Cassie Kellner [00:00:01]:
Welcome to The Bloom Effect. I'm your host, Cassie Kellner, former chairside assistant turned team coach and founder of Everbloom. This podcast is all about the real stuff. Honest combos, leadership lessons, and the heart behind thriving orthodontic teams. If you're ready to grow, lead and bloom, let's dive in. Welcome to The Bloom Effect. I'm your host, Cassie Kellner, and I have a special, special treat for you today. I am so excited. Kayla, thank you so, so, so much for joining me.
Kayla Hallen [00:00:37]:
Of course. I'm so happy to be here.
Cassie Kellner [00:00:39]:
I. I cannot wait. I. Okay, so, Kayla, I ask everyone this. Who is Kayla?
Kayla Hallen [00:00:49]:
Yeah. So I'm Kayla Hallen, and I have been in the Ortho world since 2010, which crazy to think that's like, 15 years ago now. In my mind, it's, like, still 2016.
Cassie Kellner [00:01:04]:
I know, same.
Kayla Hallen [00:01:06]:
And I joined the ortho industry off of, like, a random job right out of college. It was like a Craigslist job for same answering front desk. And I was like, sure, why not? It was a really nice suburb of Nashville. And I was like, sure, that sounds fun. Like, how hard can answering phones be? And so I joined that office, and I had, like, no desire to be in the ortho industry. I had no, like, passion for teeth. I did not see being my career.
Cassie Kellner [00:01:40]:
This was a Craigslist ad.
Kayla Hallen [00:01:41]:
This was a Craigslist.
Cassie Kellner [00:01:42]:
Yeah, I'll take it.
Kayla Hallen [00:01:44]:
Recommend doing anymore. That.
Cassie Kellner [00:01:47]:
That just ages us, though, because that's. That was the only way.
Kayla Hallen [00:01:52]:
Yeah, for sure.
Cassie Kellner [00:01:54]:
Wild.
Kayla Hallen [00:01:54]:
Which is crazy now. Yeah, absolutely not. So, yes, we joined answering phones at a front desk at an office. And I have been in the ortho industry since I've joke and say that I've done everything in an office except touch the teeth. I play separators one time and I was like, ew, gross. That's not for me.
Cassie Kellner [00:02:15]:
That's not for me. Yeah, well, separators, my gosh.
Kayla Hallen [00:02:19]:
So I. Yeah, I've worked in four different settings of ortho offices, different sizes, different doctors, different personalities, all of it. So I have seen almost everything there is to see. So that's kind of my background. And personally, I'm a mom of five, so 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 kids, which is equally as crazy to accepting a job on Craigslist. So. And it's great. It's wonderful. It's crazy. It's beautiful. It's multitasking all day, every day, 24 7. Me and my husband, we live right outside of Chicago, so we get all four beautiful seasons.
Cassie Kellner [00:03:05]:
Oh, yes. I love it, I love it.
Kayla Hallen [00:03:09]:
But, yeah, that's pretty much me in a nutshell.
Cassie Kellner [00:03:12]:
Made you. Made a. So we met. Oh, my gosh, Kayla. I don't even know. I couldn't even tell you. It's probably been like seven, eight years ago.
Kayla Hallen [00:03:22]:
Yeah, it had to be. I mean, probably more than that. It was probably closer to like 10. It was probably 2016, 2017.
Cassie Kellner [00:03:29]:
Yes. So we met you were working in an orthodontic practice. I was consulting at the time, yeah. But since then, you have made a massive career shift.
Kayla Hallen [00:03:40]:
I have.
Cassie Kellner [00:03:41]:
So you've gone from being in the practice to now living more in a slightly corporate world, right?
Kayla Hallen [00:03:50]:
Yeah. Yeah. So in 20. What year is it now? In 2023. So about two and a half years ago, I made a big transition from working within private practices all my career to moving to the other side of the ortho industry, kind of in a corporate structure. So now I work for Neon Canvas, it's a digital marketing agency. And that shift was kind of a twofold thing. You know, I did the big mistake of. Well, not big mistake, but I believed strongly in things that I had learned from you and other professionals on cross training and empowering your team members. And I hit a point. I had been a practice manager and I hit a point and I was like, there are people here who can do this job without me. Like, I have empowered them, I've trained them, and I was looking for some sort of growth, some kind of shift. And so through a lot of conversation with the doctor I was working for at the time and with the doctor that I had worked for previously, we set up the shift for me to transition out of private practice and over into the corporate structure of ortho, kind of shifting sides, which was a big mindset shift, you know.
