The Irreplaceable Practice - For dentists who refuse to become a commodity

What are we doing to ensure that we’re not presenting treatment in a skeptical environment and inadvertently generating negative marketing for ourselves and our businesses? The way your patients perceive your practice impacts every decision and action they take. This perception has a rippling effect on your confidence, staff, potential customers, and business security. You can find show notes and...

"Honour may not win power, but it wins respect. And respect earns power." — Ishida Mitsunari   Apparently, even though a large number of dental practice owners believe that team success is essential, they also admit that only 1 to 2 members of the team are effective -- a brutal truth that most practice owners have to face. Every business aims to foster an atmosphere that brings out the b...

I can greatly identify with the Rocky series’ story of resilience and perseverance, both onscreen and the underlying story on how Sylvester Stallone fought all adversity to have the movie get its screen time. It’s been my go-to movie whenever I’m confronted with roadblocks. All of us went through one of the worst times last year, and it has tested our character and faith. But, it has also been a p...

5% of people are hard-wired for integrity, while 5% are hard-wired to lie, cheat, and steal even if it doesn’t benefit them. Interestingly, 90% of people will lie, cheat, and steal given three things. Listen in to find out. We always attribute “stealing” to something tangible, not realizing that there are some abstract constructs that directly affect the practice’s finances. You can find show note...

How's your relationship with yourself, your profession, and with people? Are they standing in the way of enjoying the abundance of the dental profession? Or is it your thinking that's killing the cash flow? Money is not meant to be chased; you need to attract them. And learning from experience, it's not all about skills and work ethics. Of course, it is essential, but what's bl...

Yes, Disney’s taking our money — money that we gladly give. In fact, we work our fingers to the bone just for us, and our loved ones enjoy a moment of pleasure in the happiest place on earth. But what is so great about Disney that we’re willing to do prodigal spending to the extent of cutting costs on essential expenditures like dental care? Can we adapt and make the Disney magic work in our pract...

Kid you not — firing someone is never easy. It’s not only the investment in training, tools, and all things to help them grow, but more importantly, the emotional investment not just by you but by the whole team. And if letting go of your people becomes frequent, it makes you question your hiring process, the work culture, and even yourself. There’s nothing worse than having to fire someone. It’s...

I’m not being political, religious, or whatnot, but Paul’s strong message in his 1965 broadcast has proven to be prophetic — how elements of good and evil are at play in constant dynamic throughout global history. You might think these are inevitable in the grand scheme of things, but these are more imminent in our practice. One thing is clear — an organization is created or destroyed from the ins...

Money is necessary to put up and run a practice — we can’t argue with that. But, it is not the be-all and end-all. The money supports our basic needs, goals, and security, but it cannot create a purpose in and of itself — and that’s what I want to talk about today.   You can find show notes and more information by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/more-than-the-money

Ok, sit down and hold your horses (or cup?); I'm not suggesting that you commit a crime (pretty far from that). But, while I had your attention, let's talk about Starbucks. Did you ever wonder how Starbucks redefined the coffee experience? Can you provide a similar experience in your dental practice? Starbucks has brought in disruptive innovation. It was so phenomenal that it created a n...

What does it mean to create a team of leaders? We all know that great leaders don’t create more followers but inspire followers to become leaders. As practice owners, we aspire to have a self-managing team to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, however, it is pretty standard in the dental practice that staff functions based solely on the dentist’s command. Therefore, it defaults to an extra layer of...

A confident team is a by-product of a confident leader. Trust is one of the core values of a coherent team. A leader that exhibits confidence is easier to trust, and team members generally feel positive around leaders who exude confidence. I struggled with my confidence early in my practice, and it took a toll on me, my team, and my patients. You can find show notes and more information by clickin...

Transformational leadership is a process and a complex one at that. It involves not just you but is composed of interconnected cogs that dynamically work in synchrony and harmony. Your role, as the leader, is to keep it well oiled to run smoothly and accomplish its objectives.  

Whether big or small, any organization has an established mission and vision to define its objectives and approach to reach its goal. However, the most crucial aspect of building an organization is the founding principles for which they stand. Core values are what bind the company, its employees, and the people they wish to serve. It may be uncommon in dental practice, but having a solid foundatio...

Can you pick out the dominant need in your team, patients, family, and friends? This exercise is very challenging, especially to dental practice owners wearing multiple hats -- juggling the demands of the business, the employees, and the clients.   You can find show notes and more information by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/needy-team

Many people find gossiping fun, enjoyable, and addictive until they become the focus of the idle talk. However, in a professional setup like the workplace, gossipmongering is an enormous time and productivity waster, not to mention unprofessional. In addition, it increases anxiety among employees, puts a strain on teamwork, erodes trust,    and crushes morale.   You can find show notes and more in...

Results are going to come from taking action. And all action starts with a decision.   Having to decide on something is naturally hard, most especially if the decision is transformative. However, decisive leadership is vital to effectively execute the plan of action toward achieving the organization’s goals.    You can find show notes and more information by clicking this link: https://bit.ly/deci...

Money won’t make you happy, but happiness will make you money.   At this point in your life, you must be able to distinguish pleasure from happiness. Although both bring joy and good feelings, they produce contrasting outcomes. Pleasure is momentary and visceral, while happiness is long-lasting and transcendental.   You can find show notes and more information by clicking this link: https://bit.ly...

More than ever, dentists need to have a well-defined mission and a compelling vision to reinforce their practice, not only for themselves but also for their staff and patients. It provides a clear and consistent direction as to where the practice is going.   Faced with many challenges aggravated by these uncertain times, dentists need to run a successful business to avoid plateaus. One key aspect...

Mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSD) can lead to a wide variety of health risks. Yet, more than 80% of people with OSD are utterly unaware that they are suffering from this condition.   Recently, Vivos launched VivoScore Diagnostic Technology. It is a comprehensive home sleep apnea test for children and adults. It includes a proprietary ring-like device that you can slide into your finge...

Listening is the single most essential skill in business. Poor listening skills may lead to assumptions and misunderstanding that will eventually result in ineffective decisions and costly mistakes. It further deteriorates team cohesion and causes a lot of tension and stress. Effective listening should be attentive, responsive, and active. Pay close attention to non-verbal expressions to understan...

Where in your relationships, your health, your financial situation, your clinical dentistry, can the realism of progress take precedence over the fantasy of perfection?   At one point in our life, we have been in a situation wherein we strive to be perfect, only to realize that it is only an illusion that we put upon ourselves out of fear of criticism and rejection.   The key to perfection is ackn...

Have you been scouring the internet trying to look for the best reward system for your employees? Let me tell you a secret; there's none! I've tried different approaches, many times myself, and they didn't work.   The bonus system aims to give out incentives (monetary or otherwise) to motivate employees to bring out their best and be productive. However, this kind of approach is cou...

Stephen Covey was spot on when he said, “The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.”   If you want to make more with less work, you need to leverage the principles of ruthless prioritization, that is, eliminating anything that does not add value toward achieving your goal. Sometimes, you need to get rid of the good to focus on the great.   You can fi...

How do we secure a productive environment in our practices? One that doesn’t get disrupted by the increasing tension in society and result in a toxic culture that could compromise your livelihood?    Let’s engineer a work environment that brings out the best in you and your team!   You can find show notes and more information by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/depolarizing-practice