What kind of passenger are you?

If you haven’t read Jon Gordon’s The Energy Bus, it’s a story about a man whose life and work are going badly. On his daily bus ride, he learns that he can choose the attitude he brings to each day and invite others to work toward a shared purpose.

That sounds lovely. Now let’s talk about what happens in a dental office at 10:47 on a Tuesday.

An appointment is running long. The next patient is here. Someone changed the schedule without telling the assistant, and the front desk is trying to figure out what to say.

One team member asks, “Where can I help?”

Another says, “See? This is what happens when nobody listens to me.”

Same day. Same problem. Very different energy.

And before you start picturing that person on your team, I have a question for you: What are you bringing to the bus?

Drama is a choice, too

Every team has frustrating days. People miss things. Plans change. A doctor runs behind. A handoff falls apart. Nobody is asking you to smile through chaos and pretend it’s wonderful.

But there’s a difference between addressing what happened and making sure everyone within earshot hears how annoyed you are.

“She should have told me.”

“That’s not my job.”

“I knew this would happen.”

And my personal favorite: “I’m just being honest.”

Honesty is telling the right person what happened so you can work it out. Telling four coworkers and hoping it gets back to the right person? That’s gossip with lipstick.

At Brady Group, we talk about NO BCD: No Blaming, Complaining or Defending. It doesn’t mean you can’t raise an issue. Please raise the issue! It means taking it to someone who can help do something about it, owning your part and being willing to hear theirs.

“We ran behind today. Can we look at where the schedule started to slip?” moves the team forward.

“Of course we ran behind. We always do when she schedules this way,” starts another lap around the drama track.

A hard conversation is better than a hallway campaign

I want to be careful with Jon Gordon’s term energy vampire. Someone who questions a new process or says they’re overwhelmed isn’t automatically negative. They may be telling us something we should hear.

You’re allowed to disagree. You’re allowed to be frustrated. You’re allowed to say, “This isn’t working.”

Then have the conversation.

Don’t agree in the Vision Session and spend the rest of the week picking the decision apart with anyone who will listen. Don’t roll your eyes across the room and call it communication. Don’t tell yourself you’re “staying out of it” while supplying the play-by-play at lunch.

If it matters enough to keep talking about, it matters enough to address with the person involved.

Doctors, check the driver’s seat

Team members aren’t the only ones who can drain the room.

Doctors, if you ask for ideas in a Vision Session and immediately shoot down every suggestion, don’t be surprised when the team goes quiet. If you see eye rolls, side conversations or one person repeatedly taking shots at another and say nothing, you’ve taught the team what’s acceptable.

And if someone has come to you three times about the same behavior, “That’s just how she is” is not a leadership strategy.

Have the conversation. Ask what’s going on. Say what you’ve observed. Explain the effect on the team. Be clear about what has to change, and follow up to see whether it does.

That person deserves a direct conversation. The rest of your team deserves one, too.

Your challenge this week: Get on the bus

Jon Gordon’s The Energy Bus starts with a reminder that you’re responsible for the energy you bring. So let’s put that to work in the dental office.

1. Check the driver’s seat. Before each morning huddle, ask yourself: What am I bringing into this room today? If you’re frustrated, acknowledge it. Then decide how you’ll help the team move through the day instead of passing that frustration around.

2. Invite someone along. Ask a teammate, “What would make today easier for you?” Then follow through on one thing. Bonus points if it’s someone you don’t usually work closely with.

3. Stop giving gossip a ride. For one week, when you’re tempted to discuss a coworker with someone else, take the issue to the person involved instead. If you’re a doctor avoiding that conversation, this challenge is especially for you.

At the end of the week, ask yourself: Did I help move the bus forward, or did I keep pointing out everything wrong with the road?

The goal is a team that can handle a hard day without turning on each other.

Download and Print Jon Gordon's 'Ten Rules For the Ride of Your Life' from The Energy Bus