Transcript
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 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.
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 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.
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,
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.
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 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.
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
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,
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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. And then there's Colby, which is another, K -O -L -B -E .com, I guess where you can find that. Kathy Colby.
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
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?
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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,
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.
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.
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.
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.
Speaker: Uh, 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.
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.
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.
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 I met two colleagues of mine in the Dominican Republic when we were training for dental implants.
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.
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.
