Want to get rich as a team in the new economy? Here is your ticket: Authentic Gratitude. The US Department of Labor and Statistics reports that the number one reason why Americans quit their jobs is that they don’t feel appreciated. Studies show that gratitude and appreciation are on the decline in the world, and … Read more

As a young person, when you dreamed of becoming a dentist, how did you picture yourself? Most readers probably envisioned working in someone’s mouths to create health and beauty. As a practicing dentist, you have discovered that picture is only partly accurate. There is a lot more to dentistry than, well, dentistry. You have to … Read more

Could you walk when you were born? Of course not. When your muscles and mind were mature enough, you had to practice, usually with some guidance. Later you had opportunities to master other skills requiring coordination, such as baseball, playing the piano, dancing and so forth. You went on to dental school to learn technical … Read more

Do you know where babies come from? There are some people who don’t seem to know the answer to that question. They just keep having babies. However, let’s assume that you are not one of those people and skip that discussion. Now let me ask a tougher question: Do you know where behavior comes from? … Read more

Your drill is not enough. Your X-ray machine, equilibrator and other dental tools are not enough. Necessary – just not enough. To succeed as a dentist you also must have the tools needed to constructively influence people – patients, staff, even yourself. To illustrate, consider this passage from an article Drs. Irwin Becker, Rich Green … Read more

Most doctor’s and teams create elaborate systems to crush the cancellation and no-show beast. And yet, even with a short call list, a recare list and a cancellation list, it seems impossible to get rid of those pesky short notice cancellations. Maybe it’s not the system that is failing; maybe it’s the driving the system. … Read more

We all know the importance of listening. We hear about it at lectures. We read about it in articles. And we pride ourselves in listening to our patients. …or do we? In my years of meeting dentists, I have come to realize that many think of listening as just another “task” you are supposed to … Read more

Why can’t we just get along? I suspect one of the reasons is that we don’t know how. First, the fancy definition: Triangulation occurs when one person, having an issue with a second person, takes that issue to a third person. Now for the street version: Triangulation is talking about people behind their backs. Triangulation … Read more

“It’s too much to expect, but it’s not too much to ask” Mary-Chapin Carpenter/Don Schlitz Expectations are reasonable only when they are clearly conveyed, fully discussed, and agreed-to by all parties. Until this happens, they are merely wishes, hopes or assumptions which are not likely to happen. The less you convey your expectations to others, … Read more

Perhaps no corporation has perfected “Systems Thinking” more than Starbucks. By approaching the coffee business in terms of “Systems”, Starbucks has been able to standardize the Starbucks culture and provide a unique experience for consumers while remaining completely consistent. Whether I’m in Kansas or Iowa, I can feel confident that the quality of my experience … Read more