Ep. 23 - Leading with Purpose: Culture, Hiring & Growth

Team culture can make or break an orthodontic practice. Practice Manager Laura Wilde opens up about what truly keeps teams thriving. From defining team values and reinforcing them relentlessly to rethinking orthodontic hiring with working interviews, Laura delivers real strategies. She tackles staff retention, toxic team members, and why transparent employee motivation through bonuses and shared production goals changes everything. If you lead a team, this conversation will shift how you show up every single day.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode:   

• Defining and consistently revisiting team values at monthly meetings and morning huddles creates a culture of accountability and keeps orthodontic practice management focused on what matters most.

• Why orthodontic hiring should include a working interview where candidates spend half a day with your team, revealing the soft skills no resume or traditional interview can uncover.

• How sharing production numbers openly with your whole team strengthens employee motivation, builds trust, and connects every role, including back-office assistants, to the practice's shared goals.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Episode 23 - Laura Wilde

(00:00:00) Narrator: Welcome to Practice talk a deep dive into the world of healthcare practices where we invite team members to share strategies to make your work life easier. Now, your host, Lacie Ellis.

(00:00:16) Lacie Ellis: Welcome to Practice Talk, brought to you by people in practice, where we specialize in digital marketing, website development, SEO, and so much more. I'm excited for today's discussion as we dig into the topic of leading with purpose, culture, hiring, and growth with my guest, Laura. Laura is a speech language pathologist, turn practice manager of wild orthodontics, which she runs along with her husband.

(00:00:41) Uh, Dr. Brian Wild. Laura splits her time between managing the practice and being home with her four kids who ranged from ages of driving teenagers all the way down to preschool. Uh, Laura also provides consults to patients. In the office who present with oral facial myofunctional disorders and she looks forward to being able (00:01:00) to get back into providing direct therapy.

(00:01:02) Once all the kids are in full-time school. Laura and Brian and their family love to mountain bike and hike and spend as much time as they can exploring nature and enjoying the Arizona sunshine. Welcome Laura. 

(00:01:15) Laura Wilde: Thanks for having me, Lacey. 

(00:01:16) Lacie Ellis: Thank you for being here. I really appreciate it and I am particularly excited to chat with you today because I have had the privilege of working with you on your marketing strategies, um, for the practice.

(00:01:28) And I've just witnessed your wonderful leadership skills along with your just genuine kindness and I think you have so much to share and I really appreciate that you said yes. So thank you. 

(00:01:40) Laura Wilde: You're welcome. 

(00:01:42) Lacie Ellis: So I know you wear multiple hats in the practice. Many practice managers, owner's, wife, uh, they, uh, own owners themselves.

(00:01:51) They help with the marketing. You're helping as managing the practice. You're owner, wife of the doctor, and all the other hat. (00:02:00) That you wear within that. And I'm wondering how do you prioritize your time and decide where to focus your day-to-day energy? Because this is not a new dynamic, you know, in ortho.

(00:02:11) So, 

(00:02:13) Laura Wilde: yeah. And um, balancing and managing time that this many years in, I almost feel like that's a joke. Like that never happens. You kind of have to let that idea go because you'll drive yourself crazy. What I find is it's more like waves. Like there's waves when things at their office are super busy and I have to spend so much time there.

(00:02:36) And then there's waves at home where I have to just kinda, I know some things are taking in the back burner at the office and I have to kind of step back from that. And there's waves when I gotta dig into the marketing piece really hard 'cause I feel like we're lagging there. And then there's waves when I've gotta spend more time with the team culture.

(00:02:53) And so, um, instead of worrying about. Oh this, this week I didn't spend as much time, um, (00:03:00) on the marketing as I should have. I kind of just have to say, okay, for this month, this is the wave we're riding 'cause I feel like this is the most important. And then this month, this is the wave we're riding. And then at the end of the day, just like give yourself a whole bunch of grace because you probably left something off and it's gonna be okay.

(00:03:17) Lacie Ellis: I think that's really good advice, especially because like I said, this isn't, um, you know, maybe ortho more than. Many other specialties where you're wearing so many hats and you are the owner with, you know, joint owner with your husband, and your husband is the doctor in the practice, and you are trying to help with the marketing and making sure that your team is happy.

(00:03:39) And I think people can make themselves crazy and really burn out in these roles because it's just. It could eat you alive if you didn't. Just, like you said, you just kind of have to be the water and go with the waves and be like, we're just, we're, we're gonna do the best we can every day. Um, I think that is, that is the right (00:04:00) approach.

(00:04:00) I know, um, when I was wearing multiple hats in a practice, I would have my, like. These are the things that have to get done today. There's, you know, you can't get around payroll or some of these other things. Like, these things have to happen today. And then I'd have like my wishlist and if I got to anything on that wishlist, it was a good day.

