Without reading the rest of this blog, do you know what the image below is?
No, I am not from Colorado or Washington. No, I don’t own shares of NYSE: THCX, although Jon Najarian is a friend of mine. I protect my MacBook with a silicone cover and a sticker of one of these on the outside. This image, my friends, is a Buckeye leaf.
Do I have any football (not soccer) fans out there - specifically college grid iron football? I am a HUGE Ohio State fan. I bleed scarlet and gray. I’m one of those fans who carries something related to Buckeye Nation all the time. At the start of every football season at THE Ohio State University, players receive helmets that are a gray, blank canvas with a scarlet stripe down the middle outlined in black and white. After week one, you might notice something a little different about the helmets.
Woody Hayes, legendary coach for Ohio State, started presenting buckeye leaf stickers to players who possess strong performances after long time trainer Ernie Biggs suggested them as a motivational gimmick. That was in 1968. Let’s just say the plan “stuck”. Ever since, sticker presentation of the past week’s game is an honor.
Ever since this breakthrough in motivation, other college football teams have embraced the concept - Florida State and the Tomahawk; Dog bones for Georgia.
It really didn’t take a rocket scientist to come up with this type of motivation. Heck, remember when we were kids? We loved getting those stickers. We were so proud of ourselves. Our parents were thrilled. You didn’t even have to look at the marks, when that smiley face or blue star appeared on that test, you did it!!!
I could probably talk Ohio State football all day long but I should probably get to a reason why this blog relates to dentistry. In 108 seasons, Ohio State is one of the winningest programs in all of sports. But it didn’t start with stickers. It started with culture.
Excuses, excuses, excuses. Are you inundated with excuses from your team? Do you spend more time saying the same things over and over again and nothing changes? You say to yourself, ‘things have got to change, or else.” I used to work in your practice. I was so eager to learn but wasn’t given the tools. I would constantly have to ask, “Hey how do you do….?” Or, “Where can I find…?” I was beginning to think the problem was me. That was a long time ago. If I only knew then what I know now.
Things are better now. Today, I work for Design Ergonomics - and a paycheck is only half the reason I work here. I love the challenge! I work from home and could easily slack off and not get anything done, but I wouldn’t last very long. Our culture is made up of attitudes, values and beliefs we all share as a team. Notice there is no “I” in team! Our organization provides me with purpose. And even better, it provides the whole team with a purpose - and a clear, accountable, way to keep on track. One of my favorite things about my job is that I get to help practices all over the country do the same thing!
And here’s why I’m talking about stickers...
A Design Ergonomics/Reboot Practice Productivity Solutions Heart ChartTM.
Reinvigorate Training was developed to encourage your team to be accountable, reliable and self motivated. We’ve created a tool to help: The Heart Chart ™ The chart is blown up, laminated and displayed where everyone can see it. Every function in the practice is listed on the Heart Chart ™ by department. Employees are listed down the left. (see Heart Chart ™ ) We celebrate wins and milestones as staff move up the ladder. Hearts are given out publicly at a staff meeting or morning huddle. In order to receive your Heart, you must be an expert at the task.
In order to be absolutely proficient at a task, you’re going to need resources. Everyone is all in, and doc, I’m going to need you to lead the charge. Once Heart ChartsTM are implemented, you don’t have to spend countless hours training your people. You’ve now provided a tool to learn and grow. Remember: “You can’t change people, but you can change people.”
Want more information about HeartCharts? Just ask!!
