  And look, you know, one of the things that you said was like
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  deciding timeframe, right?
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  Like how quickly or how slowly you're gonna implement this and now.
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  One thing that you know, want to remind our listeners is you
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  need to be realistic with that.
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  It usually takes longer than you expect.
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  I will say in my experience, it usually takes longer than
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  you expect, and that's okay.
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  Um, but you really have to get the team involved too, because you need
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  to delegate some of those things.
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  And I'll say like, you know, when you're talking about, you know, the initiatives
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  and your game plan, and who's gonna be doing this and who's responsible for it.
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  Your name should not always be the one that's responsible for it.
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  So don't think that when you're going back that you are going
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  to be the one that's doing.
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  All of this on your own, have someone else be responsible for like that project.
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  You can still be there to assist and support and help and be part of it.
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  But it shouldn't always be you.
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  It can't.
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  No, no.
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  It can't always be you.
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  So I think that's another, another big part of it too.
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  Mm-hmm.
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  Savanah Carlson: And you don't wanna overwhelm the team with your excitement.
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  I know I've been there and I have learned from that mistake.
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  I've come back and said, this is gonna be awesome.
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  This is gonna be awesome, and we're gonna get this done and this is how
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  it's gonna impact it, and we're gonna do this and we're gonna do this.
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  And it just keeps building, building and building to the point
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  where no one wants to listen.
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  No one's as excited as you are.
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  They might have been like interested at first, but now they're like, oh, hell no.
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  She is crazy.
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  We're not doing all of this at once.
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  I would save that type of excitement.
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  For your doctor, I would go back and say, look, this is what I'd like to implement.
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  This is my timeline.
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  How does that fit with your timeline as dentist, owner, doctor?
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  Um, yep.
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  And go from there.
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  Slow rollout.
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  Mm-hmm.
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  You can say you can high level, exciting things to the team.
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  Oh, I met this person.
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  They do this.
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  It was awesome.
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  We learned this.
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  It was very cool.
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  Just don't tell them everything that's gonna happen right away
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  because you don't have a plan for it.
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  Right.
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  If you don't have a plan, you don't have to roll anything out.
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  'cause you can't.
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  You can't.
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  Right.
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  It just creates trans confusion.
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  Jen Steadman: Yeah.
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  And I think look with that too, your excitement.
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  You brought up that point.
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  Like when you come back, you're so excited, you're ready to go.
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  You don't know what happened last week when you weren't at the office.
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  So also be mindful of.
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  Your team may have had a kaka week because you weren't there to support
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  them because you were, you were building things for the future, right?
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  Which is excellent.
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  But don't come in and just, you know, guns blaze and lack of a better term.
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  You're like, let's go.
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  We're gonna do this and do that.
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  They need time to like adjust to you being back in the office and you need time
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  to adjust to be back in the office too.
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  Mm-hmm.
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  So game plan is huge.
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  Game plan, game plan, game plan.
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  Love it.
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  Yeah.
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  Savanah Carlson: And rolling out.
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  So let's say you have your game plan all set up and it's your
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  first implementation of change.
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  Uh, we already said the why is so important, knowing who is, who it isn't
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  affecting and who it will be doing it.
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  Um, and then creating mini SOPs along the way for the tasks involved
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  for, for this implementation.
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  It doesn't have to be a full extensive like five page
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  document that you do on Scribe.
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  It could be a demo and a link to the demo.
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  This is, this is the SOP for this task.
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  Watch this demo, learn about this, and then we'll get together next
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  week and we'll talk about it.
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  Involving the team in change is important.
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  It helps them have more pride in their work and also ownership in the new.
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  Change and it creates a comradery and a pride in their position that you
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  wouldn't see if you didn't involve them.
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  Jen Steadman: Yeah.
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  A thousand percent.
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  A thousand percent.
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  Man, look at that.
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  Boston bombshell, Savannahs dropping 'em over here.
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  Dropping the bombs.
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  Dropping the bombs.
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  Yeah.
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  Savanah Carlson: I mean, we've gone where, right?
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  Growing up in the dental office and not having a leadership position to start.
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  When you're involved in big decisions and big change there, it's exciting.
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  It adds to that positivity.
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  We want change to feel like growth and not feel like a barrier or
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  feel like a burden to the team.
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  Mm-hmm.
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  Which I, which also leads to make sure you have the time and the capacity.
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  You don't wanna be a 10 pound Turkey and a five pound pan.
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  You gotta be realist.
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  It could take you six months.
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  Before you are able to implement anything, it could, realistically,
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  you don't, whatever's happened in your practice, it could take you six months.
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  But it will
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  Jen Steadman: happen.
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  It will happen.
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  I'm gonna digress real quick because, uh, on the last episode we clearly have some
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  poultry problems because last time it was roosters and now that now it's turkeys.
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  No, let's turkeys now it's turkeys.
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  I'm just gonna, I don't know.
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  But anyways, you know, um, I'm not gonna make a Turkey gobble
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  even though like I have the chin.
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  That could be like, oh.
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  Cut it up.
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  Well, you just did it anyways, so there you go.
