Archive for August, 2009
Dental Practice Insubordination
Posted by: | CommentsThere can be confusion as to when an employee is truly insubordinate or is guilty of some other infraction. We commonly deal with this issue when a dental practice has a new policy/system and it is ready for implementation.
Insubordination may be described as “resistance to” or “defiance of” authority, disobedience, refusal or failure to obey reasonable and lawful instructions, rudeness, rebelliousness, disobedient gestures, dismissive gestures, walking away, abusive language or other negative behaviors that result in an actual work stoppage.
Disciplinary sanctions can include written warning, final written warning or even dismissal depending on the severity of the offense. In our experience, most of our dentists have weak or non-existent systems when it comes to implementing disciplinary systems. Every employee not only has the responsibility to come to work and be on time and so on, but also the duty to obey all reasonable and lawful instructions. In other words, to do as he/she is told, within the parameters of what is accepted as being a reasonable and lawful instruction is at the heart of “insubordination”.
Obviously, any instruction that can be carried out without breaking any statute, common law or practice policy is regarded as “a lawful instruction.” This would also be the first requirement of a “reasonable” instruction.
But for the instruction to be reasonable, there are other elements required. An instruction can quite easily be lawful, but at the same time it can be unreasonable. For example, it would be appropriate for a dentist to instruct an employee to clean her operatory at the end of the day. But it would be unreasonable if you telephoned her late at night to return to work to do this.
It is a simple matter to determine whether an instruction is lawful or not. But defining “reasonable” simply means that the employee must have the necessary knowledge, skill, capability and ability to carry out the instruction. Instructing an employee to do something that she cannot do is not only unfair and unreasonable, but it is also unlawful.
It is not always clear whether or not a particular task falls within the parameters of an employee’s job description, when not specifically stated in writing. So it is a question of reasonable and rational judgment that must be applied here. Also worth consideration is whether the task in question is merely a “one time” thing, or is it likely to become a permanent element of that employee’s job description? An example may be asking a team member to arrange personal travel plans for the dentist.
Perhaps the best approach in those “one-time” situations is to use a bit of the old psychology, “Don’t assume, simply ask..” However, if the task would now become a permanent part of the employee’s job, then you would have to consult and reach agreement on the matter.
Please note, providing there is no dispute about whether or not the task falls within the parameters of the existing job description, that the consultation with the employee is purely to discuss the new task, the reasons for it, how it must be done, what standards must be met and any problems or difficulties the employee may wish to discuss. The consultation is NOT a negotiation during which you have to offer an increase in salary or improved benefits because of the extra work.
A Job Description, by definition, is a written description of those tasks that the employee is expected to do. Therefore, the fact that a specific task is not mentioned in writing in the Job Description, does not give the employee the right to refuse to do it now or in the future. If the employee and/or others doing the same job have performed the task in the past, and it is lawful and reasonable, then the employee(s) must continue doing it now even if she has suddenly discovered that it is not written in her Job Description.
Resistance should be brought to the employee’s attention, and she should be warned, that her continued unreasonable refusal may lead to disciplinary action, and the dental office should proceed accordingly.
–For help with dental practice management, dental case presentation, hygiene as a profit center, business plans for the dental practice, dental continuing education seminars and more, go to www.SchusterCenter.com or call 1-800-288-9393
Dentists – Achieve Peak Profitability
Posted by: | CommentsAchieve Peak Profit, Reduce Stress and Produce Higher Quality Dentistry:
Yes, You Can Have it All!
Many dentists believe that if they just increase the number of patients seen they will have financial success. Dentists have been told that bigger dental practices will produce more money for them. But this production model assumes that the dentist’s fixed costs are indeed “fixed” and quality time spent with patients will not become a problem.
Fixed costs aren’t really fixed, just constant. Dentists soon realize that they must add staff, increase office space, or keep more materials on hand to handle a larger practice. But when fixed costs increase, the overhead percentage increases and net profit decreases.
Most dentists are not aware that their introduction to marketing and management of their practice was influenced by research of manufacturing. This manufacturing/production model doesn’t apply to dentistry or other service industries.