Cassie Kellner [00:05:11]:
Dramatic.
Kayla Hallen [00:05:12]:
In private practice, you know, I was making a lot of decisions and I had to make them often quickly because they were either patient facing or staff situational. So I had to make a lot of decisions quickly. A lot of emotions were involved with those decisions. And now that I'm on the corporate side of things, it's a lot of structure, a lot of data, a lot of decision making. Not so quickly. I guess so, yes.
Cassie Kellner [00:05:43]:
Yeah.
Kayla Hallen [00:05:43]:
We had to learn how to slow down, zoom out, look at a full pipeline of scenarios, how every department connects. And, you know, I like to say I'm a big doer. If you give me a task like, I'm going to get it done as quickly and efficiently and as perfectly as possible. And that works great when you're in an office and you have patients and you have appointments and you have systems and you just got to get the stuff done. So moving over to a strategist. So I had to start thinking about scale and repeatability. And the biggest thing that I have had to learn is how to influence offices, how to influence other practice managers, other treatment coordinators, other people, without actually being boots on the ground, without actually being in the office, which has been really cool for me, and figuring out what works, what doesn't work, and navigating all of that.
Cassie Kellner [00:06:41]:
So, yeah, I. I can relate to that, as you know, on so many levels. I mean, I started in a practice, I did work in the mouth. So we're opposite in that. And so, you know. That's right. Peanut butter jelly. That's right. But I feel like I'm going to be really candid here. I think that there's a lot of people out there who are like, consulting, coaching, jumping over to a comp, an orthodontic company, as opposed to being in the pract is like the goal. Right. Which is really interesting because, again, super candid. It's way harder than it looks. You know, it's. There's. It's a completely, like, that is such a good point, Kayla. Like, it is a completely different mindset that you have to have, and it's more business focused, and the other is more team and patient focus. Like, you do a massive leap. And I have. I know so many people who have made that leap, and also plenty of people who are like, oh, my gosh, I really miss being in the practice. I really miss working in the mouth. I really miss the fulfillment that you get from those patients every single day. And, you know, so I would say one, it's not for everyone. You know, I think people think it's like this shiny thing. And for some people, for me, it was. It was like this shiny, wonderful, beautiful thing. And I wouldn't change this for the world, but I certainly needed all of the experience in the. In the ortho practice, boots on the ground, like in the trenches of the chaos to be able to do what I do now. But it is. It's a massive, massive mindset shift.
Kayla Hallen [00:08:36]:
Yeah. And I think a big part of, you know, what you're doing and what I'm trying to do is we can be empathetic with the teams that we're working with, which I think is the biggest thing. Once you make your client or make your patient or make whoever you're working with a human, which I think is a big struggle for a lot of people. But once you humanize it and you're like, I have been where you have been. I have sat chairside and not known what the next right step to take. I have answered that new patient phone call and it has been a really difficult phone call to take. But, like, here's what I did and here's how I got through it, not how someone tells us to get through it. So being able to relate personally and just an empathetic approach to people through my experience of being in offices has been so valuable.
Cassie Kellner [00:09:26]:
Being at the, like, 3 o' clock when the school bus shows up and it's so chaotic or the summers can get crazy. So, like, you know, you don't want to do a crazy, massive change. Or if you do, you have to roll it out, like to know these things. I don't know. I think you really have to understand them. Right. I mean, I feel like it makes it so much easier to be able to roll out for me, at least as a coach, to be able to roll out to teams and go, hey, guys, this is what's going to happen. Change management is hard. Here's how we're going to do it. It's not going to happen overnight, right?
Kayla Hallen [00:10:00]:
Yeah. Yep. Being able to hold their hand from experience.
Cassie Kellner [00:10:05]:
Yeah. Okay. So I love this concept that you talk about, this big sister concept. Right. Where there's like a dynamic between the doctor and the team. I just released some content on social that was like, hey, let's not forget about your office managers. You know, talk to me about this big sister approach that you have. I think it's so great.
