Building healthy relationships with your staff

So there was a request to make a post on how to build healthy relationships with the staff at work. Admittedly i'm not the most socially tuned in person but you don't necessarily have to be a relationship superstar to build a healthy relationship with a coworker. Strategies and work dynamics are wildly different according to your position at work. Support staff, dental associates and practice owners all must have different approaches to interact with their coworkers to avoid friction and relationship breakdown. I will approach this post from a general point of view and as well from the view of the associate dentist and practice owner. It isn't mandatory to get along with everyone at work but if you intend on working at a place for some time or plan on not hating your job it really does help. Below are some thought's ive jotted down on the subject:

General thoughts:

• Be honest: Humans have inbuilt bullshit detectors and lying breeds distrust which is a killer in any team. Strive to be honest with your staff on all matters even if they don't like the answers you give they will respect your for your honesty. If any deceit is uncovered down the line, you will struggle to gain back their trust. If you are honest with them they will likely reflect this back towards you.
• Be open: If you notice friction between yourself and any staff don't ignore it; try to stamp it out early. Resentment breeds when it is hidden and if you be open and bring any issues up with the person themselves you may be able to sort things out before things progress. You also may be misinterpreting their signals and this is helpful to bring out into the open as well. Patients can pick up on any discontent in a dental team so it is not only your work interpersonal relationships that can suffer but the patient experience as well.
• Be kind and friendly: It's hard for an autistic-esque individual such as myself but try to be kind and friendly to your staff. If you seem approachable then they will approach you with any issues that they may have with you or other staff which you can then address to improve the cohesiveness of your team. Conversely, if you seem unapproachable they will avoid you and many of the issues that breed under the surface will go unnoticed until they are at breaking point. For me, I don't have a very outward personality so it is useful for me to approach new staff and tell them that they are able to approach me with any issues they may have if they are comfortable to do so. Just the act of doing so can be helpful. Form your own strategies that match your personality to help to develop rapport with your staff.
• Form mutual respect with your staff: Treat your patients well and aim to produce high quality work. That is the point of your profession after all. If you conduct yourself in a manner that you would be proud of it is more than likely your staff will respect you. You should expect the same quality from them as well. We are useless without our auxillary staff and they should be treated accordingly. We should also expect them to be pulling their own weight and focussing on working to a high standard. If we respect their importance in the team then they are likely to respect us back. Mutual respect is key ein any team so Expect the best from yourself and your staff
• Balance work and fun: Work can get boring and we are creatures of mischief. Don't forget from your uni days how easy if is to lose concentration focus on leisure activities. In a black and white world, work time is for work and out of work time is for leisure and life. In this shades of grey world you need to find a compromise where there is a way to keep staff entertained and motivated while not interfering with their work productivity. Background music, providing lunches, joking around can be good ways to keep staff awake. They must understand that the work is the primary focus though. Positive reinforcement can be a powerful motivator.

Associate dentist: As a new dentist to a practice you are entering a new environment with an established culture that you now have the opportunity to either conform to or influence. Be very careful as the newcomer as although you have the position as service provider, the existing staff have established relationships with other staff and your job title becomes less important here.

