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I walked into the office that morning
on what I have come to refer to as “Black
Wednesday”. It was the worst day of my life. My
office was not running smoothly and there was much
backbiting behind the scenes. Intelligent staff
members tried to tell me how bad things really were
and what should be done, but I simply wasn’t
listening! One of my great assistants told me that
she was resigning … And that I should fire everyone
else. I failed to listen. Then another employee told
me I needed to fire everyone. Still I didn’t listen.
Then a former assistant came to fill in as a temp,
and at the end of the day, she asked if she could
speak to me before she left. When we spoke, she said
“You need to fire everyone on your staff.” I am a
slow learner, but thank God I listened to this
former trusted assistant and friend. The next day, I
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cancelled all patient appointments. On Black Wednesday
morning when the staff reported for work, I asked them to have a seat in
the reception area. One-by-one I called them in and let them go.
Difficult? You bet! I hate confrontation. And I would be left without a
staff! But it had to be done. When I called my receptionist in, I got a
surprise. When I asked her how I had handled things, she replied, “If
you don’t want to know, don’t ask.” She was right on target and brave
enough to offer me constructive criticism. She said that I should have
fired everyone six months earlier… And that I really should learn
something about management. She was fantastic at her job but had gotten
caught up in the dynamics of a bad office. |
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