Kayla Hallen [00:10:27]:
Yeah. So I love that you said, let's not forget about office managers, because it is like leadership can be isolating. And I think that was a big change for me when I became an office manager. I realized that. But then once I shifted my perspective and I kind of discovered my role as being a big sister in the office dynamic between the doctor and the team. So pretty much how I looked at that is I bridged the gap between the doctor and the team. So I wasn't the parent, but I was like the trusted older sibling.
Cassie Kellner [00:11:01]:
Sure.
Kayla Hallen [00:11:02]:
Co workers, the team, they would come to me with stuff. And I was close enough to understand the team challenges, but I was mature and experienced enough to be able to bring that to the doctor in a way that wasn't emotionally charged or, you know, didn't come across as everyone complaining. But I was able to structure things in a way. And then I was able to also turn around to the team and hold them accountable for what was needed of them. So, you know, in day to day practice, holding that role as the big sister, checking in emotionally with the team, pushing them towards performance and goals. You know, it's the quiet leadership, reading the room, anticipating issues, and most importantly, advocating both ways. You know, advocating for the doctor to the team, while also advocating for the team to the doctor. And someone needs to do that role. And a big sister, you know, knows when to encourage, but knows when to correct, when to step in and really like when to be a buffer. So I grew up with a big sister and she was the best buffer for me. So I wanted to take that. And, you know, it has to do a lot with a doctor's personality, with who you're working with, team dynamics. But just being able to know that, like, hey, my role here is to buffer and to bridge a gap. Not to sit here and scrutinize or to get caught up in the emotions of the team, um, but to be able to figure out how both can work and be that person. And it works. I loved, I loved that role.
Cassie Kellner [00:12:50]:
So, so I feel like too, you know, I often call the office manager or director of operations, whatever title these people have. Right. Is the middle manager. It's probably the hardest position in the practice because you have to be an advocate for the team and you have to be an advocate for the doctor. And you may not agree with what both sides are saying. And so you have to put out the fires, you have to give the support, you have to hold the emotion. And I, I say this often, so I'm so glad you said this, but leadership is lonely. It is lonely, especially when you first get into that position or if you haven't been in that position in your practice and you get promoted to that position. Having to shift the friendships over to a management and have uncomfortable conversations with somebody you just went to dinner with.
Kayla Hallen [00:13:41]:
Yeah, that I, and I, I don't think a lot of doctors realize that when they're doing internal promotions for their team, they're like, I just gave you a promotion. I just gave you a raise. Like, everything should be roses and wonderful for you. But I don't think they realize the, the shift that takes place there of like, hey, I might not be able to go to dinner afterwards with the team anymore because I might hear things or know things that I shouldn't. So I might have to like, remove myself from situations. Yeah. And you have to constantly be on. You have to you know, the text messages, the group chats, all of that. You have to like kind of reevaluate where you fall into those things. And that was still tough. And yeah, having those tough conversations and you know, you're like, I don't want to sit here and tell you that you can't be late again, but like, it's my job. You can't be late again and I'm the one who's gonna have to do something about it. So, yeah, that those relational shifts of like, all of a sudden you were one with everybody and now you're the one who has to deal with that. And doctors sometimes don't realize that we no hard thing to do.
Cassie Kellner [00:14:59]:
And how could they, right? I mean, they've not been in that position. They were the leader the minute they put, they stepped their foot in that practice. And so, you know, I, I think that that's a massive transition that we really need to focus on in this industry and that people should know because oftentimes they say like, not everyone's cut out for management, not everyone's cut out for leadership. And like, that's okay.
Kayla Hallen [00:15:22]:
Yeah. It's one thing to like be a leader or have a high powering role, but to be able to manage people, like those are two separate things. Like, you can handle those high level reports and those high level tasks all day long, but to be able to lead a team and I think a lot of people think that being an office manager is someone who can handle those high level tasks. It's like, it is so much more, you have to be a leader of people, which takes other skill set than just being really good at. Yeah.
Cassie Kellner [00:15:58]:
And you have to do it on both sides. And I'm going to leave this, just this, this subject with this. I feel like you, you kind of have to fake it. So if you don't agree right. With what is going on with the team, maybe the team is overreacting and whatever it is, or the doctor is putting in a new protocol or policy and you're like, oh my gosh, I don't think we should be doing this right now. Or I'm not sure about this or. But it's not your practice. You're the middle manager. You're, you're supposed supporting both sides. You kind of, you have to go in with that cheerleader, like, hey guys, we got this. Yeah, right. We got this. We can do this. Even though maybe in the back of your mind you're like, this might be a hot mess, but we're gonna try it for sure.
