Every once in a while, you run across a phrase or word that really means something to you.  Far more than the actual words, this statement embodies a deep cultural emotional description that might affect a large part of your vision in life or work.  The challenge I face when sharing something that means a lot to me is that I worry that the words ...

In a previous article, we focused on the concept of “forced change”.  Something we could do that would cost almost nothing, but create a ripple effect on each team member, every system, and most importantly, improve the bottom line.  It eliminates the question of where to start.  It creates a tidal wave of change that washes away the poor ...

I live on a farm, and one of my hobbies is working over a forge to make things from scratch.  The forge is a two-foot by two-foot steel basin filled with coal and attached to a bellows.  The coal supplies heat that can melt or temper iron and steel.  The bellows supplies oxygen and air to increase or decrease the heat.  The amount of heat can ...

For the last few articles we have discussed assessing your results, making decisions, and acting to improve your culture and systems to maximize your results.  We even discussed the nine areas that can doom a practice to mediocrity.  With this in mind, I want to explain a little discussed topic that can literally take the procrastinator and ...

When it gets cold and wet, I have a tendency to work through most of my to-do-list pretty quickly.  While not a good habit, I will take time to watch an old movie before I start on another project.  In 1993, the number one comedy movie was “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray of Saturday Night Live fame.  Bill was a weatherman who, for the ...

This is a continuation of last week’s article on the nine things that hold doctors back from taking their practices to the next level, or cause them to become a “settler”.  Dental Settlers are those doctors that pride themselves in antiquated practice strategies, or just stop trying because they are too tired and worn out to compete in the ...

Regardless of the time of the year (it shouldn’t be just January 1st), each office should be looking at their “historical results” (quantitative numbers that tell you your practices’ score), your “momentum” (your pace, your ability to adapt, and change), and your “trajectory” (basically your flight path, the route you are ...

In any type of business, most owners fail to really identify problems.  Instead, they tend to look at the “symptoms” of problems.  For example, in a dental office an owner might say they have a collections problem (their symptom), rather than identifying the actual financial arrangements with the patient (the real problem).  They need more ...

In a profession where everything counts we need to limit our unforced errors.  I love tennis, and I hate unforced errors.  I have trained, practiced, been coached, and played engaged and then I miss a “give me” shot that I would actually have to work at missing.  The term unforced error is an important part of the vocabulary in the world of ...