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Dr. William Chen: Team Mistake
95 Plays1 year ago
This episode is pure dental gold!
Listen in as Dr. William Chen shares a team mistake and explains, “I don’t want to lose good people.”
Imagine doing a 6-month financial check-in with your team to keep the dream team intact!
Dr. Chen knows the importance of finding the right people with the perfect modes of operation for a flawless team synergy.
And wait for it... coaching is the MVP in his personal and professional playbook! Tune in and level up your dental game!
About The Guest:
Dr. Bill Chen is a dentist based in Sebring, Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida and started his own practice, Chen Dental, in 2005. Over the years, he has grown his practice to 17 chairs and has a team of five associates, with a sixth one on the way. Dr. Chen is dedicated to continuous learning and has been working with a coach for over a decade to help him scale his practice successfully.
Want to know more about Kolbe and Financial Peace University?
- https://www.kolbe.com/
- https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/financial-peace?snid=products.pay-off-debt-and-build-wealth.financial-peace-university
Summary:
Dr. Chen discusses the challenges of building a team and the mistakes he has made along the way. He emphasizes the importance of not losing good people and shares how his practice has implemented six-month financial check-ins to ensure that team members are on track and engaged. Dr. Chen also talks about the shift from hiring for the person to hiring for the position, creating clarity and expectations within the practice, and using the Kolbe test to understand team members' strengths and modes of operation.
Key Takeaways:
- Losing good people is a costly mistake, and it's important to have regular check-ins to ensure team members are on track.
- Instead of hiring for the person, create the position first and find the right fit for the role.
- Clarity and expectations are crucial for team members' success and engagement.
- Understanding team members' strengths and modes of operation can improve communication and collaboration.
- Balancing different types of team members can create a more cohesive and effective team.
Connect with Ignitedds: @ignitedds
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Transcript
Introduction to Unspoken Challenges in Dentistry
00:00:00
Speaker
Dental Fuel, the podcast that focuses on what no one else is talking about. Mistakes. The dental world is full of before and afters and no one is talking about the middle. Dental Fuel brings you the unspoken in between. Scaling a
Scaling Practice: Team Building Mistakes
00:00:15
Speaker
practice is difficult and so is building a team. Dr. Chen talks about a team mistake that he's made while scaling his different practices.
00:00:24
Speaker
As you continue to grow your team and as you continue to do so, I'm sure that maybe you have encountered some difficulties in building your practice and working with fellow associates and team members. What are some mistakes that you have made with your team and how have you learned from those? Probably one
Impact of Turnover and Retention Strategies
00:00:45
Speaker
of the greatest topics to talk about, especially today because it's so hard to find people and what was marketable isn't marketable anymore.
00:00:53
Speaker
Um, biggest mistake. So one of the things that I focused on after the pandemic was there were lessons learned before the pandemic and there's lessons learned after the pandemic. And the way we manage those is different now, but the similarity is this. I don't want to lose good people. That is a mistake. Have we lost good people? We absolutely have lost good people. Some of them have worked, you know,
00:01:24
Speaker
Life happens. I had this conversation today with one of my reps and I said, you know, turnover is very costly for a practice. I think everyone can agree that the amount of time and money you invested in somebody by the time they leave, you've lost some of that investment. The shorter the time in your practice, the harder that hits. The longer they're in your practice, you can recoup some of that, right? But that short term, losing good people.
00:01:53
Speaker
is my problem that I want to make sure it doesn't repeat itself. So that is probably the biggest one, is just losing good people. How
Financial Check-ins for Employee Retention
00:02:04
Speaker
we fix that, I'm kind of losing track of the question, but how we have fixed that is we do six-month financial check-ins.
00:02:14
Speaker
So when we hire you, when you onboard your coach through the process of how we pay, we coach through how we set goals and how you get incentivized. And we check in not once a year like we used to, because it seems like you lost that person already, right? So we check in at halftime, just like a football coach. You know, when halftime comes, they all go back in the room and they all talk about the first quarter and what they're gonna do different in the second quarter. And that's exactly what we do. Because we don't want to lose good people
00:02:44
Speaker
A lot of times we lose them because that conversation hadn't been had for a whole year. And so what we do is we try to check in with you six months and make sure, Hey, are we tracking? If we're not, what kind of things can you do, not just us, what can you do to help yourself get back on track? Because if it's our system, we'll fix that. But if it's you not engaging, you need to be told that sooner than later. So that's, I don't forgot the question already, but team mistakes and challenges, but I think that that's excellent. Yeah. Um,
Hiring Practices: Defining Roles and Expectations
00:03:15
Speaker
Hiring people to solve a problem is an issue in my practice. We've gone from hiring just for the person to hiring for the position. So we create the position first, like a box. We literally draw boxes on an accountability diagram. And we say, who's the person to fill that box? Because that's what the practice needs. And then we go find the people. Instead, we find good people and say, OK, where are you going to fit in my organization? We don't do that.
