Dental Practice Ownership Challenges

Despite a rigorous selection process, the lion’s share of experience and development of leadership muscle in the dental practice tends to mirror the rest of the marketplace. The ongoing series of checklists, operations, and nuances unique to successfully leading a team is largely left to chance or essentially a “baptism by fire” approach. The profession self-selects a rather unique subset of the population obsessed with compassionate and nurturing care of its patients through a lens devoted to perfection. Yet, statistics show an unprecedented level of dissatisfaction amongst its rank and file. Why? Too often, dental professionals seek to address the how before identifying the why and what of any particular situation. Strategic pearls are put before any sort of purpose or passion. This cart-before-the-horse approach is widespread with no palpable end in sight.

Addressing and hopefully resolving this dilemma is the foundation and context of our work at Dynamic Dental Ascension. Having taken up the call to arms, your decision to pursue the profession of dentistry is actually a gift. The opportunity cost of taking a different trajectory is not pocket change. It is time to distill down the basics of your journey so far and where its potential leads.

In everyday life as a practice owner, you will be faced with relentless stimulation of the leadership muscles all while balancing the ongoing challenges of clinical responsibilities. The minds of a dentist do not necessarily cooperate either. Learning to appreciate a brief pause when assessing a situation will deftly parse the cause and effect while allowing a more effective response. The everyday trek is marked by numerous encounters with some being more noteworthy and worth exploring a bit further. Distilled out of many personal experiences as well as countless hours observing others, here are a few of the top most common instances where practice leadership is put to the test:

Premature Failure and/or Substandard Treatment Outcomes
Gossip or Status Trading Amongst Personnel
Chronic Illness and Absenteeism
Handling Raises
Negative Reviews
Premature Failure and/or Substandard Treatment Outcomes

Sworn to uphold clinical standards is essential to successful matriculation through dental school. There are no exceptions once in private practice except that the binary process of clinical care is no longer valid. It is not our desire or by design to engage in clinical failures or imperfect results. However, statistically speaking, they occur. Acknowledgment and ownership are essential. Treating others by the platinum rule and showing recognition by second-order acknowledgment will avert and diffuse any crisis. Taking pride and ownership in craftsmanship by reproducing an acceptable result or remedying the situation is the way.

Gossip or Status Trading Amongst Personnel

In society, there is no shortage of outlets to express or opine with almost no recourse. Oftentimes it is shrouded in electronic cover and brushed off. The dental practice is not immune to ill-fated attempts to gain at the expense of others. In an environment full of deadlines, emotions, sensitivity, financials, strict guidelines, exacting standards, et al, there is no shortage of tension. When faced with these ugly truths, it is imperative to hold to a standard. The culture of the organization should effectively serve the purpose of diffusing any attempts at undermining by virtue of its ability to provide a safe and inclusive environment where accountability is standard and grace is second nature. Start by engaging the offenders in their own honest dialogue and proceed from there on the premise of high standards and low tolerance.

Chronic Illness and Absenteeism

No leader relishes in the notion of questioning the validity of illness and/or the need to miss work for health-related reasons. However, there may come a point where an individual may call into question the limits of time off. Should this present itself, the deficit can deleteriously affect the mood and performance of the more reliable team members and cast doubt on the leadership of the organization. Taking the time to explore via active listening and reconcile the issues for the offender will lead to an effective solution or reprimand of either freeing them up to explore other more suitable employment opportunities or reform and get with the program.

Handling Raises

Who doesn’t respond favorably to the opportunity to increase their livelihood? Time and money are often deemed interchangeable units of measurement, at least figuratively, so when it comes to a request to increase compensation it is often marked by angst and uncertainty for many practice leaders. A meritocracy naturally rewards a progressive approach or ascension upon some sort of skills development path. All too often, raises are substantiated upon the past performance or essentially on an entitled basis. There could be some merit to this approach, but it is imperative to connect a salary augmentation with future outcomes and performance that fosters an advancement for the organization. This could entail a myriad of options, so it behooves the practice leader to continually explore options and solicit thoughts from the team.

Negative Reviews

Society lives and breathes by the ways of the internet, SEO, and reviews. Our social proof pivots upon optimizing what patients have to say about us online. When a subpar assessment arrives, it feels like an utter defeat by way of a lethal gut punch. Often referred to as NPS or Net Promoter Score, it enables a more rapid exposure to a greater TAM or Total Addressable Market when the reviews are optimized. Take a negative review as an opportunity to reflect and reassess. Remember, the patient is uniquely qualified to opine about their experience, and perhaps it was not the best that particular day. The humanistic and humble side of us all recognizes this and takes the feedback as a growth moment. It is only acceptable to respond maturely and professionally to all reviews regardless of their ranking. Over time, if the dominance is that of 5 stars, those occasional black eyes shall fade.

