As a dental attorney in Columbus, Ohio, Vince Nardone advises dentists and dental practices on a variety of matters, including employment. Vince wants to ensure his clients that the chances of an unfavorable business outcome or dispute can be avoided by one simple tactic, approaching the conversation appropriately. The trick is understanding your audience.

Have you ever heard anyone tell you that it is all about the approach? As we all have likely learned, how we lead into a conversation can often determine the content and outcome of that conversation. We have all been in conversations where we had the wrong approach. Even in a situation where you were clearly right, the tone of your voice or the words that you used in that conversation may have caused you to be the one that ultimately had to apologize.

Well, the approach is everything, including when working with your team members. With the right approach, you can say just about anything. As Clay Scroggins said in: How to Lead When You Are Not in Charge, with the wrong approach, it does not matter if you are right or wrong. It simply will not work.

To understand what approach to take with your team members, you need to understand and be acquainted with your employees fully. This requires us to spend time finding out who they are and what makes them tick. As Mr. Scroggins communicated, it includes understanding their wiring, temperament, and surveying their personality. There is a lot you can do to get to know your employee’s style without taking it too far. Here are some recommendations provided by Mr. Scroggins:

1. What is your employee’s personality type?
2. Does the employee think concretely or abstractly?
3. What level of detail does your employee need?
4. How does the employee like to receive information?
5. Do you need to send an e-mail ahead of time with all of the details, or should you follow up with an e-mail after the conversation?

The bottom line is that we need to do some homework before having those tough conversations, and then learn the approach that fits your employee. By doing so, it will allow conversations to move forward more smoothly and to ensure a successful result. Further, when we spend the time to get to know our team members and truly understand them, we will minimize potential disputes and disruptions within our dental practices. And, in fact, even in difficult situations where we may have to let someone go (i.e., terminate them), the right approach will make that transition more manageable and minimize any sort of complaint or litigation. That is, if the employee believes they were respected and heard, in most instances, even if they feel they may have been wronged, they will not pursue any action against the dental practice. It is just human nature.

Contact Vince Nardone

Tough conversations become a little less difficult when the approach is tailored to the needs of the employee. Vince Nardone handles a full spectrum of employment law issues for his healthcare clients, including dentists. If you have questions about employee engagement, or need help in handling employment law issues such as employment disputes and litigation, drafting employment agreements and restrictive covenants, or require consultation on employment law issues, please contact Vince Nardone.