Dr. Kuba is back, and she has an agenda! She turns the spotlight on Bethany and forces her to undergo the same treatment that Bethany dished out to her many months ago when Bethany recorded the “What Would Kuba Do?” episode. In this episode, venture into the mind of a consultant. See what she sees as Dr. Kuba has multiple questions for Bethany ranging from firing clients to the ONE piece of advice that Bethany has for her clients. Bethany gets an opportunity to share about the chronic...

100% of Bethany’s clients have struggled with attendance issues on their teams. Either an employee is chronically late, often asks to leave early, or is simply absent chronically. In this episode, Bethany reminds listeners that some requests to be off should be met with a no. She describes scenarios that could potentially incur an automatic “no” to the request. She also encourages listeners to create boundaries that they can enforce such as requiring a request to be submitted 30 days in...

Bethany flies solo in this episode to tackle an important and often repetitive topic which is maternity and medical leaves. So many practice owners face this issue multiple times over the years of their career. Bethany discusses several simple tips to ensure that medical and maternity leaves are handled with consistency and a clear, documented plan. In addition to clear documentation, open communication is also critical to properly managing a medical/maternity leave. Bethany recommends a...

Dr. Kuba is often not often surprised by a raise request in due to the diligent systems she has in place for frequently reviewing compensation. But, in this episode, she and Bethany discuss what may have caused the employee to unexpectedly ask for a raise. They also discuss what they can do going forward to ensure unexpected raise requests do not continue to happen. If you’ve found yourself in this position, listen up!  Previous Episodes Worth Revisiting: Team Holiday Bonuses and...

A common and practical question often asked is – How many team members do I need? What are the parameters for determining what is overstaffed and what is understaffed? In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss three different tools for determining the right number of employees. First, Bethany discusses certain financial milestones that the practice reaches that solicit the potential addition of a new employee. Second, Dr. Kuba and Bethany talk about the financial impact of adding a team...

Many practice owners struggle to find out true feedback from their employees. They desire to know their teams and know how things are going, but it is hard to get honest feedback from them. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany talk about the importance of establishing a foundation of good communication and trust with team members. Then, prior to asking for feedback, employees must have a chance to prepare for the conversation. So, providing questions or topics for them to consider prior to a...

Get ready for crusty Dr. Kuba! Today, she talks about her natural aversion to forced holiday celebrations. She confesses that she has never celebrated dental assistant week, administrative assistant day, etc. She and Bethany talk through all the reasons why she resists these celebrations. Dr. Kuba confesses that she gets cranky even thinking about the holidays. Bethany advises listeners to truly think through team member expectations and to determine a balanced approach to team member...

Bethany has her dad, Dr. Jones, in the studio today. Together, they discuss a hot topic – hiring family members or friends to be a member of the dental team. Dr. Jones has employed multiple friends and family members throughout the years of his profession. For him, it felt like a dream come true, but he discusses that it is critical to have clear expectations before the friend or family member joins the team. Many potential problems can be eliminated with clear communication. He also suggests...

While work culture has always been a “thing,” it has become a very important “thing” over the last few years. Whether it is due to post-pandemic depression and anxiety trends or workforce generational gaps, work culture has taken a hit. It has become increasingly difficult to keep teams working together well and staying focused on the main task of work. Bethany believes that many of the problems she tackles in her consulting business stem from culture issues. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and...

While accountability may seem simple, it is actually quite complex. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the many reasons why it can be so complicated. On one hand, a practice owner cannot be too soft, and yet on the other hand, a practice owner cannot be too rigid. Accountability requires a strategic mind, good communication, and consistency. Dr. Kuba confesses that key team members often blame her for being too soft and therefore creating an accountability problem. She and Bethany...

It’s a word that makes every shudder – embezzlement. In this episode, Dr. Kuba asks Bethany questions to ensure that her embezzlement resistant strategies are enough. Together they discuss the most vulnerable places for a practice. Then, they discuss several strategies to strengthen the weak spots. One of the most important aspects of protecting the practice is ensuring that the team knows that the practice owner is consistently evaluating the numbers. When there is clear oversight,...

After airing the recent episode “What is Servant Leadership?,” many fans requested information on other leadership models that work. In this episode, Bethany unpacks several examples of other successful leadership styles that she has seen at work in her clients’ practices. She covers the laissez fair leader, transactional leader, authoritative leader, democratic leader, visionary leader, and situational leader. She discusses the mindset behind each of these styles as well as the pros and cons...

