Managing Dental Drama

Every practice owner has experienced that dreaded moment – the moment when the most valuable, knowledgeable, indispensable employee turns in his or her notice. What do you do? In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the importance of having a good backup plan in place. Do you have an employee or two that knows everything? A good backup plan often involves cross-training to ensure that the practice is not negatively impacted when a critical employee is sick or resigns. Back-up plans also involve investing time and energy into clearly documenting systems for when a new employee joins the team. If your most valuable employee, All-Star-Amy, gets sick or resigns, team members need to know how to complete those critical tasks that ONLY Amy knows how to do. While backup plans can feel overwhelming, there is no better time to build one than in ADVANCE. So, listen well and get your plan(s) in place! 

Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting
Spotting Employee Burnout
Dr. Jones and Bethany Discuss Managing Change in a Practice

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Hiring is an excruciating task, and when it all falls to one or two people to handle, it can be completely overwhelming. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the thorough and shared model of hiring that Dr. Kuba uses in her practice. The process allows multiple people, even the full team, to weigh in on the candidate to ensure that they do not see any red flags. Also, she is able to evaluate the candidate in written form (via text message), in spoken form (over the phone), and in person in both a meet and greet format as well as a working interview. This thorough process allows her to find the best candidates but also allows her team to have a voice in the process. The candidates ultimately don’t make it to step three without the team’s approval. As the task of hiring continues to be a burden, share that burden in creative ways with your team. In the end, you might just get a better candidate and also a team-approved candidate! 

Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting
Staffing Solutions – Remote Workers
The Importance of Strategy in Finding New Employees

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Is the rumor mill running at your office? Are there conversations behind closed doors that cause problems? Team drama is not only stressful but also damaging to a practice. In this episode, Bethany references a client who is struggling with inner-office drama, and then Dr. Kuba weighs in on the value of documentation and open lines of communication. In her office, every conversation with an employee is well-documented and then shared among the leadership team. This form of documentation keeps words from being misconstrued and also prevents the team from wondering about closed-door communication. She also discusses her leadership meeting model. 

In this monthly meeting, Bethany, her associate, her lead hygienist, a business team representative, and an RDA representative meet to address a variety of practice decisions and issues. This consistent monthly meeting, along with very well-documented employee meetings, prevents almost all potential for drama in her office. Good communication and good documentation cover a multitude of drama opportunities! 

Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting:
A Different Management Model – Leadership Teams
The “Surface Pressure” Is Killing Me, Now What?

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Amanda is back for another episode!! This time, she and Bethany tackle more of Dr. Patel’s burning questions. They start with his first question – “If you have two team members who are having conflict, how specifically do you handle this, and how early do you intervene?” They also discuss the importance of communication between the practice owner and the office manager. How frequently should a doctor and manager meet? What should they discuss in these meetings? Finally, they conclude this episode by talking about whether or not a practice owner should share practice numbers and financial information with the team. Many are hesitant to share, fearing that the team could use that information against them. Bethany and Amanda discuss the benefits of allowing the team to take part in the practice numbers in order to work towards its success. Once, again, the thunderstorm continues in this episode, so enjoy the hail and wind in the background! 

Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting:
Personalities on Parade
The Basics of Team Building

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Amanda is back for another episode!! This time, she and Bethany tackle more of Dr. Patel’s burning questions. They start with his first question – “If you have two team members who are having conflict, how specifically do you handle this, and how early do you intervene?” They also discuss the importance of communication between the practice owner and the office manager. How frequently should a doctor and manager meet? What should they discuss in these meetings? Finally, they conclude this episode by talking about whether or not a practice owner should share practice numbers and financial information with the team. Many are hesitant to share, fearing that the team could use that information against them. Bethany and Amanda discuss the benefits of allowing the team to take part in the practice numbers in order to work towards its success. Once, again, the thunderstorm continues in this episode, so enjoy the hail and wind in the background! 

Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting:
Personalities on Parade
The Basics of Team Building

Interested in the Leadership Summit?
Friday, September 18, 2026 from 8:30 – 4:30
Inquire or register TODAY:  HelloBethany.com

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One of our devoted listeners requested that we invite another office manager to the show. Bethany invited one of her favorites – Amanda Eldred! Amanda has a long history in the dental field and has worn many hats. She has also worked alongside Bethany in a consulting format. She answers several of Dr. Patel’s burning questions – How do you keep staff morale high? What are specific things you do in your office to keep spirits high? How do you motivate your star players to stay on your team, especially if they are at their peak earning potential? When you overhear your front desk struggling with a conversation in person with a patient or parent over the phone, when do you step in versus allowing them to handle it? When do you take corrective action with a staff member? Amanda and Bethany discuss these while sitting in the middle of a thunderstorm, so enjoy the lovely hail and rain noises in the background! 

Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting:
Inside the Mind of An Office Manager
Determining the Worth of Employees 

Interested in the Leadership Summit?
Friday, September 18, 2026 from 8:30 – 4:30
Inquire or register TODAY:  HelloBethany.com

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A resigning employee often leaves a wave of destruction behind them – a mess that the practice owner and team ultimately have to clean up. Bethany and Dr. Kuba talk about various ways to solve either a temporary or long-term staff shortage. They discuss the importance of being prepared for any team member to quit and building backup plans through really knowing your employees. Dr. Kuba shares how each time an employee has quit in her practice, it’s left nothing but positive practice improvements. Approaching this stressful time as a golden opportunity allows teams to thrive and practices to grow in the wake of an employee’s resignation.

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Over the last month, Bethany has been hit with multiple panicked text messages and voicemails regarding an employee quitting. She ropes Dr. Kuba into the conversation to discuss the aftermath of an employee quitting. How do you navigate the 2-week notice? How do you find someone quickly enough to avoid being understaffed? Is there anything you should or should not do in regards to incorporating the team into building a recovery plan? Together, Bethany and Dr. Kuba inform about three simple steps – First, when possible, attempt to retain the employee. Second, determine a good plan for the 2-week notice and protect your practice in the process. Third, start solving what will happen after the employee is gone. Listen closely so that you too can be prepared when an employee resigns. 

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In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany continue their conversation from last week. They discussed more pros and cons of having an office manager, and they specifically discuss how Dr. Kuba utilized a practice manager for many years before shifting to a leadership model. As the conversation unfolds, they find themselves back at the question of, “Does having a manager prevent me from selling my practice?” 

Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting:
Does My Practice Need an Office Manager?
A Different Management Model – Leadership Teams 

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With the ever-increasing stresses of practice ownership, it can be hard to manage all aspects of the practice alone. In this segment, Dr. Kuba is back! She and Bethany discuss the benefits and potential risks of incorporating an office manager into the practice. They both emphasize the importance of training and equipping an office manager and then carefully grafting him or her successfully into the practice. Should the longest-standing employee become the manager? Should a practice owner promote from within? What qualities make a good manager? All of these questions and more will be covered in this episode! 

Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting:
Inside the Mind of An Office Manager
Dr. Jones and Bethany Discuss Managing Change in a Practice

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Text a 2-minute voice memo to 214.326.4605 with your questions, comments, real-life example, or tips for a chance to have YOUR voice on the air!