Those dentists who believed in this model now find themselves spending more time managing the business side of the practice and less time with their patients. As the pressure increases to produce more business, neglected patients go to another dentist who cares about them. Eventually, dentists realize that they can’t produce their way out of the “bigger is better” trap.
What do they do then? Some dentists sell their businesses to a management firm and become a paid employee of “their” practice. Others file bankruptcy or use consultants for a “quick fix.” Most continue to struggle day to day, looking for a way out. Let’s look at a model that does reflect what actually happens in a dental practice.
Costs are very high at the start up of a new practice and decrease as the practice grows. At some point, the dentist will be faced with a decision to hire more staff, increase office space and buy more materials. When this happens, “fixed costs” per unit and the overhead will increase.
Revenue per patient seen is very low at the beginning of a new practice and increases significantly as the practice grows. At some point, however, the dentists will see less return on investment with every additional patient. Efficiency is lost due to the limitation of the dental practice. As the practice grows larger, dentists are forced to spend more time in managing the business of the practice or pay someone to control the practice. There is a point where more patients means more money, but a diminishing profit margin.
What this means to you…since 1978, The Schuster Center has helped thousands of dentists identify and reach their optimal profit zone. In fact, 97% of the dentists who have learned and applied Schuster strategies and methods have achieved or exceeded their practice goals within the first year. If you’d like to learn where your optimal Profit Zone is, contact us to schedule a complimentary assessment. Call 1-800-288-9393.
Dentist – Procrastinate no more
Posted by: | CommentsThere are several major fears that activate PROCRASTINATION:
* Fear of the unknown
* Fear of rejection or looking foolish
* Fear of failure
* Fear of success
Many dentists fear success or making a commitment because it carries added responsibility that can seem too much to handle, such as setting a higher standard, or moving from GOOD to GREAT in any area of your life or business. Every additional commitment takes additional effort and energy and the willingness to take the risks that are associated with it.
Many do not have adequate SELF IMAGE and the highly positive SELF ESTEEM that is required to take the risk of GROWTH or CHANGE or DEVELOPMENT. High achievers have HIGH SELF IMAGE and HIGH SELF ESTEEM. Playing it safe is what low achievers and low risk takers do.
Below are some ideas to help you move toward VICTORY OVER CHANGE rather than being a VICTIM OF CHANGE:
1) Get up early. Set your clock to get up an hour earlier than you normally do and keep the clock at that setting. Use the time in the following way:
2) Think about all the things/people/events for which you are GRATEFUL. Focus on every good thing in your life for which you are GRATEFUL. If you want, you can do this while you walk with heavy hands, or exercise or ‘prayer walk’ or meditate, but keep your focus on GRATEFULNESS.
3) Use this time to plan your day, your week, the week ahead.
4) Think about your ‘happy spot’ or ‘happy place’. We all have ‘islands of happiness’ –those places that give us those special feelings. We also have people in our lives that bring joy and happiness into our lives…we need to let them know that they are that to us.
5) Memorize the following that was given to me by a Priest, who was a patient of mine some 20 years ago:
Don’t sweat the small stuff. It’s all small stuff. If you can’t fight or flight…flow!!
6) Handle each piece of mail, literature, e-mail, fax just once and then get rid of it. Focus on handling these things at the beginning of your day and the end of your day.
7) Get in the habit of coming up with a solution to every problem rather than simply focusing on the problem. When people bring problems to you, listen to them compassionately and then ask them to formulate a solution. Give the problem identifier the responsibility for solving the problem. You can do this with them.
8) Always finish what you start. Know that Progress is more important than Perfection. If you say you are going to do it, then finish it. Completion adds an enormous amount to your SELF RESPECT and SELF ESTEEM. CONCENTRATE your ENERGY and INTENSITY without distraction. Create your FOCUS TIME, or PERFORMANCE TIME…do not be distracted.
