There are problems in every practice that everyone sees, but no one really talks about. It might be the assistant who is always late, the hygienist who never helps turn rooms, or the front desk tension everyone tiptoes around. As owners, we usually respond with more systems, more meetings, and more checklists. Then we wonder why nothing changes.
At our DPH Mastermind retreat, we kept coming back to one idea: it is not the system, it is the conversation. There is a word for this, mokita, the truth everyone knows but no one says out loud. The more mokitas you have, the more unhealthy the culture gets.
In this week’s episode, I walk you through a framework I use in my own practice to bring these issues into the open without creating defensiveness. Here is the ASSS framework I use to have productive conversations:
• Ask permission
Start with, “Hey, can I talk to you about something?”
• State how you feel
Name the awkwardness and set the frame. Let them know you are not there to attack or blame.
• Share the issue clearly
Stick to facts and impact. No assumptions, no finger pointing.
• Seek to understand
Get curious and ask for their perspective on what is really going on.
Here’s your end-of-year challenge: identify one mokita in your practice and have the conversation using the framework. Listen to how I run these conversations in my own practice, so you can copy the approach.
Thanks for being here and for continuing to build better practices with us!
