Achieving Success in the Practice of Dentistry

Next month – January 2014 –  I am starting my  eighteenth year of working full time as a coach and advisor to dental practices, and I have just gone by the 600th  separate dental practice mark. So that is a pretty good size sampling from which to draw conclusions of why certain doctors and certain practices are more successful than others. Why do some dental practices become so much more profitable than others? Why do some practices grow exponentially, and why do some doctors seem to get so much more satisfaction than others? Are there commonalities, and are there predictable ingredients to add to the mix that can create a successful outcome? Or is it all serendipitous? Is it all good fortune? Is success only related to God-given clinical abilities, or can mere mortals with a great work ethic achieve just as well?

What I found from my analysis surprised me. I concluded  that of the top ten strategic areas of focus that I feel are barometers for success–however you might want to define success in a dental practice–only two are actually related to the clinical ability of the doctor.

So over the next few months, I plan to share my findings and observations with you, my readers. Hopefully these insights might be able to help you evaluate the way you currently are operating your business in order to potentially make some changes that will allow you to achieve greater success and happiness. Stay tuned!