Kayla Hallen [00:16:51]:
It's the, you know, being the thermostat and that instead of the thermometer, like you are setting the temperature for that team. So like you might get some news and you're like, oh, that is going to be icy. But I'm going to go in there and make it warm and fuzzy and I'm going to set the temperature for how this goes instead of reacting to how they are.
Cassie Kellner [00:17:12]:
Yeah. It's delivery, it's tone, it's emotional intelligence. Oh my gosh, don't even get me started. It's. It's knowing how to deliver the message. It's knowing how to read the room. It's knowing how to deliver the message to certain individuals. Everyone is different. Some individuals you could deliver the message just so black and white. And others you're like, okay, this individual tends to cry. There's a lot of tears here. Right. And I have to deliver this in a way that will come through but also not ruin the rest of their month.
Kayla Hallen [00:17:45]:
Yeah, yeah, 100%.
Cassie Kellner [00:17:47]:
It's an art. That is an art. The people part is an art. Truly.
Kayla Hallen [00:17:52]:
Yeah. And you're never done learning that one.
Cassie Kellner [00:17:54]:
No.
Kayla Hallen [00:17:55]:
You're always discovering new ways to.
Cassie Kellner [00:17:59]:
No. Okay, so some non negotiable systems. I love this for a practice to truly function well, being from the office management. And then we're going to get into a little bit of marketing because that's what you're doing and you are brilliant in marketing. So a non negotiable systems that like really help a practice function. What happens when these things work? What happens when these things start to break down? Let's talk through it a little bit.
Kayla Hallen [00:18:31]:
Yeah. So I mean you are aware of this, but I, that was like my big thing when I was a office manager. I was like, we need to make systems. You know, there wasn't a ton in place. You know, it was years ago. So things technology wasn't where it is at today. As technology was rolling out, I was like, we need to implement systems. And one thing that I found quickly is like, man, when systems work, it is so noticeable. But when systems break down, it breeds a lot of emotions. Frustration, misalignment, often finger pointing. You know, the team starts reacting instead of leading. And you can kind of feel that chaos immediately. And one thing I learned when trying to set up systems for practices and even today when I work with practices, systems have to be set up simply they cannot be set up for the exceptions to the rules.
Cassie Kellner [00:19:33]:
And I often find that. Say it again, Kayla.
Kayla Hallen [00:19:36]:
Often systems cannot be set up for the exceptions to the rules. You know, and so like let's. Financial protocols. Every office should have very clear guidelines of financial protocols from payment arrangements to insurance follow ups. So you know they both financial protocols protect the patient experience and the bottom line. If you have good financial protocols in place, that new patient consultation is going to go seamlessly. When you're explaining financials, if you have them in place when you're training a new financial coordinator, you, your bottom line isn't going to be all over the place for six months while they figure it out because of these protocols. But you can't set up your protocols based on the well, what if both parents have insurance? Or what if there's this or what if there's that. It's once you start complicating things, your systems are trash pretty much. So you know, some non negotiables that I feel like each practice should have in place are really three systems. And I don't care about the nitty gritty, but you need to have a scheduling system in place. Your schedule needs to be optimized. If everything falls apart with your schedule, patients aren't happy, team rail drops, production suffers to like have a good scheduling system in place. The financial protocols systems follow ups there. And then I think one that really gets overlooked is communication loops. And that goes both internally for your team and externally for patient communication to the team. So everyone on your team should know what is happening and patients should never feel like they're repeating themselves. That just causes a breakdown of trust over time. And I think that gets overlooked because it's not like oh, this is going to increase your production or this is going to make treatment times more efficient patient. So that's not where our business mindset is. But once we realize that our team can communicate with each other and with our patient really effectively, I see practices thrive once that is nailed down.
Cassie Kellner [00:21:51]:
Absolutely, absolutely. I think that it's really important. I love the loop. I talk about a feedback loop with teams all the time. Like the constant feedback that you need to have and engage and. Right. And enough with the growth plan once a year situation. But I think it's. These systems are so incredibly important and when you are only focusing on the exceptions, the exceptions are going to come. I don't care what department it is, the exceptions are going to happen. Build the system on the standard.
