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Dental Practices can’t just phone it in

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Your front line team members are the first client/customer facing representatives anyone comes into contact with when they call or enter your dental practice. Hopefully you’ve trained them to be both empathetic and professional. Let’s say you’ve gone a step further and they are also well – versed on best practices surrounding customer care. That’s it, you’re done!

Not so fast.

What happens where they’re engaged with a real life customer and the phone rings? Is your answering system as good as your staff? If not, then you have a big hole that needs a filling.

First off, the phone should be answered within four rings. If staff are too busy to do so, let it go to the answering system. Nobody wants to hear, “this is Dr. Smith’s office. I’m going to have to put you on hold.”

If it isn’t possible for any member of your team to grab that phone call within four rings, your message has to be the next best thing to speaking to a real person.

First, the answering system should allow patients a choice. They should be allowed to leave their name and phone number along with a request or question.  Alternately, the caller should be able to opt to stay on the line and wait. But if they do so, it is vitally important they are reminded every 30 seconds that you haven’t forgotten about them and that someone will be with them shortly. If, after two minutes, they are still waiting, they should have an additional option to leave a message. Here is where you differentiate yourself by promising to return the call within 15 minutes. Why is this important? That 15 minutes buys your time before they call another practice to set up an appointment.

Still not convinced about the importance of this seemingly minor issue? I’ve got a simple test for you. Do you remember the last time you were put on hold for a long time? Did you call back? I would guess you might have moved onto another provider.

We are all busy. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have time for clients. How you treat someone when you are busy speaks volumes about how much you would value them as a customer.

If you want to talk about how I can transform your dental practice into a customer service dynamo, please get in touch.

The most important person in your practice is the first and last one to see your patients

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So you’ve got a dental office with technicians and great patient care specialists. Who’s the most important person in your business?

The answer is surprising to some. The surprise is that it’s not you. It’s actually the front-desk person. They are a patient’s first and last point of contact. They set the tone for the patient’s experience at your practice.

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Female patient coming to dental surgery check-up appointment reception

He or she must possess patience, knowledge, grace under pressure, and the ability to show empathy, along with being efficient and effective.

When recruiting for this crucial position, the following skill sets are of key importance:

∙ Sales skills

. Telephone skills

∙ Gathering and interpreting data

∙ Patient orientation

∙ Developing and providing information about a comprehensive treatment plan

∙ Reviewing financial options for the patient to receive care and treatment

∙ The ability to generate reports to assess the success and progress of your business team

∙ Review and make necessary adjustments to procedures and processes through daily, biweekly, weekly, or monthly meetings and discussions

 

As you can see, this is a position that goes well beyond “receptionist.” Your front desk person has to wear many hats throughout the day, and it all starts with how they answer the phone.

If you want to talk about how I can make your dental practice a dynamo in customer service, please get in touch.

Guidelines​ ​for​ ​building​ ​an​ ​effective​ ​team

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To​ ​me,​ ​T.E.A.M.​ ​means​ ​“together​ ​employees​ ​achieve​ ​mastership.”

It’s​ ​a​ ​convenient​ ​acronym.​ ​But​ ​it’s​ ​more​ ​than​ ​that.​ ​In​ ​order​ ​for​ ​it​ ​to​ ​work​ ​leadership​ ​has​ ​to
make​ ​sure​ ​its​ ​team​ ​has​ ​the​ ​tools​ ​to​ ​succeed.​ ​Training,​ ​education,​ ​attitude​ ​and​ ​money​ ​are
the​ ​building​ ​blocks.​ ​Take​ ​away​ ​any​ ​of​ ​those​ ​elements​ ​and​ ​your​ ​team​ ​is​ ​just​ ​a​ ​gathering​ ​of
paid​ ​employees.