00:03:43
Speaker
Like we create the boss because it's really, when you don't provide clarity and expectations, the job description, the roles, how you get paid, you start getting behind, you get behind and you end up losing good people because there's just no clarity. You know, they're good people. You just put them in the practice somewhere where they fit and that doesn't always work out very well. I hope that makes sense.
00:04:08
Speaker
That just makes sense. I think that the flip is probably pretty difficult to do. Just find a good person and then find the right fit for them. I feel like that's maybe not realistic, especially when you put out a job opening if you're looking for somebody because you have X amount of
00:04:25
Speaker
duties and tests that maybe you're looking for somebody to kind of come in and fulfill. But I completely agree with you that
Utilizing Kolbe Test for Team Dynamics
00:04:32
Speaker
oftentimes people come in that are good people that are tailored and better fit to do something else than maybe they're initially hired to do. Yes, and we do find that a lot of times. For instance, we'll just use a dental assistant because they could be on the job training, they could be formally trained, right? And so you say, hey, I'm hiring a dental assistant, here's a job description. Well, that's nice.
00:04:53
Speaker
They have to perform at that level, but then how do they mesh with the team, right? In other words, we do a thing called the Colby, right? And you can look it up. It's a strength and weakness test, if you will, strength test mostly. And it gives your mode of operation. I'm at five, six, two, seven, for those of you who want to look it up, I'm a fact finder follow through with high implementation. And so I know how to interact with those that are not, and I know how to interact with those that are similar.
00:05:22
Speaker
And vice versa, if they know and study their Colby, they know how to approach me. Right. Um, and so we talked to the problem is we try to talk to people on our own Colby. In other words, our mode of operation, not their mode of operation. And so if you were like a high quick start and I go into a bunch of details, that person's just like, I'm over you. I'm not, I didn't hear a word you said. I said, but if I give them bullet points, they're like, I got it doc. Thanks. And that's all I need to give them. If they need more info, they'll call, you know, they'll ask.
00:05:50
Speaker
If I just bombard them with all the stuff that I need, because I'm a higher fact finder, it just goes over their head and I'm like, they're done. So yes, we're hiring a dental assistant, but what kind of dental assistant? Is she an implementer? Is she a follow through? Is she a fact finder? Is she a quick start? Is he a quick start? I should say he, she, whatever. But is that person a good fit for who or where you're operating right now with this team? Because if they're all one type, sometimes a team gets lopsided.
00:06:20
Speaker
You need to balance that out a little bit with some cheerleaders, with some more conservatives. It needs to be a good match when you have 13 assistants running. So the strength finders test is called Colby, is that what it's called? So there's strength finders, which is one.
Enhancing Team Communication and Performance
00:06:39
Speaker
And then there's Colby, which is another, K-O-L-B-E.com, I guess where you can find that. Kathy Colby.
00:06:47
Speaker
It's not a personality test, that's her father, her father does all that stuff, but she focused on basically the energy that you use throughout the day in those modes, okay, whether it's a fact finder, a follow through, a quick start, or an implementer. We all have all four, it's just which ones do we operate mostly out of. And if you, for instance, at a quick start, I'm at two, which is a very low, low quick start. It takes me most of my energy to spend
00:07:18
Speaker
And at work, I have to operate it at nine. So after work, I'm done. Don't ask me to invent anything. Don't ask me to make quick decisions. I'm done doing all that. So when I get home, all I want to know is dinner and time to chill out. At what point do you give your team members that are joining you the Col V? The Col V?
00:07:43
Speaker
That's a great question. We used to give it after they started, which was kind of hard. You have to be careful in your state how you give tests like this. So I don't know how to answer that. You need to check with your state, whether you can. I think just to be completely out there, with most states that have issues, you definitely have to have a standard that you compare it to so you can match, right? But you can't just do it as a selective process. Take the Colby. I don't like that one.
00:08:12
Speaker
You're saying you're looking for a particular type of dental assistant or whatever. I think that's how that works, but don't quote me on that. You would want to check with your HR people, which we have. We implement it in the sequence. That's a great question. When in the sequence do you do it? Well, you definitely want to do it before you make your final decision at some point. And you can pretty much guess it's not hard. Do you like a lot of information or do you like getting to the point? Do you know, do you know which one you are?
00:08:43
Speaker
Me? Oh, I like to, I like to get to the point. You get, okay. So you're, you're, you're higher on the fact finding, I mean, higher on the quicker than you are. Yes. Right. When you said, if I give you a lot of information, that would have been me. I would have been like, okay. So when you go to the, when you go to the grocery store, you're likely to pick up that pack of gum before you leave. Right. Right. Right there at the checkout. For sure. If it's not on my list. Yes. Exactly. You're, you're not a list person where you're only going to get the list and you're leaving, you're getting there like, Oh yeah, that looks good. Okay. Great. Perfect.
00:09:10
Speaker
Right. We do need that. We do need that, but not in, you know, not everywhere and every time. And then the fun thing is, is when you set a group of people to put a puzzle together, like a puzzle together, you get to see the different types that do the edges. You get to see that there's more types that do the colors in the same area, you know? And it's a, that kind of helps understand different people's moods of operation without even testing. Just let them play. So interesting.
