Don’t be a doormat. Don’t be a jerk.

A leader is a dealer in hope. — Napoleon Bonaparte

What type of leader are you? Do you inspire your staff, or do you always throw your weight around? Is your leadership style leans toward passiveness, aggressiveness, or assertiveness? Do you treat your team with respect to demand the same?

In this episode, I’ll talk about assertive communication and how not being assertive at work results in overstepping boundaries, lots of frustration, misunderstanding, and hurt feelings. I will also share the seven keys to becoming more assertive in your practice. If you want to elevate your leadership game a notch, then this podcast is for you.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

Key Quotes:

  • Assertiveness is communicating and expressing your thoughts, feelings, and opinions in a way that your views can be clearly understood by others without putting down their thoughts, their feelings, and their opinions.”
  • “If we tend to be a little bit more passive, assertiveness feels like aggression until it becomes a habit.
  • The cool thing about assertive communication is that it has the power to magnify all your other leadership strengths.”
  • “The reality of our communication as leaders, as practice owners, is that they’re always two messages being conveyed simultaneously. One is the content of the communication, and the other piece is the manner in which it’s conveyed.”

Featured on the Show:

  • Quote: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw
  • I appreciate your feedback. Let me know what you learned and loved here: [email protected].

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4 Ways to Break Your Inferiority Habit

The human individual thus lives usually far within his limits; he possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. — William James

Did you do your best? At a glance, it’s a simple question that seems answerable by a “yes” or a “no.” Yet, if you ponder deeply, and once the complexities come into play, it can either boost your confidence or highlight your insecurities resulting in purposeless action and inferior habits.

In this episode, I’ll talk about why you need to break the habit of inferiority and recognize and integrate your wins so that you can compound your successes to generate your best year yet In 2022. If you want to know the questions you should ask yourself every night, just stay tuned.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

Key Quotes:

  • “The problem is that many of us as practice owners want to have high achievement. Well, we haven’t effectively built a skill stack and a habit stack that drives that level of performance.”
  • “I believe at the core of everything we do and practice ownership, whether it be connecting to a highly anxious patient, leading team marketing, case acceptance, all of these elements, even your own belief systems and the upper limit problems you have, are all psychology based.”
  • “Think about moving away from the habit of inferiority and towards a habit of excellence.”
  • “Ambitious dental practice owners can set up habit-based systems that make their growth and success inevitable. So we don’t have to work so hard and be so gritty.”
  • “If we understand that our days are influenced by sleep, we can understand that a great day starts the night before.”
  • “We aren’t good about celebrating wins. We beat ourselves up when we don’t meet the standard. And it’s really important that we intentionally change that dialogue with ourselves.”

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Tactics Without Strategy: The Noise Before Defeat

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. — Sun Tzu

November is a big deal for me. Apart from the obvious Thanksgiving celebration, which I totally love, by the way, I always set aside this month as my year-end review — What went well this year? What didn’t go so well, where were the disappointments, and how can we do better next year?

In today’s episode, let’s talk about something that’s right up my alley. I may struggle at times with tactics, but ‘strategy’ is innate within my system. As 2022 is near approaching, I will share five grand strategies that you might consider in crafting your plans for the coming year to improve your dental practice.

You might find it too tedious a task, but if you sit down sometime between now and the end of the year and get super clear on your strategies, I am confident that you will have an extraordinary 2022.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

Key Quotes:

  • “Strategy and tactics are terms that get thrown around in practice management decisions. And sometimes there’s kind of a fuzzy, blurry line between the two, and sometimes they’re just used interchangeably, which I think is dangerous.”
  • “With strategy, we have to take a long-term view, and tactics is more of a short-term view.”
  • “A strategy describes the destination and how you’re going to get there.”
  • “Too often, we give the business whatever it needs, and then there’s just not much energy, attention, and time left over to do the things that we really enjoy doing and be with the people we really care about and want to make memories with.”

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Top 6 Patient Breakup Mistakes Dental Practice Owners Make

Before you tap that play button, I want you to ponder these questions first: What do patients consider when they choose their dentist? And what makes them go and explore dental services from other dentists?

In medicine, research shows that 30% of patients leave the doctor’s office because of long wait times. Unfortunately, the number is higher when it comes to dental offices. The long wait times can make a patient believe that you’re in a poorly run business. And if it’s a poorly run business, you have subpar clinical standards.