(00:04:20) So, 

(00:04:20) Laura Wilde: yeah. Yeah, for sure. And the burnout piece, I mean, it is so easy when you are a co-owner of a business. You can just let, there are no boundaries and so. Every ounce of time that you allow it to take up, the business will take up. And so I did hit some massive burnout right after I had baby number four, who was a little bit of a surprise and I was much older and I was not, he was not in the flow, he was not in my expected flow and it was just impossible.

(00:04:53) So he kind of like forced me to realize like, okay, I have to, from this time to this time, is dedicated work time. (00:05:00) And then when we get home. That's the other problem is when your business partner lives with you, you can talk about it endlessly and if there's no boundaries in place, it will suck up every second you allow it to.

(00:05:11) So just having like firm boundaries in place of, okay, when we get home after this time when the kids are home dinner, we put the phones away. There's no discussing business topics that is there at the office when we're there. So I think that's super important. Also, if you're a business owner. 

(00:05:28) Lacie Ellis: Yeah, I think, you know, working alongside with your spouse adds a really unique dynamic and it's really, like I said, common in the orthodontic space.

(00:05:36) Mm-hmm. Um, and so I think finding that balance of that personal and professional relationship and the practice and just having, I think you said it perfectly, having those boundaries that, you know, like this is work time and this is family time, and I think this. Dovetails really nicely into, you know, for the team as well.

(00:05:57) There were times when (00:06:00) one particular doctor I worked for it would be all hours of the night. You know, it would be all, all hours where we would get messages and what happened with this patient and all of this. And we finally had to really set some firm boundaries being like, I need to be able to walk out the door.

(00:06:17) That's no different from the doctor and practice manager that sometimes you have to be able to have an end point to it. Mm-hmm. And be able to have your life, you know, life events, um, roll after that. And I think the practices that don't set those boundaries, I think it, 

(00:06:35) Laura Wilde: yeah, 

(00:06:35) Lacie Ellis: I think it did. They burn?

(00:06:36) People just burn out faster because they don't have that to lean on. Um. You know, I know there's a lot of talk in the ortho space about culture and it's all, you know, this, this is another thing that comes in waves in ortho. I think a lot of these things do, but like this, how do we create a culture, uh, that people want to be here and they want to stay here, and that (00:07:00) our patients feel welcome and so.

(00:07:02) I know that culture often starts at the top, and I'm wondering what are some intentional things that you've done and that Dr. Wilde has done, um, to build and protect a strong team culture within your practice? 

(00:07:15) Laura Wilde: Yeah, man, this is like the piece that I am constantly thinking of that I will listen to endless books and all these things.

(00:07:22) I'm always trying to think of new ways. Um, for sure starts at the top. So if Dr. Wild and I come in with like. Bad attitudes because the production last month was low. The whole team just feeds off of it and it really is. Um, oh man, it's so important. So one thing I've realized also that's important is how much you have to bring it up.

(00:07:46) Um, so we have 9, 9, 9 team culture, team values, that's what they're called, team values. So we came up with nine, like, what are our nine most important values? You know, things like. World class (00:08:00) ortho, um, you know, responsibility, like taking responsibility, being a first step problem solver. Like if a problem comes to you, even if you're not in charge of it, you're the one to make sure that it gets solved.

(00:08:14) Things like that. And we presented all this to the team and I thought, okay, awesome. But then like everyone just forgets because your daily task list is so. All encompassing and yeah, like you said, those things that you have to get done today that just the, if you just constantly deal with the fires, they're just not thinking about it.

(00:08:32) And so, um, we've kind of taken to, once a month we are reviewing one of the values and we do it at our team training that month. We have a training. Every month we review it. We kind of talk about what it means, what it doesn't mean, and we allow each temp team member to point out someone else on the team that they saw displaying that value during the month.

(00:08:52) And then, um, we'll kind of throw in random, not every month, but random. Like little gift card awards for someone who really (00:09:00) displayed that value that month. Um, and I've been surprised by how much that has motivated people. I thought like a $20 gift card isn't really motivating, but like people memorize it.

(00:09:10) They have it downward for word, and they're like going out their way to fi It's, it's been, uh, and that's fun. I think just little things too of like making it a little more fun rather than. All the things you're not getting done. Focusing on finding other people on the team who are doing it and pointing it out.

(00:09:27) Um, and then, yeah, just like bringing it up constantly. It's like you literally have to like brainwash yourself and brainwash the team. This is our value, this is our value. What does this mean? This is our value. Like every day at the morning huddle, we're talking about it. Because if you don't bring it up constantly, it just.

(00:09:44) Becomes another thing on the list that's not as important as getting that retainer made or, you know, whatever the themes are. So yeah, just talking about it. I do think values in my experience, tend to, um, have less pushback than like a (00:10:00) single, um, what's the word when, um. Mission statement, like, we do have a mission statement, but I feel like that was just kind of like, people were like, oh, okay.

(00:10:10) But when we kind of separate it into like boxes of values and we just choose one to focus on, um, I feel like we've gotten more buy-in that way. So, and yeah, just bringing it up 50 times more than you think you should. 

