Dentists aren't just clinicians — they're also leaders and entrepreneurs! In this episode, Kirk Behrendt brings back Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, to share how to balance these three circles so you can gain control of your practice and reclaim your life. To start enjoying life in 2026 and beyond, listen to Episode 980 of The Best Practices Show!
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Episode Resources:
Main Takeaways:
Quotes:
“When you're an entrepreneur, a lot of times in the beginning, especially when your business is smaller, you have to fill all the roles. You're the technician, or in our case, that's the clinician. You're providing the actual service that your business represents. You also have to be the entrepreneur, and you have to think about those strategic things: vision, data, and revenue. Then, you also have to be a leader. Maybe you have one team member in the beginning, or maybe eventually you have four or five, and you have to lead those people towards that vision. Most dentists “live in the chair”, and they don't really balance those three circles. They're not really stepping into the entrepreneurial or leadership focus as much, and a big piece of that is comfort.” (3:58—4:43) -Miranda
“The really important thing to remember is that your practice is only going to be able to grow to the level of the least developed circle. So, great dentistry itself can't fix weak systems. It isn't going to move the needle if we don't have a clear vision or we haven't been able to communicate that vision. If we're an inconsistent leader, we don't have strong strategy. Our team doesn't know how to execute to take us where we want to go. We end up just . . . well, end up wherever we end up because it's just happening around us and we're not really driving the practice in any particular direction. So, if those entrepreneur or leadership circles are weaker than our clinical circle, then we're going to have really excellent dentistry, but our practice is probably going to plateau pretty much where it is right now. So, we're always going to grow to the level of that least developed circle.” (8:24—9:23) -Miranda
“A lot of times, people ask questions like, ‘Is there a certain type of person that's a better leader than another leader?’ when we talk about DiSC or things like that. Absolutely not. The best leader is a self-aware leader, starting with knowing where you are now and where do you want to be or where do you want to go. It doesn't matter what your personality style or what your communication style is. Anybody can grow and develop into a leader and grow and develop those entrepreneurial skills. And you don't have to go to school for it. You don't need a degree in organizational management to figure this piece out. There are so many books, podcasts, audio books, and opportunities for you to explore a little bit more.” (11:13—11:54) -Miranda
“Barrett loves to tell the stories of like, you get up, you're walking down the hall, you have to do the hygiene exam, and you hear that person who answered the phone, and they said, ‘No, we don't take that insurance. But you can call the number on the back of your card and find someone who does.’ Your leadership senses go berserk but, ‘I don't have time for that right now. You know what? I'm going to settle back in. I'm going to go do this procedure. That's where it feels good for me to be.’ So, you really have to push yourself beyond that clinical realm into that space to develop that true freedom of practice ownership. If that's going to be a thorn in your side forever, don't you want to develop the ability, even if it's outside of your comfort zone, to be able to take that on?” (15:23—16:08) -Miranda
“I'll look right at a dentist and I'll say, ‘When was the last time you had a leadership meeting?’ And that might just be you, as an independent dentist. You might not have a partner in your practice. You might not even have an office manager in your practice. But you do need to set aside that leadership time for even just yourself, that deep think time to align on, what's happening? Where have we been? Where do I want to go? Vision, values, expectations. So, I'll look at a dentist and say, ‘You're an entrepreneur. You have a $3 million business. That's super impressive, and it's happening without a whole lot of intentional focus on your part. Imagine what could happen if you did put a little bit of emphasis there.’ So, I think, number one, we have to remember that, as private practice owners, you are an entrepreneur and that's something you can be really, really proud of. If that circle is weak, the business is going to control you. When it's strong, you're going to be able to reclaim your time and your energy margins.” (19:11—20:20) -Miranda
“A lot of people say, ‘I don't have time to do [leadership or entrepreneurial time].’ I'm like, ‘You don't have time to not do that.’ If you don't carve that time to work on your business, build your business, build your systems, and align your team, you're going to plateau or even regress from where you are currently.” (22:13—22:28) -Miranda
“As the entrepreneur, you have to guide the vision of, where do I want this practice to be a year from now, three years from now, five years from now, like, thinking ahead. Not in grand detail, but at least in that larger, higher elevation vision space. You're also driving the expectations of how we behave. What are the values that this practice is going to build upon? What are those expectations of behavior that we want for our team and for our patients? How is that going to show up? You're setting the strategy year over year so that throughout the year, you're doing things and taking initiative and guiding your team in a way that's going to get you to where you want to go.” (26:16—27:00) -Miranda
“It's not always a natural instinct for everyone, but you can grow [as a leader]. And there are a lot of leadership styles. A lot of people think of a leader as really confident and commanding, and that's not always the best type of leader. I think that any type of leader that is consistent in their messaging, they're empathetic towards their people, they're transparent, and authentic, those are your best type of leaders, regardless of how it's communicated.” (32:24—32:51) -Miranda
“You can't thrive by operating in just one circle. Like, things will be okay for a given period of time, but the practice really needs all three parts — that entrepreneur piece of you, the leader within you, and the clinician — to really be successful.” (35:22—35:38) -Miranda
“Strengthening the circles ultimately strengthens your life. If you're stressed by your practice, you have the freedom and ability to make a difference in that. If you're sitting in your car like, ‘Here we go again,’ or you're getting those Sunday icks because the weekend is coming to an end and you have to go back into the practice tomorrow, and probably going to bury your head into the clinical chair because that's where it's comfortable, ‘I don't have to worry about all the gossip that's happening over there, or the thing that broke over there, and who's going to fix it, ‘ you have the freedom and ability to build these circles and these muscles as an entrepreneur, as a leader, so that your practice is healthy, your leadership is clear, and ultimately, you can enjoy the life that your practice is supporting for you.” (36:26—37:18) -Miranda
“We were talking to Paul Sletten. He's a transition specialist in The Sletten Group. We were talking about these three circles not too long ago when we were in the room with a group of dentists. He said he talks to dentists typically towards the end of their career when they're approaching or thinking about retirement — and most of them aren't excited. They're actually scared. They're a little nervous because their identity is tied so directly to being a clinical dentist and they haven't maybe created a life outside of their practice because they were tied or burdened by the practice, or they haven't created the space through that entrepreneur role or that leader role to step slowly away from the chair and still feel confident in what they're creating. That's what we want to be able to help people do, is feel that freedom of entrepreneurship and the confidence that you don't have to be owned by this practice. This practice can be a beautiful thing that helps you to go out and live your best life, whatever that looks like for you, and it's all about being intentional.” (37:20—38:31) -Miranda
Snippets:
0:00 Introduction.
1:09 Why this is an important topic.
3:44 Why most dentists “live in the chair”.
6:06 Do you need to give equal time to each circle?
9:57 Anyone can develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills.
14:23 The three circles: The clinician (the comfort zone).
19:01 The three circles: The entrepreneur.
31:04 The three circles: The leader.
35:16 Final thoughts.
38:32 Choose one circle to work on.
39:27 ACT’s BPA.
Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:
Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.
Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.