AADOM DISTINCTIONcast – Bucket Fillers vs. Bucket Dippers: The Hidden Impact of Leadership & Team Culture

 

Every dental practice has them: team members who energize those around them and team members who drain morale. Based on the power “bucket filling” concept, this session explores how everyday interactions influence workplace culture, employee engagement, and team performance.

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Read the Transcript Now!

 

Lisa: Hi everyone. Welcome to today’s DistinctionCast. My name is Lisa Young, and I am the membership growth manager here at AADOM.

Today’s topic is “Bucket Fillers versus Bucket Dippers: The Hidden Impact of Leadership and Team Culture,” presented by Chavelle Galton-Rice.

Chavelle proudly holds her Diplomat Distinction. She has been in dentistry for over 20 years and is AADOM’s Director of Membership and Education.

Welcome, Chavelle. So happy to have you presenting today.

Chavelle: Thank you so much, Lisa.

All right. Well, I’m so glad to be presenting something that I think is a very interesting topic. We are gonna be talking about the difference between bucket fillers and bucket dippers and how it impacts the dental office culture and how leaders have the ability to change the emotional environment of their practice.

The Bucket Theory Explained

So, if you’ve never heard of the bucket theory before—all 3 of my kids actually learned this concept in kindergarten. And so the first time I learned about it was in about 2009, and I think the message is incredibly powerful for adults, especially those of us in leadership positions.

So, the concept is pretty simple: Imagine that every person carries around an invisible bucket, and that bucket represents their emotional well-being. It also represents their confidence, their motivation, and their sense of value.

So, throughout the day, every interaction that we have either adds to our bucket or takes something away from it. And, honestly, dental offices I feel like are emotional environments just in general. So, patients are anxious, teams are stressed, schedules are packed, people are overwhelmed.

So, the way that we treat each other matters more than we sometimes realize.

What Are Some Bucket Fillers?

So, let’s talk about bucket fillers. Bucket fillers are people who:

• Notice others
• Recognize efforts
• Offer encouragement
• Assume positive intent
• Protect team morale
• Celebrate wins
• Help without being asked
• Build people up
• Make others feel seen
• And show kindness

And bucket fillers aren’t perfect. They’re actually really intentional. And that means that, you know, bucket fillers—it doesn’t mean that they’re happy all the time. It doesn’t mean that they never have a bad day.

So, really, you’re just trying to be the most positive that you can be. And bucket filling isn’t about, like I said, perfection. It’s choosing to be intentional and choosing to leave people better than you found them.

Now, the most powerful bucket fillers in dentistry, in my opinion—and I’ve been in dentistry for a long time, and over the years I’ve worked with a lot of different people. So, I’ve managed a lot of people, and I can say with confidence that I don’t think it’s not that they’re necessarily the people who work the fastest or produce the most or have the loudest voice or personality, but what they do do is lift others up, create that sense of belonging, make work better.

And I really want you guys to ask yourself a question. So, who is the biggest bucket filler you’ve ever worked with? And what made them be the best? You know, what made them special? I want you to think about that.

Now, I could probably place a bet that the answer that you have is probably not, “Oh, their numbers, their production numbers were amazing,” or, “Their collections were great,” or, “They had amazing scheduling skills.”

Usually, I find that the answers are, “They cared. They listened. They helped. They encouraged me. They believed in me.” Those types of reasons of why someone was a big bucket filler in your life or in your workplace.

Leaders Are Bucket Fillers First

But, bucket filling isn’t always easy. It’s actually much harder to fill buckets when the schedule is falling apart, the doctor’s stressed out, two team members aren’t getting along, insurance claims are backed up, you’re exhausted. That’s when culture is really tested.

So, leaders are bucket fillers first. And I don’t mean that as far as like, you know, your team shouldn’t be filling buckets. But ultimately for us as leaders or managers, you know, we don’t just manage the schedules and the KPIs, you know.

We shape the emotional culture of the practice, and our team mirrors our leadership behaviors.