(00:10:24) Lacie Ellis: I love that. And so I, I worked in a practice once where it, it, it was like this whole.

(00:10:32) Let's support anybody who's having a bad day. So we need to know if you're, if you're walking in with something going on and we can support you. And so it turned into this rate your, how you're feeling today on the happiness scale from like a one to a 10. Okay. And we were like, okay, then we'll know who needs support.

(00:10:51) You know, all, all of these things. Well, it turned into, if you weren't a 10 every single day, that particular doctor would be like. I don't even (00:11:00) know if I want you here today if you're not at a level 10. So then everybody started lying and we were just a 10 every day, and I'm like, this really, uh, it didn't go the way that we planned.

(00:11:10) So I, I like this feeling better of like a value. And you, you know, I'm a total quote geek and a, you know, word of the month geek. And I think that's what helps me as a person stay, like really focused on what my values are. And I don't think it's any different from a practice when you're like. We just have to remind ourselves of these things.

(00:11:29) Otherwise, you do, you just get into these daily, you know, changing the ties and changing the wires and restocking the, uh, power chains or whatever it is that day. And I think we just need that constant reminder to like, I. Stop and think about the people who you're really impacting. And I think for me, that's when I think I made the biggest turning point working in an office and like really buying into the culture was when I decided (00:12:00) how can I be like the bright spot in these people's day today?

(00:12:05) Everybody that sat in my chair, my mission was like, how am I gonna make your day a little bit better? Because you sat in my chair today and that's when. Ortho changed for me completely. And I really, I think that's a culture thing and I was, I had that like level of care that I think the doctor was like, this is what we've been working towards, you know, this is what I wanted from my team.

(00:12:28) And 

(00:12:29) Laura Wilde: yeah, 

(00:12:30) Lacie Ellis: it makes your job every day a lot more fun when you go into it with some intention and strategy. So. 

(00:12:37) Laura Wilde: I love all that. And I mean, part of it might be too, like the way, um, we've set up our schedule intentionally, and I, this is just, um, a side effect of the way Dr. Wild likes to practice. He's, he likes to spend a lot of time with the patients and so we've had to restructure the schedule where it is like a, a little bit less patient.

(00:12:56) Number of patients in a day. Mm-hmm. To allow him more time because (00:13:00) he can't not continue to educate them on. That's just his personality. But what that allows you to do is charge a little bit more because the people are getting so much of the time from him and they absolutely love it. And just the number one comment we get constantly is just Dr.

(00:13:16) Wild explained everything in so much detail. We're so appreciative. Every time we come in, we are treated like family. And that's kinda like the goal we're going for. And it's. It's just because that's how he wants to do it. So finding, finding, uh, a way you can schedule and price and everything to match that, to allow you to do it versus, 'cause he has in the past worked in practices where, you know, they're seeing 80 patients in a day and it's like you're flying in and out and so.

(00:13:42) I mean, for some people who are more high energy and don't wanna talk, that might actually work really well and maybe work better. But for, I think it's like working around the doctor's personality and playing to his strengths, and then finding a way to make that work for the business side. 

(00:13:57) Lacie Ellis: No, I completely agree.

(00:13:59) I (00:14:00) think I've shared this, I think on the podcast once before, but, um, when my son was ready for his treatment, oh man, I was so excited. I'm like, we're going to like four different offices. We're gonna have all these, because I wanted to do all the, you know, like all the investigative, uh, journalism that I'm like, I wanna see how all these offices are doing this.

(00:14:19) And there was one particular practice that I. I thought we would go to, that we had a strong connection with and, but I was just, you know, the marketing geek in me was so excited to like, 

(00:14:28) Laura Wilde: yes. 

(00:14:29) Lacie Ellis: See all these other practices. So one particular practice we saw several, just for fun. I'm sure my son did not think it was fun, but this is what you get when I'm your mom.

(00:14:39) So, but um, we were down to like two practices and the one had. All the bells and whistles. They had an iPad station, they had a ice cream freezer for you to take ice cream when you leave. They were like super high tech, super high touch, very nice practice. The team was super nice, doctor was great. Um, and his (00:15:00) treatment fee and treatment plan was very, very similar to the other office that we were like vetting out.

(00:15:06) Mm-hmm. And the other one did not have. Frills, not a lot of bells and whistles, not a lot of, um, extras. And I literally just let my son choose. I was like, which one do you wanna go to? And he was like, oh, the one without the iPads and this and that. And I was like, really? Like, tell me why. You know? I was so excited.

(00:15:25) Like, explain to me why. And he was like, mom, I just felt safe there. 

(00:15:29) Laura Wilde: Huh. 

(00:15:30) Lacie Ellis: And there was something within the level of, um, engagement that he felt and the level of care. And kids can feel that. I mean, he was what, a 12 year, 13-year-old boy, and he could feel the difference of, it was a happier environment and he got.