Kayla Hallen [00:22:30]:
Yep.
Cassie Kellner [00:22:31]:
On the rule. Right. Like what is the standard of care? What is the standard in financials? What is the standard in new patient systems? I think it's incredibly important that, and I say this all the time, especially when I was clinical consulting, they'd be like, well, what if a patient does this? I'm like, okay, but this happens how often? And they'd get a 15 minute discussion. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no. This happens twice a year. That's gonna, it's going to happen. But what is the norm? Let's figure out what that looks like. You know, a hundred percent.
Kayla Hallen [00:23:11]:
And even going into, you know, when you think about patients coming into the office at the beginning of treatment, like, people come into the offices wanting to get braces, wanting to start treatment. And when we don't have good systems in place or when we create obstacles, it's just because we've created options by our systems not being nailed down. And so if you want to eliminate obstacles, eliminate options and just streamline things, it's too much.
Cassie Kellner [00:23:43]:
Sometimes too much is too much.
Kayla Hallen [00:23:47]:
Yep. Over complicated.
Cassie Kellner [00:23:49]:
Oh, my gosh, I love this. Okay, so let's dabble into marketing a little bit. You are the marketing guru. Like, like, let's get real. From an idea perspective, from a creation, you're incredibly creative.
Kayla Hallen [00:24:04]:
Thank you.
Cassie Kellner [00:24:06]:
I've seen it firsthand. The things that you have put in place and have done. And the fact that you are now working with a digital marketing company makes total sense to me because I've known you now for so long. Talk to me about. Okay, so I also love marketing, but I don't, I don't teach marketing. I'll be the first one to say it. It's not for me. I have too much on my plate. But I. The creative side of marketing, like, I could geek out on that stuff. I love outside the box. I love it. Talk to me about. Oh, I can't wait for this. Okay, talk to me about the authenticity of marketing.
Kayla Hallen [00:24:49]:
Yeah. So you and I are both millennial moms. And I know you talk about this often in your approach and practices need to know, like, hey, you and I, we are their ideal demographic right now. I have five kids. My oldest is 12, my youngest is six. Like, if an orthodontist sees me walking in the door, it's just like money signs above my head.
Cassie Kellner [00:25:13]:
Totally.
Kayla Hallen [00:25:14]:
And so in our marketing approach, I think there is a big shift that has happened that a lot of offices are now catching on to. You know, marketing can feel like a performance for many practices. But I have encouraged and I am constantly saying you have to be real in your approach to marketing. You have to be authentic because you are marketing to millennial moms now millennial moms grew up on the Internet. We grew up on instant messenger. We grew up, you know, hard coding our MySpace pages ourselves the. And we know when something is authentic and when something is fake. And the old marketing approaches of, you know, bubble letters with big bold colors and arrows like that is not going to work anymore. So what being authentic means in marketing to me is you have to tell the truth about your practice. You have to tell your story, talk about your people, talk about your values, talk about your quirks and letting go of the need to feel like everything needs to be perfect that you put out. You know, we're not a curated world anymore. We're showing up in real time and sharing our day to day. So, you know, patient, patient moms, they can spot a stock photo or a generic caption from a mile away. They want to see real images, they want to see your real team. They want to see you celebrating the wins. They want to hear your story and, and build trust long before they even show up for that first appointment. And when your marketing matches that patient's in office experience, conversion rates go through the roof. Retention strengthens. So it's not about like a slick marketing approach with this wonderful brand guide. It's about showing up and being real. And again, that human, making yourself a human to your patients, to your audience, that is going to get you more new patients than any dollar off promotion ever will. 100%.
Cassie Kellner [00:27:30]:
I agree.
Kayla Hallen [00:27:31]:
So I always just say like, if someone down the street from you is doing something that you really like and you're like, that's really cool, I want to do that and it must be working for them. Take a step back and does that align with who you are? There's these orthodontists who are great and funny and hilarious and can create these tiktoks and create these videos or hop on stories and share fun things and it works for them. But then there's also ones that get on and you're like, oh, this is cringy. They are only doing this because someone told them to or because their competitor is doing it. So I just say like, just because it's working for somebody else does not mean it's going to work for you. You have to find out who you are and what story you want to tell and lean into that and give it, give it your all and don't try who you are.