If this resonates with your personal situation, bear in mind, you are not alone. Many who have elected the same formidable path, have discovered the value of mentorship. Consider Dynamic Dental Ascension as a potential partner on your journey. Schedule a discovery call today!

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Any Validity to Tactical Retrospective Advice?

Everything is great. Clinical proficiency is palpable. Immersion into the subjects at hand is full board with a rather exuberant level of confidence. How could a fly ever stand a chance in this ointment? Except that it is final exam time second semester senior year, and you have yet to make it to a class. Hold up the printing press, that diploma is now in question for delivery on commencement day, and there is serious doubt whether or not you will even get to walk. How can this be? Where did the time go? Only then does reality set in, and thank the lucky stars for the morning alarm clock to throttle you out of a bad dream into a mortal reminder it’s Tuesday and the real-life schedule is about to unfold.

Do you often stew over what it would be like to actually go back and retell the story armed with today’s knowledge? What a gift this ought to present to that unsuspecting nascent clinical want-to-be. Yet, does the notion of time traveling back to those tumultuous interludes where the mind was pre-occupied with not spending another precious moment chasing signatures, returning borrowed equipment, transferring caseloads to D3s, and any other gyration deemed worthy of another fluid ounce of blood, sweat, and tears tempt even the most stoic thread within your soul? Albeit therapeutic at its base, the journey would necessitate an antediluvian-like rewind of the years in order to revisit those fateful and foundational moments to rehash the memories equitably intertwined by fondness and indifference. Thanks to the inherent lack of viable time travel, you should honestly not fathom a single scenario whereby any alterations would make a meaningful impact and simply embrace the journey as it unfolds. Rather, give consideration to the prodigal tenets of deliberate mindfulness and discover the insurmountable level of inner serenity that awaits.

Forcing yourself out of the echo chamber and exposing a bountiful array of life lessons, daily reflections, modest confidence, and a general level of benevolence to guide you is far more valuable. Let’s face it, who would not want to go back in time to course correct and relive the story armed with a fresh batch of future brownie bites? Flip the switch, dim the lights and pop a little corn, it is sure to be an instant hit. Caught in the seemingly endless tug-of-war between past, present, and future defines itself remarkably in the following twist of a Buddhist principle…”when you keep one foot stuck in yesterday and one foot tinkering with tomorrow all you end up doing is peeing on today.” Rather trite but true, the simplicity of being present is an art form which undoubtedly requires tons of practice. It boils down to relevancy in a world geared for negativity.

Shawn Achor explores this rather deftly in The Happiness Advantage. So many experts in the field of psychology have produced study results in an attempt to dissect the complex hierarchy of the human mind and solve for why we do what we do. The crossover and comparison of results is uncanny once all the nitty-gritty details are removed. He likens decision making at one point to the principles of Tetris. Repetition over time can ultimately imprint and reprogram the brain to only view the world in a particular manner. The Tetris Effect can work both positively and negatively, so once one clearly comprehends its peculiarities, the magic begins to unfold. As an inherent optimist, I gravitate to his notion of “rose-tinted” glasses as an effective method to positively navigate life.

“Science has shown that seeking out the positive has too many tangible advantages to be dismissed as mere cockeyed optimism or wishful thinking.” – The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor

You must fully expect your D4 self to embody this notion should you happen to show up ready to serve up a hot “ham sandwich” loaded with impeccable advice. It is literally impossible, impractical, and downright inappropriate to look at life through a lens that completely filters out all negative or deleterious events and moments. Instead, it is crucial to adopt a global perspective by virtue of perpetually grazing and absorbing cognitive nutrients from all around in order to purely engage with one’s mind as well as the psyche of others. Retrospective self-directed advice is a vain attempt at forgiveness. A flimsy apology to a former acquaintance that no longer has a formal stake in the game. This message embodies exquisitely in the following statement…

“Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.” – Lily Tomlin

You have elected for an incredible journey, so buckle up and hang in there! Trust your instincts and put more credence into a forward-thinking approach to being present. If the retrospective nightmare is keeping you awake t night, fear not for you are not alone. Consider reaching out for a discovery call and explore all that Dynamic Dental Ascension has to offer.