(00:15:48) Such good contact with the doctor and good communication that like it was just for him, it was an easy decision. I was just like, this is it. This is that culture piece that when (00:16:00) you do it right, people will choose you over. The people that have the frozen yogurt machine. Mm-hmm. Just because people want the personal experience more than they want the bells and whistles.

(00:16:11) So 

(00:16:12) Laura Wilde: yeah. Safety. 

(00:16:12) Lacie Ellis: I think that's why culture keeps coming back around, you know? 

(00:16:16) Laura Wilde: For sure. I think that piece you said safety. Yeah, that's, um, and just all the team members like. From the first person they, who comes in, the, our team member who at, at the front desk, she remembers their name, she talks to 'em about their baseball game that they had last month, and just everyone smile.

(00:16:36) Even if they're just passing, they smile and say hi. I mean, yeah, the whole team is so important in that 'cause it does, it really helps them feel, especially some of the kids are super nervous, so that could be really important for them. 

(00:16:48) Lacie Ellis: Absolutely. So speaking of team, then hiring can make or break culture for sure.

(00:16:54) So what do you look for when you're bringing somebody new onto the team and how do you, um, go about kind of finding (00:17:00) the right fit for your practice? Hiring is a big hot button topic right now, so, 

(00:17:05) Laura Wilde: oh man, hiring is so hard. I've kind of come to decide that, uh, anyway, the, the resumes seems to be like the least important thing, although, you know.

(00:17:16) They have to know how, what to do. They have to know what they're doing. But I, yeah, it is definitely, the personality is like the most important and it really comes down to like, um. Oh, because everyone can kind of put a good front on for like the 10 minute interview if you're doing a 10 minute interview.

(00:17:36) So what we've kind of shifted to is we'll do like phone interview first, which is like, okay, just see if there's any connection at all. Like, do you know how to respond or is it, is the energy like on the floor? 'cause that's kind of just like an automatic filter. Um, and then they, they come in for an in-person interview.

(00:17:52) And then if we get that far and we like 'em, we actually have 'em come and hang out with the team for like half a day because. I, I (00:18:00) probably, I don't know, at least four or five times when we've done that. Oh, all of a sudden you're like, whoa, this is not a good fit. Within the first 10 minutes she was pulling out her phone and following, and versus like the ones who worked well, it's, you know, oh, within the first 20 minutes they were like grabbing tools and helping pass things and asking questions and, and so, um, it's not always possible.

(00:18:22) I. I definitely understand that on the employee side, but we try, like, unless we're like in an emer, we haven't been in an emergency situation in a long time. But, um, if, if you don't have to have someone like tomorrow, if you can have say, Hey, is there any day you have off or is there any day where you can come in just for like two, three hours so we can see how you work with the team and then your team members all come at you and they're like, definitely not where you, oh, this one's a good one.

(00:18:49) That's really valuable. Yeah, I think it just comes down to, because those are the soft skills that uhhuh, you cannot train. Like no matter what you do. There's just some people (00:19:00) who are just not, you know, that being positive, being friendly, being a good communicator, uh, being willing to help out. It just, that's, I voice it a lot of time trying to work with people to train that better.

(00:19:14) And now I'm like, you know, if they aren't showing it in the first, that's the other thing. If they're not showing it in the first couple weeks. After you get through that, um, what's that phrase? You know, when you hire them, you have them on like a trial basis for the two first two weeks we do that. And if they're not, if it's already showing cracks, just just be like, okay, it's, we're done.

(00:19:35) It's not, we're not gonna, um, do offer full-time employment. It's just not a good fit. And just cut it then, because you will never. Train it out of them and it will continue to be a problem forever. So just, just move on quickly. As soon as you realize it's not working, 

(00:19:50) Lacie Ellis: I could not agree with you more that, that like working interview piece.

(00:19:57) That is exactly the office that I worked in the (00:20:00) longest and the first ortho office I worked in, that is exactly how he did it. Um, he literally, day one of me going in there, he was like, sit down, let me show you how you pass an instrument. Let's see how this feels for you. And I was just like, so overwhelmed, but I was having so.

(00:20:14) So much fun that I didn't think I really wanted to work in ortho. I was working, I was working in photography at the time and I was like, this is not where I wanted to go with this. But his wife was bringing in his kids all the time and she was like, you know what? My husband's hiring, he's an orthodontist.

(00:20:29) You'd be a great fit. And I was like, ah, I don't think so. But I felt like I kind of owed it to her to like show up and be like, okay, let's see what this is about. And by the end of it, I put in my two weeks at the photography studio and was just all in. And I think it was that. Moment for me when it clicked like, I wanna be part of this.

(00:20:46) It's like bigger than me type of a feeling. He was really good about that. Doctor was very good about, um, making you feel like you were part of this thing. You now have ownership in this. This (00:21:00) is not just my baby of a practice. This is now yours too. And, um, yeah, it, I loved it. I loved every second about it and I got to see how the team worked together and how much they enjoyed what they were doing.