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Medical team of three professional woman at dental surgery portrait

Experience​ ​has​ ​taught​ ​me​ ​that​ ​people,​ ​who​ ​both​ ​want​ ​and​ ​need​ ​employment,​ ​are​ ​the​ ​ideal candidates​ ​for​ ​building​ ​a​ ​great​ ​team​.​ ​I’ve​ ​seen​ ​how​ ​people​ ​who​ ​hate​ ​their​ ​jobs​ ​and​ ​those who​ ​don’t​ ​need​ ​their​ ​jobs​ ​are​ ​never​ ​really​ ​fully​ ​committed​ ​to​ ​them.

Commitment,​ ​loyalty,​ ​trust​ ​and​ ​a​ ​desire​ ​to​ ​work​ ​are​ ​the​ ​ingredients​ ​for​ ​fantastic​ ​employees
who​ ​become​ ​integral​ ​parts​ ​of​ ​amazing​ ​teams.​ ​And​ ​at​ ​the​ ​risk​ ​of​ ​sounding​ ​somewhat​ ​agist​ ​-
and​ ​having​ ​been​ ​a​ ​former​ ​member​ ​of​ ​this​ ​cohort​ ​-​ ​​ ​I’ve​ ​found​ ​people​ ​in​ ​their​ ​20s​ ​go​ ​through
so​ ​many​ ​of​ ​their​ ​own​ ​changes​ ​that​ ​the​ ​odds​ ​of​ ​them​ ​still​ ​being​ ​with​ ​your​ ​team​ ​into​ ​their​ ​30s
is​ ​not​ ​great.​ ​That​ ​doesn’t​ ​mean​ ​you​ ​shouldn’t​ ​give​ ​young​ ​people​ ​opportunities.​ ​But​ ​do​ ​so
knowing​ ​that​ ​your​ ​job​ ​is​ ​probably​ ​seen​ ​as​ ​a​ ​stepping​ ​stone​ ​to​ ​something​ ​bigger​ ​and​ ​better.

The​ ​average​ ​dental​ ​office​ ​will​ ​have​ ​fewer​ ​than​ ​ten​ ​employees.​ ​That​ ​works​ ​in​ ​the​ ​owner’s
favour.​ ​Managing​ ​and​ ​coaching​ ​a​ ​small​ ​staff​ ​provides​ ​excellent​ ​opportunities​ ​for
mentorship​ ​and​ ​skills​ ​development​ ​while​ ​also​ ​delivering​ ​exceptional​ ​service​ ​to​ ​the​ ​patients.
But​ ​that​ ​tidy​ ​size​ ​comes​ ​at​ ​a​ ​price.​ ​Fewer​ ​staff​ ​means​ ​difficulties​ ​in​ ​times​ ​of​ ​family
commitments,​ ​illness​ ​and​ ​such.​ ​However​ ​when​ ​you​ ​have​ ​a​ ​real​ ​TEAM​ ​they​ ​pull​ ​together
and​ ​help​ ​each​ ​other​ ​out​ ​-​ ​so​ ​that​ ​your​ ​patient​ ​experience​ ​doesn’t​ ​have​ ​to​ ​suffer.

Another​ ​quality​ ​I​ ​look​ ​for​ ​when​ ​building​ ​a​ ​team,​ ​is​ ​a​ ​person’s​ ​marketing,​ ​sales​ ​and
business​ ​experience.​ ​Knowing​ ​the​ ​field​ ​of​ ​dentistry​ ​is​ ​a​ ​nice​ ​but​ ​not​ ​necessarily​ ​essential
skill​ ​for​ ​an​ ​employee​ ​to​ ​have.​ ​​ ​If​ ​forced​ ​to​ ​choose​ ​between​ ​someone​ ​who​ ​is​ ​knowledgeable
and​ ​one​ ​who​ ​has​ ​great​ ​sales​ ​and​ ​management​ ​skills,​ ​I​ ​will​ ​always​ ​pick​ ​the​ ​latter.​ ​Clinical
skills​ ​can​ ​be​ ​taught;​ ​teaching​ ​management​ ​and​ ​sales​ ​are​ ​much​ ​more​ ​difficult.

