Episode #484: The Ultimate Decision-Making Filter, with Kirk Behrendt & Heather Crockett

As a dentist, you make critical decisions every day. And to help you make the right ones, Kirk Behrendt brings back Heather Crockett, one of ACT’s amazing coaches, to share the magic formula to navigate decision-making in your practice. If you follow this system, you will make better decisions much faster and improve your business! To start reducing decision fatigue today, listen to Episode 484 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:

• Heather’s email: [email protected] 
• Heather’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.r.crockett  
• Heather’s social media: @actdental  
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Main Takeaways:

Establish your core values early in your career.

Hire, fire, and reward based on your core values.

Work on keeping your core values alive in your practice.

Understand the consequences of tolerating bad behavior.

Quotes:

“Your core values are nonnegotiable behaviors in your business. These are deeply ingrained things that make you tick. And when you really distill them down and let them bake for a year, you say to yourself, ‘Holy moly. That is what we are all about.’” (4:23—4:43) -Kirk

“The more you lean into your core values, the more you call them out, the more you recognize them, the more you reward, fire, hire around your core values, crazy stuff goes away. I'm not kidding. You have less and less crazy stuff when you lean into your core values.” (5:48—6:05) -Kirk

“Your favorite people that you'll ever work with, that you'll ever be with, that you'll ever really enjoy yourself as you're with them, is that they care about the same things you care about. The least favorite people you'll ever work with, ever be with, ever be around, they're not bad people. They just don't care about the same things that you care about. So, assignment number one is, figure out what the heck you care about and build a business, a team, a cause, a calling, around these core values.” (6:15—6:45) -Kirk

“If people were to say, ‘What's the three most important things you've ever learned in business?’ number one would be, you've got to figure out your core values. Build an entire brand, an entire team, hire, fire, reward, recognize people around these things . . . Number two is, you need to put the right people in the right seats. Right people, right seats. It’s this: right people do one thing — they fit your core values. Right seats are, you've determined what seats make this practice work, and these people get results. The only reason you ever, ever hire people is for two reasons: they fit our core values and they get results. Not because they're nice people, not because they're your neighbor, not because they’ve worked here before. Everyone in your business has to fit your core values and has to get results, period. That's all there is to it.” (8:29—9:30) -Kirk

“You're going to be presented with challenges. Your ability to overcome these challenges, make really good decisions about your business, determines the health and success in the future.” (9:32—9:42) -Kirk

“I've had several client calls where a client will bring an issue to me as their coach, and they’ll say, ‘Help me with making this decision.’ And I always circle them back to their core values. Because not only are the core values these nonnegotiable behaviors for the practice, they're also guiding principles. They're like that third person in the room helping us to make these hard decisions.” (9:59—10:25)

“I actually saw it on a post from our friend, Josey Sewell, recently on social media, and she talked about how decision fatigue really wears us down as humans. And I agree 110%. We have thousands of decisions that we make every day as a human being. Now, a practice owner adds another layer of complexity and decision-making that we have to do, just as the practice owner and the leader of the team members. There are so many things that can be very overwhelming. This is why people will make their lunch plans the day before. They’ll set out their clothes the night before, things that they want to make the decisions for, but they don't necessarily want to do them all in one day. So, in order to make that easier, while it seems simple, even taking a couple of decisions off of your plate in one day helps you, mentally.” (11:51—12:43)

“Our core values will also help to reduce that decision fatigue, because when we’re faced with a hard choice, if we automatically pull our core values into the conversation, it will make that decision much easier and quicker to make.” (12:50—13:05)

“All, and I mean all — and I do mean all — decisions lead home to the road to your core values.” (13:37—13:45) -Kirk

“I'll take a group of 18 people that are committed to a set of values over the most talented human beings on the planet.” (15:51—15:59) -Kirk

“When you tolerate someone who has bad behavior in your business — nothing kills a great team member more than when you consistently tolerate a bad one.” (18:02—18:14)

“What will happen to you, if you haven't had this happen already, is a great team member will stop you in the hallway and go, ‘I am done. Today is the day.’ And you go, ‘What's today about?’ They're like, ‘I'm done. I'm done. I can no longer do this. I absolutely refuse to be treated like that at the place I work. It’s either me or her. You're going to have to choose.’ And that is a moment of truth. And then, when you don't choose, what happens is you lose them both. And it’s your fault. You didn’t stand on a rock of values.” (18:14—18:48) -Kirk

“When you consistently tolerate bad behavior, it lowers the bar for everybody.” -Kirk (20:25—20:32)

“You have to communicate [your core values] to your team and keep them alive in the practice. Make sure that everybody is shouting each other out, that we’re talking about them frequently so that we don't just establish them and then put them in a drawer, tuck them away, because that won't serve the practice or anybody that's working in the practice.” (24:52—25:11)

“When the why is clear, the how is easy.” -Kirk (25:44—25:47)

Snippets:

0:00 Introduction.

2:52 Heather’s background.

3:28 The secret to decision-making.

7:12 Core values drive every decision.

8:22 Three important things to learn early on.

9:43 Decision fatigue, explained.

13:14 How core values changed ACT.

16:22 Consequences of tolerating anti-core values.

21:47 Core values keep you on track.

24:28 Last thoughts on decision-making.

Heather Crockett Bio: 

Heather Crockett is a Lead Practice Coach who finds joy in not only improving practices but improving the lives of those she coaches as well. With over 20 years of combined experience in assisting, office management, and clinical dental hygiene, her awareness supports many aspects of the practice setting.  

Heather received her dental hygiene degree from the Utah College of Dental Hygiene in 2008. Networking in the dental community comes easy to her, and she loves to connect with like-minded colleagues on social media. Heather enjoys both attending and presenting continuing education to expand her knowledge and learn from her friends and colleagues.  

She enjoys hanging out with her husband, three sons, and their dog, Moki, scrolling through social media, watching football, and traveling.