9) Be CONSTRUCTIVELY HELPFUL rather than CRITICAL of every new idea. Single out someone to praise or recognize rather than shoot them down, and participating in group bitching, grudge collecting or pity parties.
10) Limit your TV viewing and INTERNET SURFING to educational and enlightening programs. Stay away from FOX and CNN and other networks that make the news rather than report the news. The internet has become a great way for procrastinators to hide out instead of focusing on GOAL ACHIEVING ACTIVITIES.
11) Make a list of important PROJECTS that will advance you personally or advance your business. Taking immediate action reduces stress and tension. Procrastination always leads to conflicts, complications and eventually crises. Look at GLOBAL WARMING…the DISEASE CARE CRISIS…the ENERGY CRISES and the FINANCIAL CRISIS. You think this happened all at once??
12) Seek out SUCCESSFUL ROLE MODELS in any area of your life or business in which you want to succeed. Success leaves clues…so does failure. Learn from others’ successes as well as others’ failures can improve your performance in any area of your life or business that is important. Every successful person I’ve ever observed has used STRATEGIES to CREATE MODELS to live their life by. Observe them and you can copy their MODEL.
13) Problems are part of life. In fact, they are the key to life. You either grasp them and do something about them or you stay STUCK. With the rapid change in society today, you have many problems to solve every day…but are you working towards something or just problem solving?
Problems are opportunities to a real entrepreneur. They are opportunities to find solutions that people value and in which they are willing to pay. You only have the freedom of choice. You don’t have the freedom to choose your results. Results are determined by NATURAL LAWS.
Information is FREE. Knowledge is CHEAP. Wisdom is PRICELESS.
Wisdom is knowing the OUTCOME before you take action. Study with wise people and practice the principles and strategies they produce and your life will evolve in positive, life affirming ways.
Dr. Michael Schuster
–Call us about how to integrate proven models and strategies into your dental practice for higher profitability and personal satisfaction,, 1-800-288-9393 or visit www.SchusterCenter.com
Dentists – Be smart with money
Posted by: | CommentsYou change the way money behaves in your life by changing the way you think about it. I bet every dentist has read Psycho-Cybernetics by Maltz. At the very least, you have all heard of it. It’s one of the granddaddies of the human potential movement. Chapter two may be the most powerful chapter in any book I have ever read.
Maltz’s work simply says this: We are goal striving mechanisms. The sum total of chapter two is the following statement: “Once we know what the target is, we can reach it, we can accomplish it”. On the other hand, he says, “Where the target or the goal is not known, all the energy is spent trying to find out what the answer is”.
That, to me, is what explains why so many dentists, in spite of making millions and millions of dollars over the course of their careers, end up with little or nothing to show for it. They’ve never had specific goals.
In our practices, we know when we’re having a bad month because we feel it. We can almost sense how much is being collected and whether it is above or below what we need. Maltz is saying to program it. Put it in your mind so you understand how many dollars you need to collect. Know how much your practice needs to be profitable and live within that.
To change the way money behaves in your life, reprogram your thought processes. Abundance means that there is enough for everyone, and that everyone can and should prosper. We’re not competing with one another. There is plenty to go around.
A number of years ago, I heard Peter Dawson say that there is probably a practice within most practices. How much dentistry do you think exists in your own practice right now that has never been completely diagnosed or hasn’t had a complete treatment plan created? We are not competing with each other. We are creating the relationship; we’re creating the diagnosis; we’re forming the communication process; and, we’re helping patients accept the dentistry that’s consistent with their needs, wants and values. But, what happens if we don’t do it? It doesn’t mean that it can’t be created by someone else.
A question that I don’t doubt many of you have asked at one time or another: Why do jobs that seem to contribute the most to people, seem to pay the least? Do you ever ask yourself that question? Why is it in our society that people who seem to be contributing the most, get paid the least? Must I choose between material well-being or serving humanity?
Money is extremely powerful in people’s lives. It’s only when you pause to really think about it deeply and what it means to you, that you can finally stop chasing it. Money is never going to bring you happiness
Many of the most important things that you have in your life right now, like satisfying relationships with your spouse, your children, your staff and your friends, cannot be bought. But, too often, we sacrifice our relationships and health to get more money.
