CDS Member News and Articles
Professional News Articles :
FRONT DESK by Mary M. Byers, CAE :
Position yourself for success
Position yourself for success
March 3, 2009
The economy is in the tank. Thousands of employees are being laid off each day. The trickle-down effect is beginning to reach service providers. Even strong dental practices are beginning to feel the effects: patients losing jobs and dental benefits, services postponed, appointments rescheduled, and decisions to wait longer between recall appointments. When will it end?
Though the end of economic instability may not be in sight, we can control our response to it. Here’s how to weather the storm proactively.
Stop listening to the news. Media outlets tend to focus on bad news. That’s why you hear doom and gloom on the news each day. If you’re a news junkie, it’s hard not to be affected by what you’re hearing. It’s easier to feel hopeful when you choose not to listen to the news or read the paper. Declare a media fast and you’ll find that any anxiety you have will begin to decrease.
Control what you can. You may not be able to control what’s happening in Washington or the financial markets, but you can control your own actions and emotions. Operate in a continuous improvement mode and when the recession is over, you’ll have grown as a result of it.
See change and challenges as opportunities. While many only see the downside of the recession, others see the opportunity for individuals to realign their values and businesses to streamline their operations. In the long run, both of these can help increase the chance of long-term success.
Spend time monitoring and analyzing your performance. Doing so allows you to identify behaviors that lead to greater success—both for you and the practice you work for. Focusing on providing self-feedback allows you to grow both personally and professionally; it challenges you to seek excellence in all you do.
Base decisions more on logic and judgment rather than emotions. Develop the ability to separate emotion from reason when it comes to making decisions. Doing so will train you to look at facts as well as the big picture and encourage wise choices.
Value creativity and innovation both within and outside of work. Great ideas and opportunities can be found anywhere if you’re trained to look. When you see a clever idea, ask how it can be adapted for your benefit. Watch how other people solve tough problems and see what you can learn from them when it comes to creating new ways to do things.
Work hard at communication. As a consultant, the number one problem I see in organizations is often people’s ability and willingness to communicate with one another. Don’t wait for problems to grow before addressing them. The most successful people are the most courageous communicators: they say what needs to be said sooner than others, and they listen carefully to what they hear in response.
Don’t let up. It’s easy to become apathetic when the news is so gloomy each day and so much is beyond our individual control. Instead of working harder and smarter, many people are simply giving in to fear. You don’t have to be one of them. Instead, let the uncertainty of today help propel you to a stronger tomorrow by developing the skills outlined above.
CDS presents Front Desk, a column addressing problems dentists and staff members experience in the office. Front Desk is prepared by Mary M. Byers, CAE, a professional speaker and freelance writer. Ms. Byers may be reached at mbyers@marybyers.com or www.marybyers.com. Send suggestions for topics to be covered to review@cds.org.
© 2009, Chicago Dental Society