(00:21:12) And I was like, yeah, I'm, I'm in. And I don't think you get that when you just sit in a room with somebody and ask them like. How would you handle this tricky situation? And you're like I, 

(00:21:25) Laura Wilde: and I think like multiple times I've been so surprised by how they showed up in the interview, even the in-person interview versus how it went on the first day where I was just like blown away.

(00:21:34) Mm-hmm. That I've just really come to see, like those interviews are not. They're not actually that valuable. You really have to spend like multiple hours with someone before you can see it's gonna go and getting the feedback from your team, that is really valuable also. 

(00:21:51) Lacie Ellis: I love that. And I also think, um.

(00:21:54) Like just, yeah, people, you see a different side of somebody when they're (00:22:00) like interacting and working and like, are they gonna fit into this or not? I just, I think that's like the smart play. I know it takes a lot more time and energy to do interviewing that way, but I think you find better people and.

(00:22:14) The doctor I worked for the longest always said, I can train the skills like I can. I can train you how to, well now I'm gonna sound really old, but fit a band. I can train you how to do that, but I can't. I can't. Teach you how to care, you know, and I can't teach you how to, um, want to make somebody feel important and I can't, like those, those things are really, they just come from within somebody.

(00:22:38) And if those are the values of your practice, you better hire somebody who can. Portray that right from the beginning. Yeah. So then on the, on the flip side of that, I know you were saying once, you know, like especially if they're in that probationary period, if you know that they're not gonna work out, like cut those ties soon.

(00:22:54) But how do you handle situations when somebody just isn't aligned with your culture anymore, even if they've (00:23:00) been with you for a while, or, you know, I hear all the time, but. She's my TC and I can't let her go 'cause she's been here forever and she knows everything. And we don't know what we do with, if we let her go, but she's poisoning the rest of the team with her, uh, or his, his or her bad energy.

(00:23:18) Um, so how do you, how do you kind of deal with that when it's down the road a little bit further and somebody's not a good fit? 

(00:23:23) Laura Wilde: Yeah, absolutely. That word poison, that's like exactly what it is. I call it a cancer, like mm-hmm. If you have one person in there with that attitude and just seeing everything as negative, it just spreads.

(00:23:35) And then all your team members who are awesome are just feeling frustration of either having to pick up the slack for that person and not getting recognized or just like, oh, constantly having to deal with this negative person. I, yeah, the really, it's. In my experience, the negative people, it's like worse than any other issue they be struggling with.

(00:23:56) So yeah, we, we kind of have a process where (00:24:00) we'll do, you know, we have, uh, verbal warnings and written warnings and, you know, we kind of try to go through this process. But if it's someone who's been there a long time, I, it took us a long time to let our first person go. I mean, it was probably. Two years after when I knew that it was not going well to when we actually pulled the trigger.

(00:24:20) And it was exactly that reason. 'cause she was the TC and she was the one who knew like all the inner workings, everything. And you know, I was a little bit afraid, mostly my husband was just like terrified. Like, oh, you know, we can't do this. And I just, it finally got so bad that, you know, working through these 30 day improvement plans and nothing was changing.

(00:24:40) And so we finally had to let her go. But. And you know, there was a little bit of time of ca time of chaos because we also were afraid to start looking for somebody until we had let her go because that stirs everyone up and then we didn't want sabotage and all this stuff. So, so then you do, you're in (00:25:00) kind of like a little bit of a chaotic situation, but it doesn't last that long.

(00:25:04) Yeah. And the people who are around you. We'll help you pick up the slack 'cause they're like so glad that this person is gone, that they're just like, ah, it, it, I can't explain it. The day after when we all went into the office, I could just feel the whole team was just like relief. It was just relief. 

(00:25:23) Lacie Ellis: Yes.

(00:25:24) Laura Wilde: And so even though it is a little bit chaotic and you're trying to hire and you're trying to pick up all the other pieces. Oh, I mean, if you could, if. And we learned a big lesson from that, both me and my husband. And, you know, he was like, yeah, we should have, we should have let her go when we first saw the problem.

(00:25:39) Mm-hmm. That's why I said, when you then, and you came up with the word probationary, so hire them with a probationary and make that very clear. We, we wanna make sure this is a good fit for you and me because it's not, it's gonna be bad for both of us to sell. Let's try this out. Um, and if it's not, just stop it there, like, move on quickly because.

(00:25:57) You will just like kill yourself trying (00:26:00) to change it and it won't change and the whole team suffers and it is cancerous. So. You know, you can try the verbal warnings and the written warnings and the 30 day improvement plans, but I mean, if you know from the beginning, just do it much quicker than you think you want to.

(00:26:19) Lacie Ellis: Yes, and I think, I mean that, I think that's the key, right? I think it's once you. Once you are certain that this person is no longer a good fit, not only are you doing them a disservice yeah, by not allowing them to go find their wings somewhere else, but you're also really, really hurting your team. And I've worked in practices where, you know, we had that there's that toxic person that we were all just terrified of that made working tricky.