In this episode, Dr. Kuba faces her first liability lawsuit after a child hurt herself on a gaming console in her pediatric dental office. She and Bethany reflect on the event that occurred nearly eighteen months ago. After many months of assuming that the worst had passed, Dr. Kuba received an unwelcome visit from a constable with lawsuit papers. She discusses the process that they’ve been through and shares all of the helpful safety tips she has received from her liability lawyer. The...

Dr. Kuba inserts some drama of her own into today’s episode! She discusses the difficulty of sharing feedback with a colleague of her own. So, Bethany offers her own advice. Throughout fifteen years of consulting, Bethany has had to work diligently on the art of giving feedback, and parenting a tween has furthered her desire to perfect the craft. She shares a four step process that she discovered from an excellent Youtube resource (see link below). Step one is asking a micro-yes question....

Every person has a sphere of influence – impact. Practice owners, associates, and team members are all leaders. So, what does it mean to lead? In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss a popular leadership concept – servant leadership. Bethany admits that this style is her favorite style of leadership and discusses the basic mindset behind this model. Dr. Kuba discusses the friction that can occur when leadership styles on the same team are different. Together, they emphasize the...

For the first time in Managing Dental Drama history, we have an associate dentist on the show! Dr. Michael took a calculated and detailed approach to his associateship plans. Prior to completing his pediatric residency program, he developed a plan to merge together two to three different types of practices to give him a full-time schedule. His goal was to expand his skills while also expanding his exposure to different demographics of patients, different practice owner models, and different...

In the last episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany encouraged listeners to courageously take the time off they need to stay mentally and emotionally healthy. Bethany commented that time away really shouldn’t cost the practice anything if planned correctly. In this solo episode, Bethany unpacks step by step how to control and maximize your 2024 schedule.  Step One: Determine your production goal or NEED  Do the math: What do you need your monthly pay to be? (Be sure to evaluate your personal monthly...

The end of the year is the PERFECT time to make really good plans for 2024. Dr. Kuba and Bethany discuss the importance of building out your 2024 schedule IN 2023. By the time the rush of January hits, most individuals are simply too busy to slow down and schedule everything that needs to occur in the year. Then, important items can get overlooked, off track, or even missed. Bethany encourages listeners to focus on four main categories – Marketing, Team Building, Human Resources, and...

Dr. Kuba is back in the studio today with Bethany! Together, they discuss an incredibly relevant topic – burnout. Many dentists drag themselves into December after a long, often difficult year. The holidays often add an added layer of stress onto an already stressed doctor. In this episode, Dr. Kuba and Bethany give listeners critical advice for managing stress and avoiding burning completely out. First, it is important to have a solid support system that includes advisors outside of your...

Bethany embarks on her third “rendezvous and record” session! Dr. Marr is a pediatric dentist in the Dallas, TX area. After many years successfully growing her private practice, she has a fresh and encouraging perspective built upon reflection, positivity, and overall gratitude. She shares with listeners the importance she places on reflection, even if that means getting away alone to truly evaluate the things that bring joy and stress. Once a person has evaluated the joys and stresses they...

Bethany embarks on her second “rendezvous and record” session! This time, she is back in Arkansas with her dad, Dr. Jones! At 72 years young, Dr. Jones definitely has plenty of excellent advice regarding building good quality goals. In this episode, he encourages listeners to set reasonable and attainable goals but also goals that push you in an area where you need to grow. According to Dr. Jones, many individuals don’t actually set goals. Instead, they have dreams without action. A true goal...

In this first “rendezvous and record” series, Bethany hosts a client of hers – Dr. Jones! Since Bethany met Dr. Jones a few years ago, she has been impressed with the level of respect and appreciation that Dr. Jones has fostered with his team. In this episode, Dr. Jones explains how he and his wife have prioritized respect and appreciation amongst their staff for over 16 years. They have learned important lessons along the way, and Dr. Jones has reflected on his own personal weaknesses as a...

Bethany encourages all listeners to be excellent goal setters, but all excellent goal setters start with a very important step – reflection. In this episode, Bethany unpacks the broad picture of how to reflect on personal, family, and work satisfaction. Then, she reminds listeners to use the reflection to inform and create strong goals for the next year. She even challenges listeners to encourage co-workers and employees to take the dive into deep, purposeful reflection. Finally, she tees up...

Bethany trapped Dr. Kuba in the studio today and forced her to answer some deep and probing questions. Bethany recommends these “annual retreat” questions to be completed each year in order to ensure that life, the practice, and family life is moving in the right direction. These questions are meant to slow things down to ensure an appropriate amount of reflection time and goal setting. While all questions are not addressed in this episode, it gives listeners several questions to begin...