MIRED or MOTIVATED?
Recognize behaviour that undermines morale in the dental practice.
When you face a challenge, does your behaviour help or hinder you? We all fall into old patterns of learned behaviour when the going gets rough. Whatever the reason is that we have established these default behaviours, at some point in our lives we taught ourselves to adopt them. They may have worked for us in some relationships or situations. Or maybe we just don’t recognize these go-to attitudes and behaviours for what they are. I know from my years of working with dental teams that the behaviours in the “Mired” list are common in the dental practice workplace (for dentists and staff!). And I can tell you that they are self-limiting, destructive, non-productive and undermine morale. They serve to prolong issues and leave them unresolved so that they repeat and repeat. If you recognize any of these behaviours in yourself or in your team, consider the alternatives in the “Motivated” column and see what a difference it can make to your well- being and ability to cope.
| MIRED
SELF LIMITING BEHAVIOURS THAT KEEP YOU STUCK |
MOTIVATED
ACCOUNTABLE, EMPOWERING BEHAVIOURS THAT MOVE YOU THROUGH YOUR CHALLENGES |
| Creating excuses | Creating and implementing solutions |
| Clinging to your stories | Changing the story and creating new stories |
| Avoiding change or growth | Embracing change and growth |
| Blaming others or external forces | Owing it, Being accountable |
| Disengaging from the work, withdrawing, procrastinating | Leaning into the work |
| Taking the easy route, falling into old habits,
Adopting hopelessness, defeatist attitude |
Doing the hard stuff, including believing that change can happen |
| Repeating harmful patterns | Identify and untangle the patterns |
| Wallowing in “stuck” mode (“no solution, no way out”) | Being curious and considering possibilities, making room for movement forward. |
| Minimizing, hiding or denying feelings | Acknowledging feelings |
| Resisting help or support | Accepting help or support |
The format for these ideas is attributable to a post by Lisa Olivera Therapy with edits and additions being my own as based on my knowledge of attitudes in the workplace.
If you would like to learn more about how to improve morale, culture and communication in your dental practice, drop me a line.
