Most of us have heard songs that just kind of stick in your head.  My most favorite musical is Wicked and the song that really makes me smile is Popular.  Kristen Chenowith as Glenda the good witch is talking to Elphie, her roommate.  The chorus resounds with: “Popular, you’re gonna be popular. I’ll teach you the proper poise when you ...

It has been over two decades since I sat down with a consultant from Scottsdale, Arizona, and discussed why my practice had so many patients.  We spent almost 3 hours discussing why almost every patient we saw said yes to our treatment plans, showed up for every appointment, and referred everyone they knew.  As we went back and forth on the ...

There is a phrase that summarizes the plight of the average dentist.  It is the “I think I should drive the same car as a hip-hop music mogul because I am a dentist” effect.  This phrase comes in part from a TV commercial, but also has a level of application to most dentists I have ever met.   In the commercial, the wife is pressing the ...

If you have ever had to give a speech or write an article, you know how difficult it is to express yourself or come up with a topic that you hope would help your audience.  I face this every week.  A blank page, a speaking event, or even writing a book.  You open your computer, and face an empty screen, looking like a whiteout blizzard.  There ...

Once again, we have arrived at dental school graduation.  Another 6,900 dental graduates are being turned out in an uncertain dental economy.  It is a time to look towards the future.  Get ready, because what got you here will not be what you need in the next stage of your career.  You are now the proud owner of a dental license.  I might ...

I know what to say, but I can’t say it.  One of our Summit Coaches I know what I need to say, but you can’t handle it.  Michael Abernathy I know what you need to hear, but you won’t listen.  Max Gotcher You can’t handle the truth.  Jack Nicholson  (A Few Good Men – 1992)   Often times, doctors find themselves ...

I tend to be pretty organized, but yesterday I was out in my barn going through some boxes of dental stuff I had saved.  In the process I ran across an article I wrote some thirty years ago.  Three decades is a long time to look back on, but I reread the article and was a little surprised at the applicability of these things even today.  I ...

Have you ever known a person who had problems follow him/her wherever they went?  And have you perhaps observed that the problems often, if not always, seemed to center around the fact that he or she had a hard time getting along with people? There is a relational truth that I learned from a mentor many years ago.  Let’s call our person ...

Suppose we stopped pretending the corpse is breathing.  Suppose we recognized that putting makeup on a dead body doesn’t bring it back to life.  Hey, we are well into another year and once again it is starting to look like ground hog day.  Another opportunity missed. You didn’t lower your overhead, produce more, or finally free up the ...

I can’t help but notice that there is a large percentage of new dental graduates that struggle with their decision to become a dentist.  It is commonplace to list debt, poor training in dental school, and few opportunities when they get out. But about every third post on dental web sites concerns stress, burnout, money, and upset patients.  A ...