Cassie Kellner [00:28:25]:
Yeah. I remember when marketing in the industry became like big, right? From a social media perspective, I remember having a study club discussion and people are talking about influence. Influencers. And people are like, what is an influencer? Like, we. We have shifted so much in the last 10 years. Just 10, you know, and. And I would say since COVID since. Since 2020 of the. When the world was on fire, I would say that is when the connection. From the social perspective, by the way, I need to disclose, I am no marketing or social media guru, so I'm just making this up. But what from my perspective, I have. The authenticity that came after 2020 was massive. People wanted to see the real, the raw, the messy that was really important to them as a mother. I wanted to see that. I had a baby during COVID I had a baby the year before COVID and so I had a baby during COVID And I was like, is this real? I can't connect. I can't. I'm already an isolated mom. Right.
Kayla Hallen [00:29:41]:
Yeah. Well, and that's exactly what it is. You're isolated. You want to connect. You want these other people to be human too. And I know I use the example of digital marketing and social media when talking about being authentic, but marketing is so much more than our new patient folders anymore or our social media swag that we're handing out as soon as a parent needs treatment for their child or for themselves. Even if a doctor is recommending a certain orthodontist to their patient directly, millennial moms are going to turn into FBI agents in the snap of a finger, and they are going to get online. That is how they are making their decision. They're going to Google you, they're going to look at your website, they're going to read your reviews, they're going to see who's following you on Instagram and the digital marketing footprint that you is really the decision maker. Even if someone's recommended you, the friends recommended you, that final decision is made with your digital impression, your online.
Cassie Kellner [00:30:44]:
Absolutely.
Kayla Hallen [00:30:45]:
And so just making sure that's aligned and consistent with who you are. You know, if you have this wonderful, awesome, bubbly presence on your website, bright, fun colors and all these cool videos, and then they show up to your office and the energy is, like, at a zero. They're gonna feel like they just got ca. Catfished.
Cassie Kellner [00:31:06]:
Totally. Yes. Do not catfish.
Kayla Hallen [00:31:09]:
That's not what you want either. So, like, just make sure that you are putting out a good representation of who you really are. Not.
Cassie Kellner [00:31:18]:
Yeah.
Kayla Hallen [00:31:18]:
Who you think you should be.
Cassie Kellner [00:31:20]:
Well, and there's so much copycat marketing that you see too. Just, you know, maybe the guy that's two miles away from me is doing this just. Just as you said, and, like, that. It's not authentic. You know, there are so many really cool things that you can do out there that can be original to you. You know, if you're really into. I don't. I'm making this up. But if, like, somebody's really into, like, the soccer community, then. Then that. That also is a part of who you are at your core. You know what I mean? It doesn't. I feel like authenticity goes past your practice.
Kayla Hallen [00:31:55]:
Yeah, well, so that's a great example that I use. We have a practice and the owner has a dog, and he comes to the practice every day.
Cassie Kellner [00:32:04]:
Love it.
Kayla Hallen [00:32:05]:
And, you know, we have another practice in the same town, and they're like, how can you, you know, do marketing for both of us? And it's like, because you're not bringing your dog to your practice. Your dog's not printed on your T shirts. You're not leaning into the dog. You are an adventurer. You go backpacking, you go camping. Like, you are two different people, and it is two different marketing approaches. And there is a patient there for everyone. You don't need all the patients. You can't have all the patients. You don't have the capacity for all the pat. It's finding the patients that are the best fit for your practice.
Cassie Kellner [00:32:41]:
Yeah, I agree. And on top of the social footprint, the digital footprint, I have a niece who's 24, and she's an orthodontic assistant in California. And when she was going from general dentistry to orthodontics, she texts me and was like, do you know this practice? And she didn't send me their website, she sent me their Instagram.
Kayla Hallen [00:33:06]:
Yeah.
Cassie Kellner [00:33:07]:
And I was like, oh, did you look at their site? She's like, no, they don't. She doesn't want to look at the website. She wants to look at what they're doing, how much fun they're having. Is this an authentic practice? What are they doing for their teams? It's not just patient, it's also internal team. It's also. I mean, we are struggling with hiring and. And retention and turnover. They're looking at younger generations, even millennials. Even me. Right. I'm 40. I'm still looking at social. If I'm going to put my kids into a certain camp or I'm going to send them to. My son is doing the School of Rock. He loves music. I went to their website and immediately went to their socials.