So, the point isn’t that managers are responsible for everybody’s happiness because that’s impossible, right? But it is that managers set the tone for what type of behaviors are accepted, tolerated, encouraged, and rewarded.

So, if you think about it this way: If a manager walks into morning huddle and they say, “Good morning everyone! We have a packed schedule today, but we’ve got this,” your team is gonna feel one thing.

But if the manager walks in and says, “I can’t believe how overbooked we are. Today’s gonna be awful,” well then your team is gonna feel something completely different, right? And so, nothing about the schedule changed, only the leader’s response changed.

So, that’s the idea of how, you know, a leader really has to be a bucket filler first, and how they’re the ones who shape this emotional culture in the office.

So, the culture formula is: what leaders do is what teams see, is what teams repeat, is what becomes culture.

5 Daily Bucket-Filling Habits

So, there’s five daily bucket-filling habits.

Now, number 1 that you can implement right away is NOTICE. And that’s where people wanna be seen.

So, an example of what you could say to a team member is, “I noticed how patient you’ve been with our new employee.”

Number 2 is APPRECIATE. So instead of saying, “Good job,” say, “I appreciate how you stayed calm with that upset parent today.”

Number 3: ENCOURAGE. Say, “I believe in you.”

Number 4 is SUPPORT. That’s a simple, “How can I help?”

And number 5 is CELEBRATE. So, whether it’s your production goals, patient compliments or 5-star reviews, your team’s birthdays, work anniversaries, any of those small wins, those are all ways that we can celebrate with our team.

So, these five daily bucket-filling habits are really easy to implement throughout the day for any and all of your team members.

Okay, so now we’re gonna talk about the ripple effect of bucket filling. So, one positive interaction can:

• Increase morale
• Improve teamwork
• Reduce stress
• Strengthen trust
• Improve employee retention
• And improve the patient experience

What Are Some Bucket Dippers?

Okay. We’re gonna transition into talking about bucket dippers.

Now, bucket dippers: gossip, they roll their eyes, they may have passive-aggressive communication, public criticism, negativity, and thrives on drama, refuses accountability. They may do some emotional dumping, and they constantly complain without coming with, like, solutions.

So, most bucket dippers aren’t bad people. A lot of times they’re burnt out, overwhelmed, hurt, frustrated, or emotionally exhausted. And while that does not excuse toxic behavior, it does help us as managers be able to approach it differently, which is what we’re actually gonna talk about in a few moments.

How Bucket Dipping Can Affect Your Team’s Culture

So, when bucket dipping becomes a culture problem: If we as managers ignore this type of behavior, it can lead to increased employee turnover, lower team morale, cause team conflict, burn out your team members, it reduces trust, and it could have poor patient experience.

So, we really wanna be cautious about, you know, like this type of behavior that your team member sees or that you see, and really make sure that we address this type of behavior.

So, I want you guys to think about, you know, have you ever had one employee impact the mood of your entire office?

I could probably bet that each one of us can say “yes,” that there’s been at least one person that we know of in our careers that their attitude or their mood, the air that just, you know, like that they cause can disrupt the environment or the mood of the practice.

So, that’s definitely something to, you know, think about how, you know, the culture of your practice can change by that one person’s attitude. And it’s something really important that we wanna make sure that as managers, we don’t allow it to become normal.

Like, I guess, for example, you know, like people start thinking, “Oh, that’s just how she is,” or, “Well, that’s just our team culture.” But culture can absolutely change. You know, we don’t have to allow it to stay that way. And that’s where we ideally need to step in and figure out what’s going on.

Steps to Addressing the Behavior

So, before you address the behavior, you wanna get curious and really like ask yourself:

• Is this a new behavior for this team member?
• Is this a pattern?
• Is this potentially burnout for this team member?
• Is this frustration?
• Is there something that’s maybe happening outside of work?

So, that’s where communicating with your team member is really important, and I know that’s probably one of the most difficult things to do is having to address negative behavior with a team member that, you know, may have that negativity all the time.