(00:26:46) And when they were finally gone. Even the doctor was like, man, I should have done that sooner. You know, there's always this feeling of I wish I would've done that sooner. And I do think I worked in a lot of practices where the (00:27:00) mentality is we are always hiring. So there is never this feeling of like, oh, all of a sudden we're hiring and it's gonna like, people are gonna wonder who's getting the ax or something like that, because.

(00:27:10) The theory is we're always looking for good people. We will make room on our team. If we find that magic unicorn who is meant to be with us, we will. We will find a way to make it work. So a little bit of that goes a long way, I think as well, because you never know when somebody's gonna have a life transition.

(00:27:25) Absolutely. And those things just come out of nowhere and we're all human and we have to just deal with it. So. Um, absolutely. 

(00:27:32) Laura Wilde: Yeah. We've kind of shifted a little bit that way too. We're not like constantly interviewing, but if someone ever sends us a resume or stops in, we've definitely, we interview and we have gone through phases where we've been a little bit overstaffed because mm-hmm.

(00:27:44) It's like you find a good person, you, like you said, you make room for them because inevitably somebody has a baby, someone's husband gets a new job, someone like, you know, their kid has needs to homeschool anyway, it just happens. So yeah, it's good to be. When you find a really good person, (00:28:00) it's absolutely worth the expense to be a little overstaffed for a short period.

(00:28:04) So, 

(00:28:04) Lacie Ellis: absolutely. So let's talk a little bit about team motivation. 'cause this is another thing that comes up in, uh, this cyclical world of ortho that we live in where I get asked. From time to time, like, should, should I be doing a bonus structure, incentives or, you know, something to help my team feel or stay motivated?

(00:28:25) I'm, I'm just curious how you guys do that and what your thoughts are towards that. 

(00:28:29) Laura Wilde: Yeah. Yeah. We, um, yeah, same thing. We've gone through all the cycles of like, is this making a difference? Do they care about this? Um, I kind of mentioned that. Tiny ones we'll do for the value, the team value. And we do, we don't do it every month.

(00:28:42) What we kind of do it sporadically. Um, we also, yeah, we bonus our tc, um, she's bonused just kind of straight on per start, and that works really well. We, I, we have had TCS in the past where that didn't work as well because, um. (00:29:00) She kind of had this certain number in mind of like, I need to make at least this much.

(00:29:05) And then once she hit that number, it was kind of like all the effort went away. So it really, I, what I've learned is it really depends on the personality of your tc. If you have a hungry, eager person, just straight up bonus works pretty well. 'cause they're just like eager to do it. Um, we've also done different structures where we did it based on conversion or.

(00:29:25) Hitting a certain milestone. Um, but yeah, I think it's, I think it's very, um, personality dependent. And so yeah, it's always a little bit of a way it takes some time to figure out. Um, and we also, we started bonusing our front office manager, um, for the sa for the same reason because she started taking on some extra responsibilities.

(00:29:46) And, um, I will say that increased her, um, motivation incredibly. And so. I have come to the point where I'm like, if it, if there's anyone in your office that you can bonus and it makes sense and there's like a (00:30:00) identifiable, simple, identifiable, simple metric that they do have a decent amount of control over, you should bonus 'em, even if it's a small amount because the motivation is just so strong.

(00:30:11) Um, and also, um, the whole team, we kind of do a, um, I don't know, it's not like a bonus, but it's like a. I don't know, a gift. I don't know. For example, the one that's happening this quarter is if we hit a certain, um, production level for the quarter. And that's another thing because of orthodontics is so, um, cyclical based on the school schedules and, and then COVID and now everything's a mess.

(00:30:35) But you might have a really good month, and then they're like a really bad month. And so we do, but based on the quarter, like an average, you know, um, and so we'll do it for the quarter and if we hit a, you know, an average. Monthly production for the quarter, they're all, we're gonna take everyone to go get massages.

(00:30:50) So it's kind of just like this extra thing that, so that, because I, I otherwise find that the, um, back (00:31:00) office, the. The assistance can get a little miffed. 'cause usually the TC is getting bonus and they know that and they're like, oh, we're doing all this work and she's getting the bonus. And so there can be a little bit of butting heads if she tries to throw something in.

(00:31:13) And so if they all feel like they're all part of it, and there's a little bit of a side tangent, but I think for a while we didn't discuss the, the production numbers with the whole team. We would only discuss it with the TC and I, I think I had a misguided perception that if we discussed that with them, that they would.

(00:31:31) Um, misunderstand like, oh, you're making so much money because they have no concept of all the costs associated with running a business. And so I was hesitant to bring that up, but what I've realized is all that does is just kind of keep everyone, they all understand now because we bring it up at the monthly meeting, they all understand like, oh yeah, we had a bad month last month.