Kayla Hallen [00:33:56]:
Right? It's. You can see the truest story there.
Cassie Kellner [00:34:01]:
Of what they're putting out and it's no joke. FBI agent is no joke. I mean, if somebody, if like my somebody, a friend is dating somebody, I'm like, I'll find out everything. Don't you worry.
Kayla Hallen [00:34:12]:
Give me five. Yeah. And then like I encourage share your wins with your team on social media. It is so easy. Celebrate your team and put it on social media and you will get way more engagement on any of that sort of thing than you will a before and after of a patient. 100%. So take the moment, celebrate your team, buy them the birthday cake, get them the Starbucks. Do the stuff to make it feel appreciated. Yeah.
Cassie Kellner [00:34:47]:
Oh, gosh. Okay, so, so let's talk about, well, since we're talking about team, what are some common roadblocks that you have seen? I know you're laughing already. How can practices proactively eliminate some of these issues before they become issues? Talk to me about some things that you've seen and can kind of give people listening some tips.
Kayla Hallen [00:35:19]:
Yeah. So like I mentioned, patients don't call your office or come in for an appointment unless they want to be a patient at that practice. So roadblocks do, like you said, silently erode a great practice. And so eliminate roadblocks by simplifying, eliminate obstacles by eliminating options. So a lot of roadblocks that I see often is a lack of follow through. And that can be as simple as missed calls at the front desk, unanswered text messages, broken tech like forms that don't submit. Those silently chip away at a patient's trust little by little. You know, a missed call might not be able to solidify them, not becoming a patient or bringing their next sibling to your practice. But that plus something else.
Cassie Kellner [00:36:21]:
Okay.
Kayla Hallen [00:36:24]:
Friction within the office, if that's friction and scheduling friction and who's taking the next patient that's waiting friction. And any of those things that a patient can see that there's friction in a system or in a setup, a patient's going to disengage. And then confusion. If it's confusion around treatment, if it's confusion around financials, if it's confusion around scheduling. Patients don't move forward if they're unsure of what is next or what they owe or what the plan is. So you have to be transparent and confident with communication and that will solve any confusion. It's again, like you said, a fake it till you make it. Like if you're not exactly sure what the next step is for a patient, use your best judgment and follow through later. You know, if they're how long do I have to do X, Y and Z? Use your best judgment and make that. Don't. Oh, I don't know. I'm not sure. Like, that is going to just dissolve a patient's trust in you 100%. You know this from the top down. Proactively. This comes down to. You have to listen closely. You have to do some regular auditing, checking in, pivoting. And then the biggest thing is you have to empower your team to fix problems in real time without waiting for them to escalate. So if that's the doctor empowering their team to be able to make a call, to be able to make a decision, or a practice manager empowering their team to be like, yeah, we did have to override that thing. We did have to make that. But being able to empower is huge. And as soon as a team feels empowered, you're going to see them take ownership, be more accountable for their decisions. And so then you're going to eliminate some roadblocks from patients. You, as a doctor or you as a office manager are going to have to make less of those phone calls to the patient's parents trying to explain or de. Escalate a situation if you do allow your team to kind of own their own path.
Cassie Kellner [00:38:50]:
Yeah, absolutely. And I find that if you do not delegate and you do not empower, you will burn out and be full of exhaustion. Where it's like having children when so overstimulated. You're like, how many times I just says this? I watched TikTok on Instagram because I'm 40. Let's get real. I don't have time for TikTok because I would probably be obsessed with it. But I, I'm like, she was like. She did like this old school clicker on how many times. Yes. Did you see it?
Kayla Hallen [00:39:19]:
Yeah.
Cassie Kellner [00:39:20]:
She's like, there was like, by the end of the day, her kids had said mom 248 times or something like that. But that, that's the same thing that goes into a practice. Whether you're a leader, what doesn't matter. Clinical lead, office manager, doctor associate, you. If you do not create clarity, you and you do not delegate and you do not empower. You will be putting out fires all day, every day. Which means when you get in your car at the end of the day. Yeah. Yes. By the end of the day, you'll be full of resentment. You will drive in your silent car without realizing you just hit four red stoplights because you are in a zone of zombies. You. You cannot function. And this brings me like back to, as you know, Kayla, trust. In order to delegate and empower, you have to trust your team.