And so, one thing that I do want to mention is you have to be able to separate the person from the behavior. So, we don’t want to label people. We want to address the actual behavior.

Now, technically, I know we’re labeling someone as a bucket dipper or bucket filler. But, when I’m talking about labeling people, I’m talking about, like, instead of saying, “You’re a negative person,” we wanna address the behavior itself.

So, instead of saying, “You’re negative,” try saying, “I’ve noticed some behaviors that are affecting the team.” That way then you’re not labeling the person as negative, but you are addressing the behavior that’s causing the team to be uncomfortable or bring down team morale—those types of things.

Okay, so how do we address this bucket-dipping behavior?

Ideally, we wanna be direct but kind when we have the conversation. We want to coach instead of attack. We wanna make sure that we’re having behavioral accountability and that we’re setting that cultural expectation.

So, what are the expectations of our office? And this is where you may go back to, like, your office’s mission, vision, and values. That’s gonna be your cultural expectations.

So one method that you could use in order to be able to do that is the FILL method. So F-I-L-L.

The F stands for Focus on behavior. So, an example would be, “Here’s what I observed.”

The I stands for Identify impact. That would be, “Here’s how it affects the teams, the team or the patients.”

And then we have L, which is Listen with curiosity. What’s going on?

And then the last L is Lead towards solutions. So, what can we do differently moving forward?

Examples of FILL Method Verbage

So, here’s some, like, verbiage examples that you could use for the FILL method.

So, if we’re Focusing on the behavior, some verbiage would be: “Jessica, I wanted to talk with you about something I’ve noticed. Over the past few weeks during several morning huddles and throughout the day, I’ve heard comments about the schedule and some frustrations regarding changes we’ve made.”

Now for the I—Identifying the impact: “What concerns me is the impact those comments may be having on the team. When frustrations are shared repeatedly, it can affect the morale and create anxiety, especially for newer team members who are still learning how we operate.”

L—Listen with curiosity: “Help me understand what’s going on. Is there something specific that’s been frustrating you or making your job more difficult lately?”

And then the last L is Lead towards solutions: After you’ve listened to your team member, “I appreciate you sharing that with me. Let’s talk about how we can address those concerns more productively. If there are issues with the schedule, I absolutely want your input, but let’s work together on bringing solutions forward in a way that supports the entire team.”

So, we can’t coach behavior that we refuse to address but we can address behavior in a way that still treats the person with dignity and respect.

What Does This Impact My Bucket?

Okay. So, you’re probably asking yourself, “Chevelle, what about me? What about my bucket as a manager?”

That’s a great question.

So, the best bucket fillers are often the people who become exhausted first, and I’m sure a lot of you can relate to this as the leader of your practice.

So you may be the one who picks up other team members’ slack. You’re the one who always stays late, the one who everyone relies on to solve problems, the one who takes care of the patients, the team members, your doctors, the schedule, vendors, parents, everybody else. And that can definitely weigh on us.

So, some of the reasons why leaders struggle to fill or refill their own buckets could be because of:

• Guilt
• Burnout
• Responsibility
• Decision exhaustion
• Perfectionism
• People-pleasing or compassion fatigue
• Feeling indispensable
• And being emotionally “on” all day

And I think many office managers struggle with this because we are naturally helpers. We solve problems, you know, we take care of people. You know, and sometimes I think we convince ourselves that taking care of ourselves is selfish.

But what I would tell a team member—like, I wouldn’t tell a team member, I guess, “Don’t take care of yourself. Don’t take your PTO. Don’t spend time with your family.” You know, we wouldn’t say that to our team, so why would we tell ourselves that?

And we can’t pour from an empty bucket.

Like, and that’s where, you know, you can kinda see from the image, you know, on the left, sometimes us as managers, we feel like our bucket is always being depleted or emptied out. You know, we have like holes in our, our personal bucket and we’re just leaking out.