In my experience, being a dentist offers me the potential to have both. Being a dentist has availed me the opportunity to have deep, important relationships with not only my family, but my patients and my fellow dentists. At the same time, I am able to live in the material world and make good money.
Money does demand that you be aware of it at all times, not only in your personal life, but in your practice life as well. Money doesn’t have any intelligence, though, does it? It will do exactly what we order it to do. Money doesn’t have a mind of its own, but we do. When somebody says to me, “Gee Mike, I don’t have very much money”, what do you suppose I’m thinking? I’m thinking they’re not very smart when it comes to money.
My challenge is not to teach you how to make more money. My challenge is to teach you to want what you have and be happy with what you have. When you get happy with what you have, and when you can apply certain principles in your life, then, and only then, will the universe give you more. The only way that you’re going to have more of anything in your life is to be satisfied with what you already have, to control what you have now.
You need to know where you are with money on a day-to-day basis. When a person gets into trouble financially, it’s because he isn’t aware of his financial situation. They don’t know how to work with their accountants. They don’t understand money. They don’t understand what it is costing them to practice. I’m not sure what came first, the lack of attention to money or the lack of money. My experience is that they go hand in hand. So, dentists! Be smart with money.
–For help with dental practice management, dental case presentation, hygiene as a profit center, business plans for the dental practice, dental continuing education seminars and more, go to www.SchusterCenter.com or call 1-800-288-9393
The Elements of a Great Dental Practice
Posted by: | CommentsGreat Values = A Great Organization
There are great causes, great books, great music, great films, great
baseball teams, great buildings and there are also great organizations.
We know a great dental practice in the same way we know a great sports team;
by the way the individual performers work together, play the game, and consistently
achieve their goals.
We know great teams by the ’spirit’ they express, their level of aspirations,
and the values they live by. We know them because they not only enrich themselves, but they enrich everyone they touch.
A great organization, a great dental practice, takes a stand for its values and its dreams. So it must have real values that are truly lived, not simply expressed and real dreams that are brought to life, not just spoken about.
KEY ELEMENTS OF GREATNESS
* Power is distributed widely and equally
* Relationships are soundly managed with overall interests in mind
* The organization stands for something important and purposeful
* Principles determine policies and systems
* Growth is clearly defined
* Resources are managed in a responsible, consistent manner
* The organization continually aligns people towards it Vision, its Goal, its Purpose
–For help with dental practice management, dental case presentation, hygiene as a profit center, business plans for the dental practice, dental continuing education seminars and more, go to www.SchusterCenter.com or call 1-800-288-9393
Pennwell VP Gets Wake Up Call
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the best things about my job is being able to interact with so many noteworthy individuals in the dental industry. Aldo Eagle, VP of Education at Pennwell Publishing, recently sent me an email about Dr. Schuster’s popular book, The Science of Creating WealthTM…
“After reading Dr. Schuster’s The Science of Creating WealthTM, I realized that the central message in the book transcends dentistry and is a book all working professionals should read. I now realize the difference between wealth and being rich. This was a wake up call.
The Science of Creating WealthTM is a beacon in the storm of information overload. After reading Dr. Schuster’s book, I realized that creating wealth is not a complicated endeavor. It’s amazing how simple it is if you realize preserving your wealth is more important than making more money.” –Aldo Eagle – VP Education at PennWell (Publisher of Dental Economics)
–Go to www.SchusterCenter.com to order the book or to learn more on how you can truly improve your bottom line through exceptional dental practice management systems.
Dentist, are you grateful?
Posted by: | CommentsWanting what you have…seems like an oxymoron in our current culture where if we can’t afford to HAVE IT we simply finance it. It’s amazing to see a 7% drop in consumer spending for things we don’t need but WANT. Then when we get them, we simply WANT MORE.
Timothy Miller wrote a book in 1995 that I’ve read 50 times…HOW TO WANT WHAT YOU HAVE!
