What Our Cohort Members Are Saying
Not having a “leadership mentor” in my dental career really left me to figure it out on my own…
and my leadership practices were all over the place. This lecture really organized the different types of leaders and management skills so I can figure out what will work best for me. I also think utilizing the Myers Briggs information will allow me to better understand my staff and learn what motivates them to go above and beyond.
— Dr. Kloch, 2020
That leadership is more than just instructing employees how to do things…
A leader gives their employees the tools to perform their duties and lets them go do it. This involves the leader and the employees constantly evaluating and adapting.
— Dr. Green, 2020
After five years in the Army and being placed in various leadership roles…
it is amazing how reinforcing this module was to my belief system. Having the role of leader and subordinate so clearly defined, and being placed in both roles, allowed me opportunities to reflect on leadership early in my career. Positive, role-model leaders that I greatly admired and punitive leaders loathed by the ranks taught me opposite lessons of equal importance. The most important concept I learned is the importance of emotional intelligence to success. And it makes total sense. Leadership is dynamic and being able to accurately read the emotions of your team is critical. Lastly, the team members that thrive in the practice and have better interactions with patients, staff, and owners alike are the team members with high EQ.
— Dr. Axelrod, 2020
The most important concept that I learned from this Module is…
the fact that I must conscious of tying together both my verbal and nonverbal communication in daily treatment of my patients. It is a good thing to have knowledge and being able to verbalize that knowledge, but your nonverbal communication must be just as concise.
— Dr. Clark, 2020
There are many (but not too many) components to a dental practice…
that need to be understood in order to have the practice be in balance. By having to expand on each of the sections, very specific thought is given and understanding gained.
— Dr. Patch, 2020
The most important concept is that a business plan is…
actually thinking and planning summary on paper and that such a monumental task can be achieved a little portion at the time. I will feel very accomplished once I complete this. Like climbing and surviving Mount Everest:)
— Dr. Stamenkovic, 2020
How body language affects how we feel about ourselves…
was literally a “mind blown” moment. I love, love, love the power pose. We typically think mind over matter but what a helpful and ingenious tool to use our body’s to influence our mind!
— Dr. Stillman, 2020
This module has been great.
As for leadership there are multiple things that I have learned. I really wished I learned these concepts before I purchased my practice. The first big lessons learned were found in the Harvard Business Review’s “A Survival Guide For Leaders” In that article two main concepts stood out which were “Cook the Conflict” and “Anchor Yourself”. The first concept speaks about keeping enough pressure on the team so the push forward with task but not too much where they “explode.” The other concept is about finding a way to unwind or finding a confidant where you can discuss your issues. The next lesson learned was related to the McGregor Theory that states that employees will normally act the way you perceive them. I have fell into this trap multiple times so now I know how important it is to keep a positive mindset when managing employees. Contrary evidence questions in the Performance Based Interview was extremely powerful. When conducting interviews it is always great to have unconventional question and I plan on implementing these questions into my interview process. The last lesson learned was about incentives. I still struggle with staff always wanting a raise. Incentives is a way for rewarding them for hard work without giving the raises which raises payroll. My goal is to implement at least one incentive program to see how it effects my team.
— Dr. Whilby, 2020
Everything is marketing
The most important thing from module 8 for me was that everything is marketing. Everything. From the way you conduct yourself to even the physical environment of your office.
— Dr. Gunnell
I learned what questions to ask when looking at acquiring a practice from someone.
I would never have know to ask for some of the documentation Dr. Driscoll recommends. It makes perfect sense, but again when you talk to brokers about a practice they try to downplay any red flags, and there tends to be missing information they don’t present upfront from the seller.
— Dr. Webb, 2020