But really like, you know, leadership can be rewarding, but it can also be draining, and that’s when for us, you know, I know we talked about earlier for our team that burnout can happen, but that can happen for us as managers too. And burnout for us changes how we show up for our team.

So, it’s super important that, you know, we fill our own buckets. And while it’s nice if our team and our doctors can be bucket fillers to us, we also can’t necessarily rely that that’s gonna happen. So you know, never feel like filling your own bucket is selfish, because it’s not.

Ways You Can Fill Your Bucket

So, there’s 5 ways leaders can fill or refill their buckets.

Number 1 is Setting Boundaries. This is gonna be hard for some of you, and I know, like for me, this is a hard one. But you don’t have to answer every single text immediately. Just because you can solve every problem, doesn’t mean that you always have to, and doesn’t mean that you should.

Number 2: Ask for Help. Strong leaders don’t do everything themselves. They know when to ask for help.

Number 3: Celebrate the Wins. And I know we’ve seen that in earlier slides. Dental managers, I feel like, are notorious for moving immediately to the next problem. So, we hit a goal, but then immediately we’re focused on what’s wrong. So, take time to celebrate progress.

Number 4: Find Your People. And this is one of the reasons organizations like AADOM matter, because leadership can feel lonely. We need people who understand, you know, our challenges and what we’re going through. And it’s nice when we can find people who get it, you know? And that we can, you know, bounce ideas off of and things like that. And again, that’s why I love AADOM so much is because it gives us the platform and the ability to do that.

And then number 5 is Protect Your Energy. Not every battle requires your participation, and not every complaint deserves your attention. Not every piece of drama needs an audience.

And I know that’s so much easier said than done, but I truly believe that, you know, we as leaders do have to take action on these types of things to protect our buckets. And it’s almost like having an invisible lid on our buckets when we need to put that on there.

Managing Your Own Energy

So, we spend so much time managing the team, the schedule, the production, collections, the patient experience, all of these things. But my question for you is: When was the last time you managed your own energy with the same level of intention?

I know for me, there’s been seasons of my career where I was pouring into everyone around me while completely neglecting myself, and I’m sure a lot of you can relate to this.

But eventually, a lot later than I was probably hoping, but a lot, you know, later’s better than never, I guess. But eventually I learned something important, you know, that taking care of myself wasn’t selfish. You know, it was necessary, because the healthier my bucket became, the better leader, coworker, wife, mom, friend, all of those things I was able to be.

And that’s why filling your bucket, your own bucket, isn’t the opposite of leadership. It’s actually a part of leadership, because you need that. We need that in our lives.

Filling Your Bucket

So, what fills your bucket?

You know, I have a whole list of things. Everybody’s bucket, you know, is gonna be different, but these are just some examples of things that fill people’s buckets: professional development, mentorship, volunteering, going on vacation, your hobbies, therapy or coaching, having quiet time, spending time with your family, reading, journaling, exercise, your faith, being in nature, hanging out with your friends.

One of the things that I’m gonna ask you guys to do is get a sheet of paper out and write down all the things that fill your bucket, and make sure that you’re taking time out for those things, because we need to be able to make sure that we are happy and healthy, because that ultimately is gonna reflect on our team.

And like I said earlier, what our team sees, they’re going to mirror, and if we come in happy, excited to be at work, ready for the day, they’re gonna reflect that behavior.

Thank you so much! I appreciate everyone listening in on how to be a bucket filler versus a bucket dipper.

Can You Be Both at the Same Time?

Lisa: Chavelle, that was wonderful. I do have a few questions for you, though. Can someone be both a bucket filler and a bucket dipper?

Chavelle: That’s a great question, Lisa. So, absolutely. In fact, I would argue that most of us have probably been both at different times in our careers, because none of us are perfect, right?

And I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that bucket fillers are always positive and bucket dippers are always negative, and the reality, I think, is much more complex than that.

