Mindy Altermatt, FAADOM is a professional coach, speaker, and leadership champion to dental leaders. She’s a veteran of the dental industry with experience in insurance processing on all levels, practice management, and team development. During her years as a practice administrator she achieved fellowship distinction with the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM), and in 2007 was named their Office Manager of the Year. Contact her at mindy@mindyaltermatt.com or visit her on the web at www.mindyaltermatt.com.

Mindy Altermatt, FAADOM

	It’s the end of your workday and you are about ready to walk out the door. You would ideally like to look back on the day and feel 

, productive, and confident in your leadershipaccomplishments but you don’t. Instead, you are exhausted! 

Like so many leaders, you have just spent your day running on the proverbial hamster wheel. You have been busy, but haven’t accomplished much of what you wanted to do. Instead, you have dealt with numerous interruptions and conflicts, you have focused far too much time on projects that others could have handled, and have been irritable and short with people at times. You can’t wait to get home to relax and shut your work day off! 

Sound familiar?  The good news is you are not alone. The bad news is you are doing it to yourself in multiple ways. When I work with new 

this seems to be a common thread among them. I’m going to share three of the top reasons for end of workday exhaustion and how to change them.

You are not aware of what is important to you and why it matters

I’m not just talking about what’s important to your business and its goals. I’m talking about what’s important to you as an individual. Every one of us operates from a set of values that are internal and very personal, but they are a part of every decision we make and our way of being. One of the first things I do with new clients is a Core Values exercise to help my client discover what those are and what they mean to them. Chances are you know some of your core values, but are less familiar with others.

When time is spent operating outside of alignment to what’s important to us it shows up in many ways. For example, you might become stressed, agitated, or you might get angry. Stack enough of these together and you are tired and fed up at the end of the day. I suggest taking a look at what was behind those feelings and ask yourself what is important about that to you. Then you have the ability to make changes.

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For example:  Let’s say you have a team member who consistently interrupts your day with questions. They are valid questions so you take the time to answer them thoroughly now rather than fixing mistakes later, but you get more frustrated and agitated with each interruption. Before you know it, you are angry and not sure why. After some reflection you determine that it frustrates you that the team member doesn’t try to find the answers on her own first and that she does not seem to be respecting your time. In this example which of your values are not being honored?  It could be time management, a job well done, or resourcefulness. What else could it be?

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Knowing the value and why it’s important allows us to approach things differently. 

The next time the team member comes to your door with something that doesn’t need immediate attention you might say, “Team member, I appreciate that you want to make sure you have the right answers and I’m glad you feel comfortable coming to me. I have this project I need to focus on, so how about if you start with what YOU think you should do, and if you get stuck set it aside and we can meet at 2 p.m. to discuss. Sound good?”  When you take this approach you are honoring what is important to you and your values first, while still serving your team. Try it and notice what happens to your day.

You don’t balance your energy account daily

Every single experience we have in our day does one of two things:  it either feeds us or drains us of energy. When I hear clients say they’re exhausted or they’re looking for balance the first thing I ask them to do is keep track of what feeds and drains their energy in some type of log format daily for a week. They make a + sign for feed and – sign for drain. It might look something like this:

·  Hearing my favorite song on the radio 

·  Putting out office fires first thing in the morning 

·  Enjoying a piping hot cup of coffee at my desk +

The idea is that nothing is too big or too small to make note of and the act of keeping track will make you more of aware of what you want more or less of in your day. Chances are your list of things that drain your levels will be easy to come up with. Challenge yourself to come up with 25 things today that feed your energy account and keep building on it. If your day is starting to fill up with things that drain your energy, you’ll have big list of things to choose from on the plus side. It’s important to 

For example:  Using the list above, you have some things to choose from when you want to bring more energy into your day. It can be as simple as taking a quick break for a 

, taking 10 minute walk at lunch, or making a playlist of your favorite songs for your morning commute. The key is to balance the energy in your day like you would your checking account. It’s all about debits and credits and you have more control than you realize.

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Admit it. You are busy. Of course you are. You are a leader at home and in the office. People depend on you. You go through each day handling what needs to be handled, checking tasks off of your list that have been completed, and finding solutions to problems that have not manifested… yet. You do it all.