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  Savanah Carlson: I'm so embarrassed.
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  Oh man.
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  I'll do it.
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  I'll behind the mic so you can't see it.
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  Drop.
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  Jen Steadman: Look, you know, with change I'll say there's a restaurant
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  that Savannah, you and I have, have frequented, um, and they have a tip
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  jar on the counter and it says, if you don't like change, leave it here.
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  I love that.
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  You know, it's just.
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  Your in anything in life change is inevitable.
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  Everything changes constantly.
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  Yeah.
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  Everything constantly changes.
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  The way that you anticipate and react to that change and the way that you support
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  others in that change, it's what's gonna make or break the, the outcome.
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  Right.
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  So as a leader, like you were saying.
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  Understand the timeline, help to support your team.
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  It's also a great opportunity for someone on your team to step up
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  that might not have originally.
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  Right.
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  And I think, look, you and I have had change in practices where we have been,
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  and because of that change we're here.
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  Right?
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  So, um.
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  Just change isn't always a bad thing and just support your team and just
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  know that it might not go swimmingly if you haven't done a lot of change
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  in your office, in your office the first time, and that's okay.
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  Every single time that you try to do anything, it's a learning experience.
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  You will learn something from it, whether it's good or it's bad.
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  You're gonna learn and just go from there.
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  And that's really, that, that's, that's the biggest thing.
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  And you bring up a really important point
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  Savanah Carlson: about supporting your team, uh, making sure that they have the
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  tools to be successful with this change.
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  Um, and the support.
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  Doesn't stop when the change is fully implemented.
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  You have to follow up with any type of change.
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  Create a I create the succession plan of change.
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  Right?
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  How many weeks after change happens?
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  Are you gonna follow up with the team or the team members who are.
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  Making the changes.
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  Uh, is it six weeks?
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  Is it, do you have a three month check-in a six month check-in a year check-in
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  and say, okay, we, we implemented this change in this process a year ago.
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  How is it going?
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  What are our metrics also important to include in your, your game plan?
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  What metrics are you monitoring?
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  Mm-hmm.
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  For any
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  type of implementation of change to prove its success.
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  We don't wanna do things on feelings.
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  Right.
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  Jen Steadman: Right.
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  Savanah Carlson: You might have a gut feeling that it's good.
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  Awesome.
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  Follow your gut.
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  What can you back it up with?
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  You need the data and the KPIs and metrics to be able to back
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  up that, that gut feeling.
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  If you don't, it's a gamble.
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  I don't, sometimes I don't wanna take that gamble.
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  I can't do it.
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  I can't do it.
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  Jen Steadman: I, one of my biggest pet peeves anytime that we had
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  changes in our office, right?
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  We have changes in providers, so patients leave.
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  I'd always get the comment, well, a lot of patients are leaving.
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  Well, what does that mean?
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  How many, what is a lot?
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  Exactly How many, why are they leaving?
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  You know, we need to really understand and you have to measure that.
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  So don't exactly, like you said, make sure that you.
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  Have measurable goals.
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  Know what those metrics are, know what the goals are that go with them, who's
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  accountable for tracking those metrics.
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  Mm-hmm Do you have software?
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  Are you reviewing it at huddle?
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  How often are you measuring those?
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  Um, really getting down to that when you're implementing anything and
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  understanding what that is before you even start is so important.
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  Savanah Carlson: I love change.
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  Change is good.
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  Change is hard.
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  We're not saying that change isn't hard.
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  No, there's is going to be change That is hard even for you, even
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  for, for us, for me, looking
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  Savannah's been through a lot of change in the past six months, okay?
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  I'm here to tell you, you will survive.
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  You, you will make it through.
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  You're gonna cry it out.
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  I'm gonna cry right now.
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  You're gonna cry it out for a solid 24 hours until your eyes are blue.
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  Like these right here, and you're gonna put your big girl pants on and
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  throw on some lipstick and you got this and you're gonna keep going.
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  Change means growth.
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  Growth is improvement in your life, grow.
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  We're here to grow.
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  That's
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  Jen Steadman: my soapbox.
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  Okay.
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  I'm gonna go cry in the corner now.
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  I know.
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  And I'm gonna cry again.
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  I love you Savannah.
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  And we are gonna clock out so we can go cry.
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  Okay.
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  We will see you on the next episode of Back in 10.
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  Bye everyone.
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  Bye bye.
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  Someone
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  Savanah Carlson: pass me a tissue.
• 13:54
  Thanks for spending a few minutes with us on
• 13:55
  Jen Steadman: back in 10, if something made you laugh, nod or feel a little
• 13:59
  more human, share it with a friend and make sure that you're subscribed.
• 14:03
  You can also follow us on Instagram
• 14:05
  Savanah Carlson: at Back in 10 Pod for more behind the scenes updates and
• 14:09
  Jen Steadman: probably a little chaos.
• 14:11
  We're not here to have it all figured out.
• 14:13
  We are just here to tell you the things that we wish someone had told us
• 14:18
  Savanah Carlson: and remind you that leadership doesn't
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  have to be perfect, just real.
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  We'll be back in 10.