I think that many bucket dippers actually start out as bucket fillers, and they were the employees who volunteered for everything, helped everyone. They stayed late, you know, they carried a lot of responsibility. And over time, you know, that stress, the burnout, the feeling unappreciated, having personal challenges may have emptied their bucket, without them realizing it.

And then, you know, over time they, you know, potentially just got depleted and kind of naturally then, you know, unfortunately, turned into a bucket dipper.

And, you know, again, you know, I don’t wanna, like, label people, but, you know, I mentioned earlier.

But it, it’s about creating that awareness that we all have moments where we fill buckets, and there’s moments where we dip into them. And the goal is to recognize our impact that we have on others and be intentional with the culture that we’re helping to create in the office.

And, you know, I do want everyone listening in on, you know, this webinar to leave understanding that being a bucket filler on a daily basis is a choice, and not necessarily a personality trait.

So, yes. To answer your question, yes, I think people can be bucket fillers and bucket dippers.

Lisa: Okay. That was great. That makes so much sense.

How Managers Can Address Bucket Dipping

Okay, how can, how can managers address bucket-dipping behavior without damaging relationships?

Chavelle: Oh, that’s a great question.

I think the first step, like I said, you know, previously, is to separate the person from the behavior. I think too often, you know, leaders label someone as being negative or difficult, which, you know, I will admit, like I’ve done as a leader, which I think immediately puts people on the defense, you know?

Instead, I think we encourage managers to focus on the specific behaviors and their impact on the team.

So, for example, like I mentioned before, rather than saying, “You’re always negative,” you know, a manager could say, “I’ve noticed several comments during our morning huddles that seem frustrated, and I’m concerned about how that’s affecting the team morale.”

You know, something along those lines. That way then, you know, we are asking questions or, like, being more curious versus making assumptions about people.

And, you know, just finding out, like, what’s going on, you know? Like I mentioned, you know, maybe there’s something going on in their personal life. Maybe they’re experiencing burnout. Maybe they’re frustrated about something that hasn’t been addressed that’s been, like, swept under the rug for a long time.

So, you know, that doesn’t mean that we excuse their behavior, but I think by having those difficult conversations, as long as we’re kind and, you know, we’re looking to help figure out, you know, what’s going on and help work towards, you know, a solution, that having that conversation doesn’t have to damage the relationships that we have with our team members.

I think if anything, you know, it shows our team members that we have compassion for them and, you know, that we’re trying to hold them accountable, to our office culture. And I think the best leaders are the ones who just, you know, take those situations head-on and aren’t afraid to have those, those tough conversations.

Lisa: Okay. That’s great.

Why Bucket Fillers Sometimes Become Bucket Dippers

I think you might have answered this, but if you wouldn’t mind going back to this, because I do think it’s super important. In my career, I’ve seen some of the biggest bucket fillers eventually become bucket dippers. And I think you’ve touched this a little bit, but can you add any more to that?

Chavelle: Absolutely. And I probably would be able to say the same thing. You know, like I know both of us have been in dentistry for a long time, and we do see people who, you know, start out so positive and excited and happy and, you know, they, like, wanna do anything and everything to help people. And then all of a sudden we see this decline and they become those bucket dippers themselves.

And, I think it’s because we all have limits. Bucket fillers have limits, right? And many leaders, office managers, anyone who’s like a high performer, and even team members as well, spend so much time taking care of everyone else that they forget to take care of themselves.

And, you know, they’re solving problems, supporting the team, helping patients, managing the schedules, putting out fires, you know, carrying all this, like, emotional weight of the practice on their shoulders that eventually they’re not able to fill people’s buckets because, like I mentioned before, their bucket, their own bucket gets depleted.

And, if no one is filling their bucket or if they’re not able to refill their bucket, then they become exhausted. And when that happens, I think that that’s when we see that change in behavior.

So, someone who was once patient may become more short-tempered, or someone who was encouraging may be more withdrawn. Someone who loved their job might start feeling resentment.