I suggest you read it. Step one to ever being happy with what you have is GRATITUDE. Interesting that in Lee Brower’s new book, The Brower Quadrant, he also focuses on the importance and power of gratitude.
It’s a proven fact that people who are grateful for what they have, perform better and have a much more profound impact on their life and the lives of others.
Two other elements that Timothy Miller writes about are ATTENTION…being actually present to what is going on right now and COMPASSION. I find that people who really try to understand us become much more involved with life and come much closer than those who feel and show little compassion for others.
But in the end, how can anyone WANT WHAT THEY HAVE, it they DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY WANT. So many dentists have lives that contradict their core values, or go against NATURE’S PRINCIPLES of human behavior. No matter who you are, you’ll never BE HAPPY, CONTENT OR GRATEFUL if you don’t focus on and act on what you TRULY VALUE AND WANT.
And you’ll also have a very difficult time feeling GRATEFUL if all you do is PROBLEM SOLVE.
We all have problems and we all must face our problems and do something about our problems. But its far better to FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WANT…the ONE THING THAT CAN AND WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
When I wrote THE SCIENCE OF CREATING WEALTH…I did so because we all have so much more potential…I think one of the major reasons the majority of us fail to even come close to our God given potential is because we ARE NOT GRATEFUL FOR WHAT WE HAVE.
Think on these things.
Dr. Michael Schuster
–For help with dental practice management, dental case presentation, hygiene as a profit center, business plans for the dental practice, dental continuing education seminars and more, go to www.SchusterCenter.com or call 1-800-288-9393
Freedom – Money, Time and More
Posted by: | CommentsRecently I had the opportunity of seeing the inside of a jail cell. No, I was not arrested. I had the privilege of experiencing a ride-along with a police officer. The very first thing I saw was a jail cell. No windows. No comforts. No clock. No space. It was a cold and lonely place. I knew without a doubt this was not a place I ever wanted to find myself.
What about financial jail cells? How many of us today are finding ourselves enslaved in the MONEY TRAP? We feel frozen and alone as if there is no way out. Time moves so slowly. We count each day while interest rates and overhead steal our future.
As I stared at the cell, it crossed my mind that everyone should see this place. Maybe everyone should have to stay in the cell for a few minutes just to appreciate their freedom. What an eye-opening experience that would be for all of us as we consider our choices going forward.
Unlike the physical jail cell, many of us have already experienced a financial jail cell. Thankfully, we do not have to spend our future there. We do not have to be run by our dental practices or by our debt…or by expensive dental consultants. We can get control of our time and money, clear our debt, DOUBLE OUR NET PROFIT, and have peace of mind.
You can experience financial freedom. You don’t have to live life in a jail cell!
Grant Magers
Practice Analyst – The Schuster Center
The Science of Creating Wealth™
Posted by: | CommentsDr. Schuster’s book, The Science of Creating WealthTM, is a MUST READ for all dentists. In fact, many leaders in the dental industry are now commenting on the book and the key learnings that are found within its pages.
Dr. Bill Lockard of The Pankey Institute emailed us his thoughts:
“Thank you for your book. I have read it, high-lighted ½ of it. The more I read, the more I remembered what you told me years ago. I now remember back in the 1970’s both of us talking and working out the seven systems that I wrote about in my book are mostly due to you. I apologize for not giving you full credit – I have been talking about them for so long in my seminars, the origin escaped me.
The fundamentals that you teach are so sound; I’m glad that I listened because it has worked for me. I must confess that I have been more of a spender, but after 18 years retired and 46 safaris on 6 continents, I consider that we are still wealthy by your (and my) definition. Thank you very much. I will certainly recommend everyone read your book and it is as you say, the facts do not matter, the person must want to accept responsibility for his personal and financial health. First, the commitment then the discipline, dedication and persistence. You have enabled the dreams of many.”-Dr. Bill Lockard, author of The Exceptional Dental Practice
To find out more about The Science of Creating WealthTM and our various products and services to help you double your net profit through superior dental practice management, visit our website: www.SchusterCenter.com