. When was the last time you took a few seconds to actually celebrate that completed task list?  When was the last time you took 15 minutes in the morning to set your mindful intention for the day?  When was the last time you embraced your leadership role and empowered a team member to work on a project that you know would be done perfect if you completed it yourself?   Taking time to feel our emotions, to be mindful, and to show up as the kind of person we most want to be is an important part of self-care and make a drastic difference in your day.

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  For the next three days I want you to do three things: 

 Start your day thinking about what a great day would look like. How do you want to feel at the end of the day?  What would have to happen?  What is different?

 At the end of your day jot down ten of your 

 for the day, big or small. Everything counts. If your list is bigger… GREAT!

 Make a conscious effort to genuinely appreciate and boldly empower someone else

At the end of the three days, notice what’s different. How do you feel?  What changed?  What were your challenges?  What will you do different next week?  The power is in the awareness, but we only achieve strong awareness when we slow down and allow ourselves to just be.

There is a long list of reasons why you are exhausted at the end of the day. I’ve listed three of the ones that I see most when working with my clients. We can’t control everything about our day, but when we focus on what we can control the results can be powerful.

Challenge yourself to think about how you WANT to feel at the end of the day and incorporate the changes listed in this post. Take time to notice how your day is different. I’d invite you to share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section so we all might learn.

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Wishing you days filled with energy, feelings of being productive, and showing up like the leader you want to be remembered as. 

Mindy Altermatt is a professional coach, speaker, and leadership champion. She offers her coaching programs to dental professionals who want to create balance and purpose in their role as a leader. Her convenient and practical virtual business allows her to work with professional clients located across the country. As a former practice administrator herself, Mindy understands the unique challenges that dental professionals face and can offer a unique perspective when working together with her clients to create strategies and plans that generate rapid results. Connect with Mindy on 

. Contact her at mindy.altermatt@gmail.com or visit her on the web at 

Articles

 It’s the end of your workday and you are about ready to walk out the door. You would ideally like to look back on the day and feel energized, productive, and confident in your leadership accomplishments but you don’t. Instead, you are exhausted! 

3 reasons why you're exhausted at the end of the work day

Many of the dental leaders I speak to say that they are one person at work, and when they get home they become themselves.   

What if there are several people on your team doing the exact same thing? If that’s the case, who are they being at work? Being someone you’re not for a full work day, multiplied times the number of days in your work week, multiplied by the number of work weeks in a year, means for an average of 1,600 hours a year, people aren’t being authentic. 

That just sounds like a whole lot of time spent being someone you’re not. This incompatibility with self over time can lead to internal stress at work and at home. Not to mention, if your team isn’t being genuine and real at work it will affect not only the interoffice relationships, but their relationships with your patients. 

How can you foster and cultivate an environment of authenticity in your practice? You can start by becoming aware of these three areas as individuals, and as a team:

  I don’t mean what they value most at work. I mean what they value. Period. This is a great discussion to have as a team and I guarantee that you’ll learn things about one another that you never knew. Valuable things about the very core of those beautiful human beings who work with you.

Making a list is a great way to start. Some may have long lists, while others have it narrowed down to three or four. This is a great pathway to self – awareness and the list could change from time to time. 

Tip: if someone has trouble coming up with things for their list, try asking them what makes them angry. The opposite of the anger point is most likely a value. 

For example:  if you find yourself getting angry or agitated when someone takes too long to tell a story, or explain a problem, you most likely have a value of efficiency, time, or facts.

 Those gut feelings of “something isn’t right” or feeling out of balance, agitated or even angry most likely means you’re not operating with alignment of your values. When that happens, stop and notice how you’re feeling, what you were doing, and what would make it better. That conscious noticing act will cultivate self- awareness.  

It’s also a great area of discussion with your team. Talk about it. Learn from it. 

  It’s hard to stifle authenticity when you try to see people, things, and life from different perspectives. The key is to do that without judgment. When we are trapped in judgment of ourselves and others we establish limitations that are hard to break through. We’re not at our best. We shut down that vulnerable, authentic, wonderful person we are.