In today’s episode, I will discuss the six top reasons why patients break up with dentists. Then, we will talk about patients’ perception of us and how we can maintain that in a positive frame, and how we can prevent the consequences of patient attrition. I’ll also share lessons from medical doctors’ mistakes so that you can prevent patients from even wondering if the grass is greener somewhere else. So just sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

Key Quotes:

  • “As smart business owners, we have to manage the upside push for growth and minimize the downside. And what’s the downside when it comes to enthusing clients? I think that’s when patients leave the practice, when they break up with us, and when there’s patient attrition.”
  • “Oftentimes, we’re able to maintain the relationship with the patient once they feel understood. And even if we weren’t, we can learn things that will help our processes, our systems. So as we strove to get better and better, we looked for more gems in those situations.”
  • “Now urgent care is a big patient perception because what is no big deal to you might be a really big deal to patients.”
  • “Patients aren’t loyal. If they’re feeling, feeling mistreated or ignored, or that you’re always running behind, they might find those greener pastures.”
  • “If patients feel like they’re just a number on a spreadsheet that you’re pushing treatment on them, that you have aggressive sales tactics, that you don’t have their best interests at heart, that then they’re going to feel inclined to be a patient somewhere else.”

Featured on the Show:

  • Quote: Customers perceive service in their own unique, idiosyncratic, emotional, irrational, end-of-the-day, and totally human terms. Perception is all there is!” — Tom Peters
  • I appreciate your feedback. Let me know what you learned and loved here: [email protected].

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The Power to Empower

“An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success.”  Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Pride in your work increases with freedom of choice. According to statistics, less than 1% of employees feel proud to tell others they work for an organization when the boss rarely gives them freedom of choice. However, 78% of employees feel proud to tell others about their work when the boss allows them the freedom to choose frequently.

Today’s episode will cover principles of empowerment — why most dentists want an empowered and engaged team but don’t feel confident in this quest. I’ll explain the big difference between holding your team accountable and fostering their accountability. Then, I will discuss how to make your team feel empowered and appreciate the great paradox of leadership. I will also share how Jolly Rancher and Stephen Covey’s books made a polarizing impact on my life and a personal experience on how efficiently an empowered team works during my visit with Dr. Andrew Turchin.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

Key Quotes:

  • “Too often in dentistry, we go looking for sophistication, bright shiny objects, and new and innovative wins.”
  • “If you’re spending a ton of time holding your team accountable, your team will never even come close to reaching its full potential.”
  • “You can only gain power by giving it away.”
  • “The feeling of power or empowerment only comes from a sense of control.”
  • “Personal accountability is the only true accountability.”
  • “Encourage honest mistakes.”
  • “The results are the only thing that pays the bill.”
  • “Even if someone knows how to do their job, a lack of confidence or a fear of making mistakes will keep them from doing what needs to be done.”
  • Take charge and lead the way.”

Featured on the Show:

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The Darkness of Doubt: Finding Action in the Avoidance

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”  William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

I’ll share with you my favorite story on overcoming self-doubt. This story involved my son Bennett when I felt that he was ready and decided to send him down the black run. He was scared, no doubt. But my confidence in him fueled his confidence, and after uttering a few “I can do it” mantras, he took off. We celebrated his victory over some hot chocolate, and he came up with another mantra that I use every time I need to boost my confidence. Listen in to find out.

In today’s episode, I’ll discuss how you can win the war on self-doubt. I will talk about how fear and hesitation can inhibit your progress, the 5 Cs that undermine your goals consistently, and the creative toolbox for avoiding avoidance so you can maintain professional momentum and build the practice of your dreams.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

Key Quotes:

  • “We avoid lots of things for lots of reasons, and in all of those reasons, we have embedded self-doubt.”
  • “Self-doubt creates avoidance, and sometimes it sneaks upon us.”
  • “Just like in dentistry, we need a diagnosis before we can create a treatment plan, and we need a treatment plan before we can create a treatment.”
  • “If you grew up around people who avoided, people who were conflict avoiders, people who were worriers, then no doubt you take some of that on.”
  • “Most people have a horror story at some point in time in their life. And what they do with that horror story that makes all the difference in their life.”
  • “Usually, we’re trending towards the worst-case scenario that’s almost impossible to happen.”
  • “In the Information Age, it’s easy to live in this delusion that I’m taking in tons of information; therefore, I must be productive.”

Featured on the Show:

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How To Make More Money By Giving It Away

Statistically, 91% of consumers say they will switch to a brand that supports a good cause given similar price and quality.

Back when I was still active with my dental practice in Vail, I created the “Monthly Give,” wherein we give a portion of the collection to our chosen nonprofit organization every month. We started in 2012 with a 1.2% allocation for charity and slowly ratcheted it up every year as our profit grew bigger and bigger. How can we be generous with giving as we grow?

