If we don’t talk, disharmony follows!

This is such a true statement and so relevant as chiropractor. If it is with your team or with patients. The stuff that doesn’t get said, boils slowly but suddenly boils over…

So what do I mean?

You know the thing you just wanted to say to your boss but never felt comfortable in doing so? You told yourself over and over again that you would say something, but you didn’t. And instead of plucking up the courage to say what was on your mind, you thought it easier to just leave that job. Yes, you quit the work rather than address the issue.

The same is true in failed relationships, they start out happy then somewhere along the line they fall apart, usually because what you could tolerate at the start in the ‘honeymoon’ phase, soon becomes less tolerable, and because the relationship is new, you’d rather not rock the boat just yet and say something. Finally, when you do feel ready to address the issue, too much time and annoyance has passed so that your way to address it is simply to move on.

You can see what I am saying, if you don’t speak what is on your mind, the frustration builds and eventually causes an issue, disharmony and breakdown follow.

So why is this important?

Well, I once heard someone say, “healthy teams argue”. And while I disagree with the statement as blunt as that, I will say healthy teams have honest, upfront, and constructive debate.

Your team needs to be empowered to say what is on their mind and so do your patients. There is so often a hierarchy within a team and with a doctor, patient relationship that it is awkward and difficult to speak out of turn. This leads to people speaking behind your back and ultimately a breakdown in the relationship.

This was taken to the extreme years ago with Singapore Airlines, at the time which had a poor safety record. A pilot was tired and failing the approach to landing, his copilot, due to cultural restraints and respect of superiors, knowing full well the plane was going to crash said nothing! The plane did crash, and all were killed. Following this revelation, Singapore Airlines changed the training and culture to allow anyone to speak to anyone, and now has one of the best safety records worldwide.

So how do you change this?

It all comes down to culture and values. I like to say in my office that I am not the boss, the values are. And we all sit around a round table working towards them. This means anyone can call anyone out who is not in line with the values, this allows for open and honest conversation. And if we continue to talk and share, out differences will be understood and we move on. We become stronger in the bond and more effective as a team.

So how are you being honest and communicating? What do you need to change within your team to make this possible?

With love,

Tom