(00:31:52) Um, the we're, and everyone starts kind of like hustling a little bit more and like working together. And I think that has helped Mo and because they (00:32:00) now have this incentive tied to like, Hey, we all wanna go do something fun, like, you know, whatever it is, go do a paint the wine and painting or what one of those things where you guys can go do something fun and, you know, because for the assistants, they're not quite as directly, um, tied to like.

(00:32:17) Starting, but they also are doing a lot of work to help it come about. And so getting everyone on the same page, not being shy to um, broadcast the production numbers and the goals with the whole team so everyone knows where you're at. I think if I wish we had would've done that from the start, but we have finally rolled that out and I think it has helped a lot.

(00:32:37) Lacie Ellis: I think you said it perfectly when you're like, it really depends on your team, you know? Mm-hmm. There are some teams where these structures work really, really well and people feel seen and valued, and this little extra thing is, is seen as gratitude and a gift, and then there are some teams where it is becomes expected and part of their salary.

(00:32:55) Yes. And that's when I think bonuses and incentives and all these (00:33:00) structures turn into a negative instead of a positive is when people start to count on them to. Pay their bills or something like that. Mm-hmm. I think that that's when it becomes a little, uh, difficult for me is because I, I really would hope that it always feels like this is because we hit this goal and we got here together and we did this thing.

(00:33:19) And not, you can't just, it's not something you can just count on. We have to earn it, you know? Mm-hmm. Like we earn this thing together and I think when we stay on that side of incentives and bonuses, it is a lot more effective. Um. Because when you get into that other side, you can't, you, it's almost impossible to come back for from that, you know?

(00:33:38) No, 

(00:33:38) Laura Wilde: I know. So that's Yeah. Like, yes, like our previous TC who would just hit a certain number. Yeah. So yeah, I really was like dependent on the person, and I think, again. I think that's where the, discussing the production numbers with them, um, helps a lot because instead of just saying, oh, we hit this number of starts, where's that money that you owe me?

(00:33:59) You know, or like, (00:34:00) we hit whatever it is. We hit 25 when the goal was 26, but. It's close enough, why can't you pay me the bonus? And it becomes that expectation. Um, but if you're kind of just showing 'em more of the data, like, oh look, compared to last March, this March, these were the numbers. Like I think they understand it a little more.

(00:34:18) And so being a little more transparent as much as you can, um, I think helps alleviate that a little bit. But yeah, it is very. Again, if you hire the right people Yeah. That problem can be alleviated, so. 

(00:34:31) Lacie Ellis: Absolutely. So lastly, I would love for you to share anything that you have implemented into your practice that you wish you had done sooner or that you feel has been like a game changer for you in your team.

(00:34:43) Just any advice or thoughts or any, you know, just anything else you wanted to share with somebody who might be sitting in your chair, um, kind of up against some of the same challenges you are. 

(00:34:53) Laura Wilde: Yeah. Um. One of the, uh. Mental frameworks. I had to shift from the (00:35:00) beginning. I think when I first came in I had, you know, the starry-eyed, I'm gonna make this amazing, like, I'm going to do all these things and everyone on the team's gonna be so happy.

(00:35:11) And, um, and then all the problems start coming in. And then you, then you swing the other way and you're like really jaded and you're like, it doesn't matter what I do, I don't appreciate it. I think it's just kind of a natural progression. Progression of a manager and a practice owner is like, you kind of have to find your way a little bit.

(00:35:27) But, um, I think, you know, keeping in mind when you are a manager. Your literal job is to deal with the problems of the office. It doesn't make it to your desk unless it's a problem and they, they'll just take care of it if they can. So if you come in and you're like, oh, I'm gonna get this and this and this done, and then someone comes in with a problem and it's like, oh, that's annoying.

(00:35:49) That problem took over. So much of my time, but it's like that's actually your job is to deal with the problems. So shifting my perspective on dealing with problems helped a lot (00:36:00) because I just realized, oh no, I should expect these problems to probably take up at least half of my time because. That is my job as the manager.

(00:36:08) And then, 

(00:36:09) Lacie Ellis: and in our, in our, one of our calls before, I'm like, I, I, I learned that a manager is in, like, your job is that your hair is literally on fire and you have to, and act like nothing is wrong. Like my job is to be like, we've got this, no big deal. But you're literally burning around you like, the house is burning down, but we're fine.

(00:36:28) We're fine. 

(00:36:29) Laura Wilde: Yeah. And so if you kind of like. Know that rather than seeing it as like a thing that took you off your day, it's like, oh no, that, that is my day. That's like the purpose of me is to deal with those things. And then also, um, you know, just like kind of back to the positivity thing and how much you have to, uh, reinforce it.

(00:36:51) So, you know, I, I can think of one time interacting with one of my team members who. I make a conscious effort to every day when I'm in there, (00:37:00) tell at least two people something I saw them doing that was good and they appreciate it because, you know, that's really important. Even as much as I was thinking that there came a point with one of our team members where, um, she was.

