Hiring, Finding, and Keeping Great Team Members

Episode #423 with Kevin Henry

Great team members are hard to come by. And even if you find them, how do you keep them in your office? It’s becoming harder than ever, so Kirk Behrendt brings in Kevin Henry, co-founder of IgniteDA, to share his findings for the best practices to find, hire, and keep great people. Patience is one key ingredient — and you will need lots of it! For more expert advice on keeping the best team members, listen to Episode 423 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

Branch out into other industries to find great people. 

Have patience. Finding the right person takes time.

Start having “stay” interviews, not exit interviews.

Play to your team members’ strengths and talents.

Create a space where you have mutual respect.

Ensure that your team members feel listened to.

Always thank and recognize your team members.

Find ways to incorporate fun into your practice.

Quotes:

“We’ve got to quit having exit interviews and we’ve got to start having stay interviews. We’ve got to start talking to our team members right now about their goals, their hopes, what they like, and have those open and honest conversations about what they don't like in the practice as well, what's that one system in the practice that's tripping them up every day that they dread coming in because of that. I think when we have those open, honest conversations and those team members hear that we’re actually interested in not only fixing and tweaking those problems but also how they can be a part of things moving forward, and that they are really a part of the plan, that changes the dynamic in the practice completely.” (5:30—6:07)

“Set up a time, and it’s not the end of the day, when you and a team member — and I think it should be a one-on-one. I don't think it should be everybody sitting around the room — where you both can really focus on things. You both can take notes. You both can put aside the phone, everything else, and just say, ‘What can we do to make each other better? What can we both do together to make this business better?’ Because, as you know, it’s not just a dental practice, it’s a business. How do you grow that bottom line together?” (6:29—6:55)

“[Ask team members,] ‘Where do you see yourself in six months? Is this what you love to do? If not, why?’ I think things like that where you can actually open up the door for honest communication — and let's be honest, not every team member is going to want to share this. Not everybody is comfortable sharing where they're not happy in the practice. But I think if you really set that, ‘This is a safe zone. This is Vegas. What happens in here, stays here. But we’re also going to do what we can to move forward,’ I think that that's a really important thing for team members to know that they can talk openly and freely, and that it’s not going to be held against them two weeks later.” (7:28—8:05)

“One of the biggest things that I'm hearing from a lot of team members out there — I've seen it — people throwing money at people to stay. And it turns into a bidding war. And I will tell you, the vast majority of team members I talk to, it’s not about the money. It is about being happy. It’s about being productive. It’s about feeling like you're part of the team.” (8:16—8:38)

“I don't think you have to like everybody you work with. But I think you've got to respect everybody that you work with. And I think there has to be that mutual respect in the practice as well. So, what are you doing in the practice to build those relationships where people don't look at somebody as “just” an assistant or “just” a sterilization tech, or whatever it might be? And I think whenever you build up that mutual respect in the practice, that's a big step toward those...