Oral Systemic Leadership
Oral Systemic Leadership
The secret to success in any dental practice is leadership, without a doubt. Dr. Dan Sindelar has built a program on leadership into his 90-Day Secret to Success program. For any dental practice, leadership is essential to getting the word out about oral systemic health because it ensures that every member of the team is empowered to spread the word and take the actions necessary to improve patients’ lives.
As noted life coach Brian Tracy says, “A clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power.”
To become a more effective leader, Dr. Dan decided to step away from managing. He hired a great manager. Dr. Dan realized it was his job to inspire and to re-inspire, to hold meetings that actually matter (rather than merely mark time), to encourage, to lead by example, to set high standards—and to lighten up.
“You can’t be a good leader if you’re pushing people around,” Dr. Dan says, “and with oral systemic health as your goal, in order to incorporate it into your practice you need to develop your leadership skills that that everyone in your practice feels encouraged to act toward a common goal: greater health for everyone.”
Lead by Example
When you incorporate anything new into a practice, it’s important to lead by example—to demonstrate how to interact with patients in explaining new procedures, techniques, and efficiencies. Healthcare in general waits for people to fail, but Dr. Dan takes a conversational approach to oral systemic health, so people no longer fear what they don’t know. They can trust the practitioner to foster greater overall health.
A great part of leadership is learning how to look at things through a different lens. Dr. Dan provides an example: When he attended dental school 30 years ago, one of the requirements for future dentists was to acquire a human skull to study. His study of the skull of a woman in her mid-40s showed that she had had little dental care and abscesses and holes in her teeth. But that was all he saw.
Recently, following his work in the field of oral systemic health, Dr. Dan looked again at this skull. “I was looking at it through a different lens,” he says. “I saw infection there. I saw that she had chronic inflammation that shortened her life, and most important, I saw a fistulous track form the abscess to that portion of the cranium that held her brain. I have little doubt that this contributed to her early death. I know this now because I look at things differently. I see the whole picture, not just the old-fashioned ‘dental’ image.”
Work on Yourself Constantly
Dentists have accomplished quite a bit becoming a part of this profession. They’ve been trained at the best schools, made it through the difficult selection process, taken continuing education courses. Now it’s time to become better leaders. Leaders are self-made, self-developed. They work on themselves constantly.
As Goethe, the great German writer, said, “Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of being.” This goes for your family, team, patients, and even yourself! We all become what we are expected to be. Expect the best!
Dr. Dan can provide you with further details of his 90-day leadership process and how it applies to oral systemic health and building a successful practice.