(00:37:14) You know, anyway, she sent like a letter and it was like, oh, this is my two weeks notice. And I'm like, what's going on? Um, and we had a talk. We talked it through and it was really comes, it really came down to like one thing I said because of, and now, you know, it was something she had done that was not, that she shouldn't have done and it was, but we had to have kind of like a disciplinary moment and that one thing just.

(00:37:41) Just negated every positive thing I had ever said. And so in her mind it turned into like, well, you never say anything positive. And like, luckily I could remember like four or five things for the last few weeks. I was like, well, you know, like I'm not trying to, I like, I totally see your perspective. I'm not trying to harass you, but remember this (00:38:00) thing, remember that thing?

(00:38:01) So is that not helping you feel valued? You know, not trying to argue with her, but just pointing out and it, it just kind of was like a, a reminder to me. That you know, that 10 to one ratio or the five to one ratio that they talked about in marriage or with kids, it's the same. It's ex like if you can think of dealing with your team members like to dealing with your children, it's like exactly the same.

(00:38:22) They don't like to be told they're doing something wrong. When they do get told something they're doing wrong, they're gonna blame you and then you have to outweigh the negative with the positive, at least five to one. So like even as much as I was like consciously trying to be positive and tell people thank you.

(00:38:37) It just wasn't enough to help this person, like. Realize that she was valued. And so, you know, again, it, you can't, everyone's going to be mad about something sometimes, and usually they react because they feel guilty and they're gonna put it on you again, just like children. But if you can take that less personally and just say, okay, I'm just gonna try to go over the top with recognizing all the good things they're (00:39:00) doing.

(00:39:00) If you have a good team member and then you do have to have a, you know, a disciplinary interaction with them, it can help balance that out because. This isn't like they're only hearing the bad things. And even if you think you're doing it enough, you're probably not doing it enough. So telling 'em, thank you, pointing out something, they did great.

(00:39:18) Do that way more than you think you need to, just like the values talk about it way more than you think you need to, and I think things will go much better. 

(00:39:28) Lacie Ellis: I, um, I think, I think about me as a person and what makes me, like, I don't feel like I need a ton of pats on the back and like, oh, you're doing so great, or this and that, but, um.

(00:39:42) I know those moments when I'm starting to feel like, oh, am I, is what I'm doing appreciated? And, um, it's just this internal thing that I think we all deal with is like being human is this need to, I think we want to fill a need for somebody and fill a space and (00:40:00) feel. Maybe not even so much valued, but like needed.

(00:40:03) And I want, I think that's where I kind of go into all of my daily tasks is like, I really am helping somebody else in getting to these things and like I, it. I don't know. I think we're in a profession where we have this beautiful gift of, we get to truly help create a smile that somebody takes with them for the rest of their lives.

(00:40:26) And to me that is a. I think we need to remind our teams more of that too. Mm-hmm. Um, because it just gets so easy to get bogged down in some of these other things. And when you really step back and think like, we are blessed to be able to do this thing that, like not a lot of people get to say that they like truly are changing somebody's life by giving them more confidence and helping.

(00:40:51) Create this signature of a smile that they get to take with them to their interviews and their, you know, graduations and like all of these things. We get to be a part of that journey. (00:41:00) And I don't know, to me that's like better than any pat on the back or thank you or anything. Like, all of that is great and I'm always so appreciative when somebody's grateful for what I did.

(00:41:09) But like big picture, especially when I worked in the office was like. Watching these kids just bloom who were so shy before. Mm-hmm. And they wouldn't smile 'cause they hated their teeth. And then you'd see them kind of grow and bloom into this and that. That to me is like the gift of what we get to do.

(00:41:27) So 

(00:41:28) Laura Wilde: yeah. Yeah. 

(00:41:29) Lacie Ellis: So, um, well I really hope that you all enjoyed our conversation today as much as I did. Thank you so much for your time and for sharing your valuable insights. Laura, I, like I said, your approach with kindness and like just. You're so levelheaded, but with so much kindness that you, your approach to things is just really beautiful and I think your team is really lucky to have you lead them and be, um, be part of things with them.

(00:41:56) So thank you for being here. I really appreciate your time. 

(00:41:59) Laura Wilde: (00:42:00) Thanks, Stacy. 

(00:42:00) Lacie Ellis: Yes. So our goal with this podcast is to give you truly tangible items that you can use in your day-to-day life in the office, and to elevate the voices of people that actually work in an office and sit in the same chair that you sit in every day.

(00:42:13) Please subscribe and share this episode with your friends and family that might find these conversations helpful and interesting. And don't forget to listen to our original podcast. Called The Golden Age of Orthodontics, hosted by the founders of People in practice, Dr. Leon Klempner and Amy Epstein.

(00:42:29) Until next time, thank you for joining us on Practice Talk where your voice has value. 

(00:42:35) Narrator: Thank you for listening to The Practice Talk podcast. Head over to practice talk.com to ask us questions or tell us your stories. Until next time.