The Power of Permission

Are you in the habit of asking patients for permission to give them your professional opinion? If you're like most dentists, this is not a concept you have even considered. People come to you day in and day out looking for answers they can't find on their own, and it would seem a little silly to ask permission from them, but the reality is that this could be the key to gaining more case acceptance.

Asking permission from patients to give them your thoughts elevates their position in the relationship. It puts them in the driver seat and starts the engaging in their brain that gives them permission to make decisions for themselves. In most cases, doctors across the board won't do this, and because they won't, many patients will leave feeling out of control or in some cases shamed for not accepting treatment, even if they need it. Asking for permission relieves these negative thoughts and gives them the idea that you are there to serve them, which is exactly what you are there to do. Here is one of my favorite ways to ask: "Ms. Jones, it's my job to give you the best dentistry I can possibly give, and it is your job to decide how much of it you want to do. Some, all, or none of it. How does that sound? Do I have permission to tell you everything I see in our examination today?" Try this out. You will not be disappointed.

But don't stop there. Gaining the teams permission especially at times where you want to have a corrective conversation with them is equally as important. Think about the last conversation you had with an employee who needed improvement. How would the conversation have happened differently if you had started like this: "Hey Jenny, as the owner of the practice, it's my job to evaluate the performance of each team member and to offer tips and ideas on how everyone can work better together. If I saw an area that you could improve to assist the team to more success, would you want me to tell you about that?" I imagine it might have gone a bit better than it did. But what if they said "no?" I would follow up like this: "Interesting, so are you not interested to learn how you can help the team to be more successful?" If the answer to this question is "no," then its time to look for a new team member. Another way to ask for permission could be to simply ask, "Hey Jenny, I really value you work here. Could I have permission to coach you on something right now?" In my experience, most people will say "yes," but they will also feel like they were apart of the solution rather than being a problem.

Asking permission is an art, and it is worthy of mastering. I do this with my teams, with my family and anyone I could possibly share my opinion with. I do it because I believe in my ideas, but I don't assume everyone in the world wants to hear them all without giving their consent.