You know, I think a lot of us, you know, have felt any of those types of feelings at one point or another, and I think that’s why one of the most important sections of, you know, this course focuses on refilling your own bucket, whether you’re a leader or if it’s something that you’re teaching your team members as well.

And I want managers to understand that, you know, again, self-care isn’t selfish. It’s leadership. And when leaders take care of themselves, they’re better equipped to support their teams, make better decisions, and create the kind of culture that people wanna be a part of.

Lisa: That’s great. Thank you so much.

The Power of Being Seen and Valued at Work

We have another question. Hopefully, this isn’t putting you on the spot too much, but can you share a time when someone filled your bucket and it made a lasting impression on you?

Chavelle: Oh, my gosh! You know, like I feel like for me, there’s—I always try to find the good in a lot of things, and I feel like there’s been so many times where, you know, my own leaders, my teammates, doctors, you know, have filled my bucket so much.

Even like my kids, you know, when they just say, “Mom, I love you,” or, you know, or my, you know, husband gives me a compliment, is, you know, like it just makes you feel good, you know?

And I think, you know, when it comes to being an employee, what makes me feel really good and what’s made me feel really good in the past is, gosh, if my direct manager says something great about me or gives me a compliment in front of the doctor or in front of the COO or CEO of, you know, the company, like that makes me feel real—that really fills my bucket because it makes me feel like I’m seen.

And, you know, there’s just that sense of, like, wow, they took time to really pay attention and notice how hard I work or all the things that I do, that it makes me want to be able to do more. And not because I crave the compliments, but because it, it just makes you feel good, you know?

And you want to pour in to other people’s buckets, whether that’s, you know, like helping your patients or helping your team members.

Like when your bucket is full and overflowing, you have more to be able to give. And, yeah, I’m definitely grateful for all of the teammates and managers that I’ve had over the years because there’s definitely been a lot of bucket fillers that I’ve been able to work with, which is wonderful.

Lisa: That’s great.

Recognizing and Adjusting to Your Bucket Running Low

I think I have one more question. How can we recognize when our own bucket is running low, and what can we do to refill it in a healthy way?

Chavelle: Ooh, that’s a great question.

So, I think one of the things that, you know, we can tell when our bucket is running low is just, like, the feeling of, you know, like, “Oh, was I short with that person?” or, “Man, am I tired?” or, “Am I dreading going into work today?”

I mean, that’s probably maybe the number one thing is, like, if you wake up in the morning and you are like, “Ugh, I don’t know if I can go to work today,” or, “I don’t know if I can make it today,” I feel like that’s probably your number one sign of, like, my bucket is probably not as full as it should be.

So, you know, that’s probably, I think, the biggest thing is really just, like, paying attention to how you feel internally, but also, like, just physically too, you know?

Lisa: Thank you, Chavelle, for your informative presentation on bucket fillers versus bucket dippers. I’m sure everyone watching this can relate to this in their dental practice. I know I’ve learned a lot from you today, and definitely can relate to this.

Thank you, AADOM community, for tuning in to this DistinctionCast. We at AADOM appreciate you taking the time out of your day to invest in your professional development. We will see you next time.

 

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Learn About Our Presenter:

 

Chavelle Galton-Rice, M.Ed., DAADOM, CDA

Chavelle is a dental operations and education leader with more than two decades of experience across clinical support, front-office management, multi-site operations, and professional development. She serves as Director of Membership & Education for AADOM (American Association of Dental Office Management), where she focuses on member engagement and building meaningful learning experiences that support dental office leaders at every stage of their careers.

With a strong foundation in practice operations and a Master of Education in Education Technology and Instructional Design, Chavelle brings a practical, people-centered approach to education and leadership development. Her career includes leadership roles within both private practices and dental support organizations, where she partnered closely with doctors and management teams to promote operational consistency, team growth, and positive patient experiences across multiple locations.

When she’s not building programs or connecting with members, Chavelle can usually be found spending time with her family, tapping into her creative side, or binge-watching her favorite TV shows.