In today’s episode, I’ll talk about cause marketing — how it works, how your organization can get involved, and how it can benefit your team, your organization, your patients, and the community you are serving. Then, I’ll share steps to successfully create a cause marketing drive and address the objections to spotlighting your philanthropy. Finally, an anecdote from one of our patients clearly shows how impactful generosity is as it creates a powerful domino effect.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

Key Quotes:

  • “There are more benefits in cause marketing than just writing checks and knowing that they will help people’s lives easier and better.”
  • “In each monthly meeting, a time is dedicated to nominating the next nonprofit partner.”
  • “There should be a priority system that needs to be built out.”
  • “This is not giving back. Giving back assumes you took something. This is just generosity. This is just giving.”
  • “The more you grow, the more you get to give.”
  • “There’s no one that doesn’t benefit from a good cause marketing.”

Featured on the Show:

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High-Trust Case Acceptance

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?

Research shows that 55% of all communication is in the body language, 38% is in the tone of voice, and 7% is in the actual words spoken — all of which make up the overall impression we give out to our patients.

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.

In today’s episode, I’ll share with you two contrasting personal stories on what enthusing client is and what it’s not. Then, I have some tips that you can train your team on to ensure you’re generating high-trust case acceptance in your practice. I’ll also talk about the importance of picking up non-verbal and social cues to reciprocate appropriate responses.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

Key Quotes:

  • “If we don’t do our practice in a trusting environment, it can generate buyer’s remorse and resentment if something goes wrong.”
  • “Too often, we hang too much on what our patients are telling us, and sometimes they are not candid.”
  • “We have to make sure that we’re picking up on the tone of voice and body language before we’re really satisfied that this person is scheduled for the next phase of treatment.”
  • “If we don’t read their body language, we can inadvertently scare and confuse the patient.”
  • “The possibility is that we appreciate that body language doesn’t lie.”
  • “The goal that we must establish and the intent that we should have is that every patient all day long is seen, heard, and felt like we’ve let them know that they matter to us.”
  • “You should look for a long-term relationship because it pays dividends again and again and again.”
  • “Your team is your eyes, ears, and spokespeople, so they must be good as you are, if not better.”

Featured on the Show:

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Is Your Business Built On Hubris?

“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 best in everyone because it will translate into a positive experience for both the team and the patients. The big question is, how do you transform your team’s hubristic culture into a team-centric mindset.

In today’s episode, I’ll talk about the factors that drive an honor business and a hubris business, and why it is important to know where your practice stands between the two. I’ll also share the five elements that I want you to examine about your business. I prepared insightful questions that you need to contemplate to set yourself up for an excellent 2022.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

Key Quotes:

  • “The more divided our society gets, the harder it is to align a team.”
  • “If we’re going to be a growing organization, we have to challenge our comfort zone.”
  • “Environment is everything. A big part of being a good CEO is helping the team see the vision, you’re continuously selling that vision, but you also have to give them the tools and the training to succeed.”
  • “Collective confidence: When people come to work each day, they believe that this team will be successful no matter what.”
  • “If you’re willing to do what other dental practice owners won’t do, you will reap the benefits.”

Featured on the Show:

  • I appreciate your feedback. Let me know what you learned and loved here: [email protected].

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Three Secrets To Dealing With Adversity

What’s your favorite movie of all time?

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 period of discovery that we’re far stronger than we thought we were.

In today’s episode, I’ll be talking about resilience. The difficulty we face as practice owners have exponentiated to a great degree in these crazy times. I’ll share three ways to keep a proactive stance on resiliency in dealing with adversity, rise above the occasion, and get back up better and stronger.

Tune in and find solutions to common practice issues at  Prescriptions for Your Practice.

 

Key Quotes:

  • “Make sure that you’re setting 90-day goals that bring out the best in you and your team.”
  • “In being resilient, we can see opportunities in these radical shifts. You have to be aware and stay on offense so you can seize them.”
  • “It’s better to be proactive and stay in the offense during turbulent times than to be caught off guard.”
  • “Resilient businesses would need resilient cultures, and resilient cultures require resilient leaders.”
  • “Sometimes positive thinking will keep us in denial of what is. We can face the brutal facts; we can look at the reality of what is and still be hopeful.”
  • “In difficult times, we have to stay purpose-driven.”
  • “Adaptability, mental agility is a hallmark of resilience.”
  • “There are always lessons in deep, dark, difficult times; there are always gems to be mined.”
  • “Sometimes in business and life, we have to color outside the lines and do whatever is required.”

Featured on the Show:

 

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