Kayla Hallen [00:40:19]:
Yeah.
Cassie Kellner [00:40:20]:
And if you don't trust your team and you don't allow them to make mistakes because they're going to. If you do not allow that, you'll burn out faster and faster and faster. You will create resentment, your team will feel it. And then there comes the toxic culture. It's one big vicious circle.
Kayla Hallen [00:40:40]:
It's a cycle. Yeah. A hundred percent. One hundred percent. And I always tell teams too, like we do, we want to show up to our jobs as our best version of ourselves, but you also need to be able to work a day and be able to go home and still be the best version of yourself because that's what matters. You know, don't use your home as a time to, oh my gosh, recharge, unwind, to show up and do it all over again. If you are not being able to be the best version of yourself in professional setting and a home setting, if one is pulling from the other, you have to reevaluate. You have to take a step back. And you know, if you don't delegate, if you don't trust your team to be able to do things, you need to take a step back immediately. That is like high risk right there.
Cassie Kellner [00:41:30]:
And figure out why.
Kayla Hallen [00:41:32]:
Yeah. Take the step back, figure out why and make those changes. Make them just because you have been doing X, Y or Z report for five years and it's complicated and I don't want to take the time to teach anybody. But I haven't been able to do it for the past three months because I've been busy doing X, Y and Z. Like you gotta offload it. You have to train somebody to do that or you have to train somebody to do the things that have been pulling you from that. You can't constantly be spread so thin that there's not enough of you to be able to show up how you need to show up for your team and for you. The practice.
Cassie Kellner [00:42:08]:
Yeah. And they, you can pinpoint in practices those team members who are like, what else? Give me more. I would love to do this. You know, there's the vacations, there's the non doctor days, there's the admin days where we can really delegate some of this stuff. I mean, how many times have I heard practices over the years say, yeah, this is a non doctor day, but I don't know what they're doing, what.
Kayla Hallen [00:42:32]:
Doesn'T that, like, my heart starts beating fast, I'M like, whoa, hold on, hold on.
Cassie Kellner [00:42:38]:
First of all, let. Let's create. I mean, you know, I'm an asana nerd. I don't care if you have Asana or not. Write it down. Like, you create a list. You. You delegate. And. And I will say this, too, you know, now, even if you've delegated listeners. Listen. Listen to this. Turn up the volume. Even if you've delegated and they have done it wrong, give them a chance to do it right. Don't take it back. Give them a chance to do it again. Because you're like, oh, it's just easier when I do it.
Kayla Hallen [00:43:16]:
It. Toxic trait. I do have the toxic trait.
Cassie Kellner [00:43:20]:
Same. It's control. It's like, oh, I'll just do it myself. I mean, come on. I do that in motherhood, in wifehood. Is that a thing? I don't know. In. In business and professionally, you know, it's easier. But. And I'm. I'm saying this to myself, too. Delegate, because it will.
Kayla Hallen [00:43:39]:
It.
Cassie Kellner [00:43:39]:
It'll change your life.
Kayla Hallen [00:43:41]:
And by not delegating, all you're doing is hindering your growth.
Cassie Kellner [00:43:44]:
Growth 100%. And your team. Yeah.
Kayla Hallen [00:43:48]:
Yeah. You're not doing anybody a favor by thinking you can do it all.
Cassie Kellner [00:43:53]:
No, no. Kayla, you are a brilliant, magnificent human. Thank you so much for being here with me. This was so much fun. By the way, you're definitely gonna be back. Let's get real. We could do these fun sessions all the time. I. I really appreciate your time. Neon Canvas. Kayla Hallen, you are a dream.
Kayla Hallen [00:44:21]:
Thank you. Thank you so much, Cassie, for having me. And I would love to do this anytime with you. It's like chatting with an old friend.
Cassie Kellner [00:44:29]:
It is. Thank you for joining me on The Bloom Effect, where we keep it real, keep it growing, and always keep it team first. If today's episode sparked something for you, an idea, a shift, or just a reminder that you're not alone, take a second and share it with your team or a fellow ortho leader. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a convo. And if you're loving the show, leave a review. It helps more practices find us and join the movement. And if you're ready to bring this kind of energy into your practice, visit discovereverbloom.com to learn more about working together. Until next time, keep leading with heart, keep building with intention, and keep blooming right where you're planted.
