Ginny Hegarty

One of the most basic findings in psychology is that rewarding a behavior increases the likelihood that it will increase

-People want to be appreciated and recognized
-The praise (and you) must be genuine for it to be credible
-If you praise more frequently, people will be accepting of your corrective feedback
-Don’t sandwich corrective feedback with praise, or your praise will be met with the thought “What did I do now?”
-If you’re not in the habit of giving frequent praise, announce your intentions to praise people more often so they don’t wonder what’s going on. Tell them you’ve always appreciated them but realize that you seldom put it into words and you want to start letting them know how you feel about their contribution.

Bob Wall’s book Coaching for Emotional Intelligence – The Secrets to Developing the Star Potential in Your Employees
-Ginny Hegarty

Receiving positive reinforcement is one of the top predictors for success, yet only 39% of employees say their boss does a good job of recognizing and acknowledging their accomplishments. Are bosses falling short or do employees expect too much…? Ghandi challenged us to “be the change you want to see in the world” Imagine what positive change you could start if you began recognizing your boss and your coworkers for the good they are doing. Look for every chance to catch each other doing something great and tell everyone who will listen all about it. I’m willing to bet that you can start a wave of gratitude and appreciation within the practice. Don’t wait for the boss. Leadership opportunities are all around you.
-Ginny Hegarty

I wrote a few days ago about how impressed I was by the service I received at Cole Haan.  It just got even better. My shoes arrived within 2 business days and there was a handwritten note “Thanks for your purchase…I know you’ll love them” Shinning example of going the extra mile…it’s so easy to set yourself apart from the rest.  Never underestimate the power of a personal note to extend a service experience and create Raving Fans!
-Ginny Hegarty

Ben Rosen, Ph.D and Brad Kirkman, Ph.D conducted 15 one-on-one interviews with U.S. coaches of men’s and women’s sports teams, then surveyed 1,987 coaches of team sports. They found 5 recurring themes to building winning teams that are able to overcome unexpected obstacles:
1. Recruit resilient players*
2. Build a team culture
3. Focus on individual and team accountability
4. Develop coping skills
5. Manage the external environment

*Once again, success begins with the “right” team members. How are you recruiting resilient players? The Drake assessment is a critical success tool to identify strong prospects and develop current team members. Contact me for additional information on the Drake Assessment. 610-873-8404
-Ginny Hegarty

I’ll bet we’ve all had the experience of having a customer service representative ask “May I assist you with anything?” and I’d venture a guess that most of us respond “No, thank you, I’m just looking.” So, one more time… how does a company set itself apart from the rest and truly engage customers? … by engaging it’s own employees! Cole Haan is my newest shinning example of a company providing exceptional service.

My fellow consultants and speakers will understand my quest for a comfortable pair of shoes that will take me through a full day on my feet followed by a run through airports. I visited a local Cole Haan store this past weekend and after the usual exchange, the sales rep went on to share with me that she personally tries on every pair of shoes that come into the store so she can offer her personal recommendations to shoppers. This woman was amazing. She guided me to a seriously comfortable pair of shoes, and when they didn’t have the color/size I wanted, she had them shipped to my home at no additional cost. Biggest Take Away: It was so obvious that she REALLY enjoyed helping me. Genuine Enthusiasm is an unbeatable competitive advantage. -Ginny Hegarty

You can’t avoid the 24/7 news coverage of the fallout from General McChrystal’s Rolling Stone interview in which he questions the administration’s strategies and decisions. One interesting debate is whether the General’s obvious skill and talent will buffer him from serious consequences. Is anyone too good to lose? Too big to fail?

While your practice doesn’t command the public stage of this situation, your leadership may very well be publicly challenged by a valued team-member. It’s sad when a doctor tells me “I just fired the best employee I ever had.” These debacles can most often be avoided. The best way to develop your talent and avoid insubordination in my experience is to be crystal clear in defining your practice values and culture, proving a roadmap for the team. Create opportunities for open conversation, brainstorming and productive debate. Give your team a voice and reap the rewards of their knowledge, experience and perspective.

Coach John Wooden, a man I admire in both leadership and in life passed away on Friday. I wanted to share one of my favorite pearls of knowledge from him that appears in his 1997 book Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court.

Do you know the names Neville Saner, Bill Sweek or Gary Franklin?  I didn’t think so, but Wooden believes that they were as much an integral part of his championship UCLA teams as household names like Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Gail Goodrich.  Coach Wooden tells us that everyone in a team from the lowest of secretaries to the starting point guard have a role to play, and if they don’t fulfill that role, the team can never reach its full potential.

Coach says that all the members of a team have to be made to feel that their role is an important one, which it most certainly is, and that they deserve to be valued and appreciated for their integral contribution to the team.  He notes that the stars will get their recognition from other sources and can be thanked personally, but it is the proverbial little guy that you should focus on recognizing publicly. Case in point, in the press conference following the ‘69 NCAA Championship game, Coach mentioned Gary Franklin’s key rebound before Kareem’s 37 points.

How have you made all the members of your team feel appreciated lately?

We’ve always been told, “plan for the future”, but there’s a mantra that I like even better, “there’s no time like the present”.  This idea is reinforced in this month’s issue of T&D, in an article by Warren Wilhelm of the Global Consulting Alliance.

Wilhelm notes that by focusing on the challenges and opportunities that your practice has today you can be both more competitive and more resilient in robust and tough times.  Working on the present will provide you with instant feedback on your decisions, rather than simply relying on projections or waiting for the unknown to occur.  He is quick to note that learning for the future cannot be left behind, as it surely important to look ahead and be prepared for what may come, but he argues that one cannot be prepared for the future without being aware of the present.

Wilhelm goes on to extol the virtue of team based learning, saying that teams often do a far better job generating ideas than one person working on his or her own. Biggest take away: Focus internally, focus on the opportunities, focus on what you can control.

HBR this month reports that studies show a tailored approach to engaging employees will improve all-around results. “Engaged employees perform better, are more loyal, take less sick time, are less likely to quit, and enjoy better health and personal well-being.” Certainly a worthy goal for all team members, and a way to support high-performers.

Gallop Organization study reported in HBR that companies with engaged customers produced a 23% increase in revenue. How do you get engaged customers?….. Only with engaged employees! What are you doing to engage your team? To develop people skills? To build resiliency? An investment in team development will bring significant ROI improving your dental practice and your life. Contact us at 610-873-8404 to discuss our Turning Talent Into Business Performance Workshops.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal today, Decay rates decreased from the 1970s until the mid 1990s and are now showing what the CDC reports as “significant” increases. “The reasons for the increase aren’t entirely clear. But dental experts suggest it may be due to children drinking more bottled water that doesn’t contain fluoride, and to changes in dietary habits.” Parents count on their dental practices to keep them aware and making good choices for their children’s dental health. Let’s spread the message and turn this back around.