00:09:39
Speaker
Yeah, humans and people and interactions are just so interesting to me. And I love that you stated that it's important to find how to best work with others as well too, because your delivery may be one way that suited best for you, but especially in somebody who's overseeing, somebody who's a leader in their practice, it may be important to learn to also tailor your delivery in a different way if it's better received somehow else by somebody else.
00:10:07
Speaker
That's right. I mean, you got to speak their language, really. You seem to have a pretty clear and set vision of how you like your practice to run and, you know, incorporating the Colby as well too, I'm sure is very helpful. But how did you, aside from knowing your own personal philosophies, how did you know how to implement that in your practice? Again, it takes a great coach. I had no idea other than the fact that I knew I was talented as a clinician.
00:10:33
Speaker
I knew I had some business skills, you know, because since I was a kid, I was an entrepreneurial spirit. I had a car washing business during the summer. I had a lawn business as well. You know, if I had a paper route, I would have had a paper route, but that didn't happen back when I was in my neighborhood. But I'm always thinking of ways to grow things and organize things and, you know, kind of business, I guess. And I didn't know that until my friend
00:11:03
Speaker
One summer I woke up, I had a binder full of business cards, all the accounts I was gonna call on, and this is back when we were teenagers, and he's still sleeping, and I knock on his door, I say, hey, it's time to go mow lawns. He's like, what are you talking about? I said, you said you wanted to start a business, and mowing lawns this summer. He's like, yeah, I was gonna do that. I was like, well, here it is, let's go. And he's like, you're absolutely nuts. We're in the summer, what are you doing? I'm like, well, I thought we were gonna work. To me, it's just like,
00:11:33
Speaker
It seems to be like the way to do it. Did I have a clear vision of this practice? I think we started there. No, I didn't. I'm a first generation dentist in my family. So I had no counsel at all when it came to what is even dentistry about? Nobody could even tell me. So it kind of came back when I was taking a medical exam, the MCAT, took it twice, didn't get in.
00:11:59
Speaker
Right. I was slated to kind of be that way. Right. Cause I swore I'd never be a doctor, but then, you know, sciences and GPA and all just kind of lined up came from a family of doctors. And I was like, all right, I'm not going to fight it. So I took it. I didn't want to leave Florida. Did I say that already? So like, I wouldn't even apply to certain schools. So I, I had a chance to go. I just didn't want to leave Florida. And so it just happened to be that when I decided that's not going to happen anymore, I took the DAT.
00:12:29
Speaker
Um, and we, so it seemed to work out. I'm very much happier as a dentist. I think that I would have been as a physician. I love entrepreneurship. I love business. I love being a dentist. That's hard. It's hard to kind of taking a side gig, you know, that being the CEO of the practice and not being the clinician, I could do it, but doing it at the same time is, is kind of frustrating for me. So that's why I've kind of.
00:12:57
Speaker
grown that part of the associateship so that now I can take on CDO. How did you know to get into coaching? Who helped you get there? How did you come across that? My first official coaching would be when my wife was a saint.
00:13:18
Speaker
Uh,
Journey to Financial Coaching
00:13:19
Speaker
looked at me and said, do you, do you really know our financial position? Cause I've been reading this book from Dave Ramsey, right? And even now I say, no, we're doing fine. We're doing fine. I'm going to talk about it. Like, okay, but are we? So finally I broke down and did the math and I was like, yeah, you're right. I don't know.
00:13:40
Speaker
So we hired and we took Financial Peace University together. We got our finances in order for once in our life. And I think it solves so many marital problems, because that's the number one talk is money. So I'd encourage all people to just get their personal lives straight by getting the personal finances in order first, because you're not going to fix anything at work. That's for sure. So we started there. And that would be my first coach would be Dave Ramsey's group.
00:14:07
Speaker
and carry that into my practice and we teach it now. I don't personally, but my wife used to teach the class to those that would take it at my office, Financial Peace University. And now that's been passed off to some leads and now they do it to those that want to take it. It's a nine week class. But that's where it started. And I knew I needed a coach because if you just did the math, you'd see that you don't know what you're doing.
00:14:33
Speaker
You're like, there's gotta be a better way, because I can't just keep spinning my wheels. You know, paycheck to paycheck, or I'm living in a larger paycheck to paycheck, so it doesn't feel that way, but at the end of the day, it's still paycheck to paycheck. And so, you know, you have greater influence and greater impact when you can create margin and time and money. So that's when I learned that I need to get a coach for the office as well. And
Embracing Professional Coaching
00:14:55
Speaker
I met two colleagues of mine in the Dominican Republic when we were training for dental implants.
00:15:02
Speaker
And I noticed one of them was doing well. I said, how are you doing so well? And he told me, I have a coach. I said, okay, I need that information. And he shared it with me. And the next thing you know, all three of us were signed up for coaching and we still are part of that coaching group.
00:15:18
Speaker
Thanks for tuning into this episode. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at Dental Fuel and at at Ignite DDS. You can also join in on the fun with Ignite DDS Masterminds to find out the next steps you need to take so that way you can take the next steps in your career.