After months of your office being closed, you’re finally back at it. The books are full. The schedule is productive. Heck, you just had a record-breaking month; things are looking good.

Yet looking forward on the schedule there are openings. In fact, there are a lot of openings. You check in with your treatment coordinator and the list of broken appointments that need to be rescheduled has been exhausted. 

One list, however, has grown. That list of “call me after COVID” patients increases daily, and the team doesn’t know how to work through the very real fear and hesitation that has paralyzed so many of us.

What now? How do we reach out to these fearful patients? How do we connect and let them know, “I’ve got you. The many layers of PPE that I wear for each and every one of my patients are not just to keep me safe, they are to keep you safe too.”

How do we keep schedules full, and help our patients overcome their fear?

What dental...

It’s way too easy to get distracted by squirrels.

No, not the furry little rodents – although if you’ve ever seen them outside your office window, they are pretty amusing to watch. “Squirrels” are those little distractions that seemingly pop up out of nowhere, completely derailing your ability to work.

You can be working, minding your own business, when poof! A squirrel arrives to distract you. Then another appears. And another. And another! Pretty soon, you forget what you were working on in the first place.

Squirrels come in all different shapes and sizes. A squirrel could come in the form of a team member sharing a crazy story in the break room. Maybe it’s an email notification popping up that your Amazon order has shipped. Perhaps the business renting out a nearby suite is doing construction. Squirrels are a part of everyday life, and you have to learn how to squash them when they inevitably arrive.

So, how do you deal with squirrels? Grab...

Communication is the responsibility of one person and one person only: the sender. If the sender fails to effectively share information with the recipient, then it isn’t the recipient’s fault if plans go awry.

Have you ever gone to the grocery store only to find yourself with a shopping list you can’t understand? Perhaps your partner used shorthand you’ve never seen before, or you can’t read your mom’s handwriting on her recipe. We can celebrate the small victory that you even have a list – writing things down is an important part of the communication system – but it’s hardly useful if it isn’t conveying the information that you need. If you want someone to pick up the exact ingredients you need from the store, you’d better make that shopping list crystal clear. Even if it seems redundant, it’s better to overcommunicate than to have to make another trip to the store.

Effective communication is your...

The day is fast approaching. You know, that day. Soon the greeting card aisle at the drugstore will be packed with panicked, confused, wannabe Cupids. The floral department at your grocery store will look like a scene from The Walking Dead. There will be a zombie apocalypse of procrastinating dudes delaying their best intentions until the last minute. Don’t even bother trying to find a dinner reservation.

Whether you love love or think Valentine’s Day is a load of hogwash (or maybe both), it’s hard to ignore all the marketing aimed at this holiday. And yet, we often delay buying tokens of our affection for loved ones until the very last minute. Surely, it’s not because of a lack of appreciation. Maybe you have another love language, like acts of service. Or perhaps you’re so wrapped up in your practice that you aren’t even sure what month it is.

Cupid Kirk has been known to fill out that card on February 14…in the garage…at...

Having a great business? Hard. Building a great team? Also hard. Putting those two together? Incredibly hard.

That’s why believe everyone should have a coach.

Here at ACT Dental, we walk that talk. Yes, even a coaching company has a coach.

We recently had our coach spend some time with us at the office. It was an incredible experience. With our coach’s help, we were able to:

• Consolidate and present everything we’re currently doing
• Clarify the goals and the vision for this year
• Define useful metrics
• Outline the strategy to achieve our goals

We’re an entire office full of coaches, but we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the same results by ourselves. That’s because we’re so close to the work that it’s hard for us to see the big picture. Goal setting becomes much easier when you have an outsider helping you sort the pieces. It’s even better when that person has experienced the same challenges that your team is...

You’re never neutral in a situation. You’re either a positive influence or a negative influence. It all comes down to mindset: do you have above the bar thinking, or below the bar thinking?

When you are thinking above the bar, you see opportunity. You’re open to new ideas and curious about exploring new topics. You’re excited about learning.

Above the bar thinking allows you to see everyone as an ally supporting your growth. It helps you to be a great listener and to question your own beliefs so that you can grow.

When you think above the bar, you say things like:

• “I take responsibility for my part in whatever is happening.”
• “I am open and coachable. I have an outward mindset.”

When you’re below the bar, everything and everybody is a problem. You’re closed off from others and from new opportunities. You’re defensive about your choices. You are uninterested in anything other than being right.

Below the line thinking...

You’re never neutral in a situation. You’re either a positive influence or a negative influence. It all comes down to mindset: do you have above the bar thinking, or below the bar thinking?

When you are thinking above the bar, you see opportunity. You’re open to new ideas and curious about exploring new topics. You’re excited about learning.

Above the bar thinking allows you to see everyone as an ally supporting your growth. It helps you to be a great listener and to question your own beliefs so that you can grow.

When you think above the bar, you say things like:

• “I take responsibility for my part in whatever is happening.”
• “I am open and coachable. I have an outward mindset.”

When you’re below the bar, everything and everybody is a problem. You’re closed off from others and from new opportunities. You’re defensive about your choices. You are uninterested in anything other than being right.

Below the line thinking...

The new year is a time for contemplation. Many people use this opportunity to reflect on the past and think about creating a better future. They set resolutions, write in their goal journals and hit the gym in hopes of a #NewYearNewYou.

We welcome this time as a chance to reset; a chance to get our lives in order. After all, life can be a little messy. It’s tricky to maneuver through all of our personal and professional demands each day – and still squeeze in a workout.

Right now, at the beginning of another new year, you are at a crossroads. There is a line dividing all of the happy years of your past, and the unknown years of your future.

You could be on the side of line where you are living in the past. You tell yourself that your best years are behind you, and that you have nothing to look forward to in the future. To use another metaphor, you’re playing the back nine holes and thinking about how to pack it in.

Or, you can be on the other side of the...

Your single most important competitive advantage is your core values. Your core values are even more important than your vision. They guide the behaviors of everything that happens at your practice.

Consider the circle of people you surround yourself with, both personally and professionally. Your favorite people care about the same things that you care about. Your least favorite people don’t care about the same things that you care about. It all comes back to core values.

You’re probably thinking, “Of course my practice has core values. We’ve even discussed them as a team.” That’s a great start, but ask yourself the following questions:

• Are your core values written for the team to see?
• Are your core values a living part of your practice?
• Do you reinforce your core values every single day as you work?
• Do you use your core values to evaluate your behavior and your strategy?

When the answer is a clear “yes,” you will attract the...

One of the biggest problems in any business is recognizing what the real problem is. Many entrepreneurs and dentists think that the people around them are the problem. What if it’s actually the leader who is the biggest problem in the business?

It’s common for us to brag about how busy we are. We’re all very busy, all the time. As an entrepreneur, a go-getter attitude is what’s gotten you this far today. You’ve worked hard to make it to this point, so of course you want to stay busy. You take on every task yourself to ensure it’s done properly – even when it’s another someone else’s responsibility.

Sometimes being a “doer” is actually getting in the way of your success. You’ve hired team members because they’re great at accomplishing certain tasks. If you try to do their work for them, you become not only a problem for them but also a problem for your business. You think you’re a go-getter, but your...