Topic 1: Identifying the root causes of performance problems
• Telltale warning signs that a performance problem is brewing on your team
• How to gauge whether a worker has a true performance problem or a personality clash with you or other co-workers
• Recognizing the most common types of difficult workers
• Understanding how managers may inadvertently contribute to or create performance problems

Topic 2: Tips for maintaining an open communication channel with your employees
• What to say—and what not to say—when you address a performance issue
• The art of “humble inquiry” in constructive criticism—and how to use it effectively to convey the perceived problem to the employee
• The critical difference between coaching, criticizing and disciplining—and how to decide which approach a particular situation calls for
• How to avoid communication breakdowns and making emotionally charged statements that trigger a negative response—and lay the foundation for a lawsuit
• The importance of using specific, clear and direct language when communicating with employees about performance problems

Topic 3: How to set up a management system that promotes productivity – not drama!
• Setting up a 1:1 management/coaching system in a fast-paced dental practice – it’s possible!
• Guidelines for establishing measurable performance standards/expectations, communicating them effectively to your team, and having them adopt the change without hassle.

Tamara Gardner is an entrepreneur known as a brand evangelist, author and professional speaker working and residing in the South Shore of Massachusetts. As the owner of Boldly-Branded, she focuses on harnessing the power of words and “scroll stopping’ visuals to help business, professionals, and event promoters communicate their brand and value strategically and powerfully.