• Don't rock the boat: We are often used to getting our way and following a certain method however we have to remember that not everyone does things the way we do. Aim to be fluid in the way you practice dentistry and be accepting of new materials and equipments that you may not be comfortable with. You can't expect as the newcomer for the practice to bend to fit yourself. Of course this advice is easier to follow as a new grad than as a seasoned dentist but it is still possible at any stage of your career. 
• Implement change slowly: You can make changes as a new dentist but this should come after you have developed firm relationships with the staff and other dentists. If you don't think you can handle working without a certain material or equipment of a single day then don't start working at the practice, buy your own practice or source your own products initially. Get a feel for the flexibility of the practice and manager of dentist's needs. If you want to implement major changes to the practice then make sure you have the practice owner and other dentists on board before you do so. Humans become comfortable with the status quo easily and staff don't take well to a newcomer making major changes.
• Make an effort to get to know your staff: Focus less on the work initially and spend time getting to know your staff's background, aspirations and personality. Reflect by revealing aspects of your own life. This goes back to projecting an openness and approachability. It is hard to bond with a stranger. You don't have to make best friends but you do need a working relationship with the staff at the practice to be able to work without friction.
• Train your staff and explain why you do things a certain way: As dentists we all do things differently. Staff who have been working with a dentist for a long time become very comfortable with the routine of certain procedures but everyone has a capacity to change. Instead of being frustrated with staff because they aren't doing what you want, spend the time to train them how you do things so they you can become a more effective team. Be sure to respect them enough to explain why you are doing things so they can understand when and why they have to perform certain actions. Simply showing them how to do it is not enough as you will end up verbally having to command them every time you need something done. Instead, if you make them part of the procedure then they will be able to anticipate your needs and work accordingly. Just as you wouldn't accept "because the other dentist did it this way" as an explanation as to why they won't change, you shouldn't be comfortable saying "because I said so" s a reason to change. Don't just train your staff on how to do things your way, educate them in why they are doing it so.
• Don't think you're better than everyone else: "We are dentists, we are highly trained, specialised leaders of a team."  "We are dentists, we do fillings and clean teeth." Two different points of view that are equally valid. However, we must not let our egos get the better of us. Again, show respect to your staff and acknowledge them as important members of the team and vital to you producing high quality work. If you fail to express respect because you think you are superior to your staff and patients then they will fell bellittled. Staff will not want to work in an environment they are not valued and patients will not want to accept treatment plans from arrogant dentists. Bring yourself back down to earth and  show a little modesty in your day.
• Keep within your role: It is tempting to get into staff's good books by helping them do their job i.e setting up the room, sterilising but this just trains laziness. You wouldn't expect them to do a crown prep for you so why should they expect their job done for them. It seems harsh but staff need to understand that they have a job to do no matter how simple or minuscule it is theirs. Taking that away from them will devalue their position and reinforce the idea that you will do their job for them. Then, afterwards you will have to badger them every time you need to the room set up or sterilising done. 

Practice owner: A practice owner will have greater control over how their practice is run but this control must be used wisely. Even though you are "in charge" you do have to keep in mind the needs and wants of your staff and associates. In fact, the pressure is somewhat greater on you to run your practice in a way that is acceptable to everyone who works there. The only way to have complete control over the state of your practice is to start from scratch but this comes with its own stresses and difficulties so the majority of practice owners have taken over from an existing dentist.

• Hire staff and associates that you get along with and have similar ethics to you: You have the opportunity to call the shots on who works with you. In the interview process be frank and honest about what you expect from your staff so there are no surprises. Don't hire someone you don't think will fit into the ethics and dynamics of the practice. Someone who isn't perfect but is willing to learn is better than someone who is more qualified but too stubborn to conform.
• Assert your authority, set boundaries, stamp out unruliness early: You are the owner of the practice so any bad press reflects badly on you, you don't have to be best buddies with your staff to have a healthy relationship with them. In fact, the power to hire and fire is a strong barrier to close relationships. Instead you should adopt a more professional amiable relationship with your staff and associates. They must know the rules and their boundaries or they will become unruly. 
• Hire a practice manager to implement the hard decisions if you can't: If you want to keep your hands clear from conflict, hire a practice manager to run the every day aspects of the clinic including managing staff so you can focus on your clinical dentistry. This is hard for a newly established practice because any new staff member will increase your costs significantly.
• Train your staff from new and get them to train new staff: If you like things done a certain way (which we all do), train new staff rather than hiring trained dental assistants. This is more time consuming but a good staff member is an invaluable investment. There is no issue in hiring a trained dental assistant but they must be willing to learn more about dentistry and your way of doing things.
• Reward staff with favours, not money: Monetary rewards can mean less than acts of appreciation. A big bonus at the end of the year could be better spent taking your staff out for lunch or dinner throughout the year or bringing them with you on paid trips to continuing education. The more you show you appreciate them the more they will appreciate their job and stick around for the long term.