CDA Essentials 2019 • Volume 6 • Issue 5

I ssues and P eople 33 Issue 5 | 2019 | Additional Resources For more details on practical ways of building trust in theworkplace, Dr. Raja recommends reading TheDecision to Trust , a 2006 HarvardBusiness Review article by Robert F. Hurley. By outlining the factors that influence people’s decisions to trust, the article aims to help “managers develop a better understanding of trust and how tomanage it.” hbr.org/2006/09/the-decision-to-trust word on it, but you can explain that you’re open to feedback. Continually sharing your thought process with the team— weighing what’s good for patients, practice management, and employees—is one way to share power. C an you give an example of what you could offer your team in this case? You could try to come to a compromise by starting a conversation about what they think is the most important piece of equipment to replace. Maybe it’s the scalers and you could come up with an acceptable timeline for replacing these instruments over time. H ow much of your decision-making process do you share with staff? For example, in this scenario, would you share the practice’s financial information to justify your decision? I think you have to share why you’re making this decision. You want to show what we call benevolent concern. This is when your actions show a genuine concern for others, even if they don’t necessarily serve your own interests. In this case, you could share with the staff that you’re trying to balance your financial obligations with patient safety and what’s best for the practice. You don’t need to get into specifics about your practice’s finances, but it’s important to mention. H ow do you manage the potential impact of a negative decision on staff, in terms of morale? If you know you’re not going to meet the demands of your staff at that specific timepoint, you could increase the frequency of meetings and your candour during those meetings. For example, communicate that you want to check in with the team on this in two months because it’s an important issue, and you want to make sure we don’t lose track of it. That lets people know they still have a seat at the table, their ideas are important, and there’s an opportunity in the future for feedback. I t’s about inviting input from your employees. Absolutely. And I would add that good managers try to enhance the similarities between them and the team. So when you’re setting goals for the practice, use the word “we” instead of “I.” For instance, “We have to find a way to balance all these different priorities.” It sounds simple, but it’s an effective way to make the team feel included. a As a manager, you’ve got to look at the long-term goal of how to build trust with the team, not just around this issue, but over the longer term. ➜ • Healthy Workplace Series •