This is not too touchy feely or woo woo voo doo. This is what is at the very core of every human being we meet. 

Strengthening our authenticity muscle will lead to deeper connections with the people we come in contact with every day-our family, our co-workers, our patients … the sky is the limit. 

Mindy Altermatt, FAADOM, is a professional coach, speaker, and leadership champion to dental leaders. She’s a veteran of the dental industry with experience in insurance processing on all levels, practice management, and team development. During her years as a practice administrator she achieved fellowship distinction with the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM), and in 2007 was named their Office Manager of the Year.  Connect with Mindy on 

Many of the dental leaders I speak to say that they are one person at work, and when they get home they become themselves.    Sound familiar? 

How to cultivate an environment of authenticity in your practice [VIDEO]

Collaboration. By definition, it’s simple. When put into action in our businesses, it can transform a team from surviving to thriving! However, it’s also a word that can instill fear and apprehension to those who are the busy leaders put in charge of managing the team and driving production all at the same time.

Collaboration: to work with another person or group to achieve or do something

I’m a strong advocate for teambuilding, teamwork, and all things team related. I also understand that it can be difficult to let go of that feeling of wanting to avoid the drama and time involved with getting everyone’s opinions and ideas. I could go on and on, but here are four strong reasons for fostering an environment of collaboration in your businesses:

 Not every decision in the practice needs to have the input of the whole team, but we often miss opportunities to collaborate on small things such as problem solving within departments, creating a top notch patient experience, or how to schedule for maximum efficiency to name a few. The more we look for opportunities to get our team member’s input, the more heard and valued they feel.

Leaders empower their team to build communication bridges

. The very nature of working together means that you have to communicate and this is often where the breakdown occurs. When you hit a sink hole of differing opinions it may be hard to move the decision process forward. That’s where active listening comes into play for the leader. Active listening requires you to listen intently, but also ask questions to clarify and confirm. Once you have all of the information and everyone is heard, you can suggest a plan or action that incorporates as much of everyone’s input as possible. When employees are truly heard, their feeling of value in the practice increases exponentially. Not to mention you’re leading by example and fostering this valuable skill in everyone.


Leaders can build a team synergy that’s transformational

. By working together people can achieve a level of success that isn’t possible if we operate within our typical independent silos. Teams that collaborate and communicate can manifest things for the business such as lower costs, higher production, increased abilities, and more flexibility to adapt to change. From that place the transformation from surviving to thriving isn’t simply possible—it’s inevitable!

Leaders who utilize their team’s resources to the fullest have higher employee retention.

 Every team needs vision, goals, and structure to enable it to operate at maximum efficiency. It needs strong leadership with quick decision making abilities, but along the way incorporating a collaborative environment empowers every team member to step into their roles in a more engaged, and ultimately fulfilled way. With each team success comes a strong connection between the individuals and the team as a whole. Individuals will become more adept, confident in their value, fulfilled in their career, and ultimately invested in the success of the team.

A collaborative leader is one who understands and embraces the power of innovation, teamwork, and focusing on your team members’ strengths. It also take lots of practice to incorporate it into your leadership style. If you’re not a collaborative leader, start small and practice daily. Be sure to get everyone’s ideas/input, listen and clarify, come up with a possible solution, and ask for feedback on that solution. It’s not always possible to get the whole team together to make a decision, but you can collaborate within the varying departments of your business. Monitor how things and people change when you increase collaboration. Look for additional ways to work together in an innovative and positive manner.

If you’re already a collaborative leader, I’d love to hear about how you and your team work together and the difference it’s making in your business. Please share your collaboration stories in the comments section of this post.

Editor's Note: Photo used in this article is "US Navy 110918-N-ZF681-266 Sailors heave a fuel line aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) during a replenishment at sea" by U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Farrington.

Editor's Note: This article previously appeared on the 

OneMind Health is a technology company with a unique system that helps dental practices get paid faster from insurance companies and patients with much less work and stress. The company says its mission is to be the connector/translator that can get the various players in the dental world to be “of One Mind,” and do what’s best for the dental patient.