Toxic team

Lately, when I get to the clinic, I can hardly wait to leave. The clients are great, but there's a lot of negativity among the team members. What can I do?

"A team has an emotional tone to it, almost like a chord that a piano plays," says Dr. Joel Parker, president of Professional Business Solutions in Vancouver, British Columbia. "It can be harmonious. Or it can be off-key because of friction caused by just one or two bad notes—negative people.

"Rather than keeping busy and helping build the practice, these few individuals prefer to gossip and criticize the doctors and the other team members," he says. "Negative chatter is the single most destructive action a group member can do. It undermines good, clear communication."

Dr. Parker says there was a time in his career when he dealt with negativity at his practice. "Things got so bad that a technician rimmed my coffee cup with lidocaine jelly on a busy day of appointments.

My face went numb. I later let her go, and you know what happened? The morale of the group skyrocketed and my love for the practice went through the roof! My advice: Don't let this type of person hold you hostage just because they have some special skill. Let him or her go. Practice should and can be fun. You owe it to yourself and your team."

Dr. Joel Parker