That​ ​doesn’t​ ​mean​ ​your​ ​team​ ​should​ ​be​ ​devoid​ ​of​ ​dental​ ​experience.​ ​You​ ​will​ ​always​ ​need
to​ ​have​ ​individuals​ ​with​ ​a​ ​background​ ​and​ ​knowledge​ ​of​ ​the​ ​dental​ ​business​ ​and​ ​dental
hygiene.​ ​I​ ​would​ ​be​ ​lying​ ​if​ ​I​ ​said​ ​it​ ​is​ ​easy​ ​to​ ​find​ ​such​ ​individuals;​ ​in​ ​fact,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​extremely
difficult.​ ​In​ ​some​ ​cases,​ ​it​ ​may​ ​appear​ ​impossible,​ ​but​ ​it​ ​can​ ​be​ ​done.

There​ ​is​ ​an​ ​old​ ​adage​ ​in​ ​business​ ​that​ ​for​ ​every​ ​$10,000​ ​you​ ​pay​ ​a​ ​person,​ ​​ ​you​ ​should
spend​ ​a​ ​month​ ​to​ ​find​ ​the​ ​RIGHT​ ​person.​ ​What​ ​that​ ​means​ ​is​ ​that​ ​if​ ​you’re​ ​going​ ​to​ ​pay
someone​ ​$50,000​ ​a​ ​year,​ ​you​ ​should​ ​be​ ​willing​ ​to​ ​spend​ ​five​ ​months​ ​on​ ​the​ ​hiring​ ​process.
I​ ​can’t​ ​emphasize​ ​that​ ​enough.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​a​ ​critical​ ​step​ ​in​ ​accomplishing​ ​your​ ​goal​ ​of​ ​developing
the​ ​ideal​ ​dental​ ​business.​ ​Not​ ​selecting​ ​the​ ​right​ ​individuals​ ​when​ ​putting​ ​together​ ​your
team​ ​will​ ​result​ ​in​ ​an​ ​enormous​ ​cost​ ​to​ ​you​ ​and​ ​your​ ​organization​ ​over​ ​the​ ​long​ ​run.

If​ ​this​ ​sounds​ ​like​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​work​ ​-​ ​it​ ​is.​ ​But​ ​it’s​ ​the​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​work​ ​that​ ​if​ ​done​ ​right,​ ​will​ ​be​ ​pay dividends​ ​every​ ​day​ ​you​ ​open​ ​your​ ​doors.

The journey from believing to achieving business success

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Are you a believer or an achiever? Do you cruise through your day believing you’re doing a good job or do you actually have a strategy to make it happen?

I read statistics recently that showed 92 percent of CEOs believe they deliver excellent customer satisfaction. The reality however, showed that only about 8 percent actually hit that goal.

The 92 percent may be true believers.  But belief in itself doesn’t deliver anything other than a false sense of achievement. Making the leap to actually producing results requires something I call the 3Ds: design, develop and deliver.

So how do you do this?

First, take your final product and divide it up into the elements needed to design a complete customer experience. Then hone and further develop and refine that complete customer experience on an ongoing basis. Remember it’s not a ‘do and done’ thing: it requires attention and adaptability to influences both within and without the organization.

Finally, you and your team have to deliver.

Every. Single. Time.

Failing on that third ‘D’ makes everything else pointless. I’ve seen this happen again and again. And the result is wasteful spending on advertising, additional sales staff, acquisitions, products and gimmicks all in a desperate attempt to achieve a goal that is not clearly defined or understood.

Would you set out on a road trip without a map and travel plans? Of course not. So why would you do it in business?

The key is to make the connection between profits and your customer satisfaction experience. Many managers don’t understand this connection and spend their time squeezing staff and customers in pursuit of fast profits over long term success.

They never understand that a satisfied customer base is actually the best street level marketing team a company can have. Customers talk to their friends and colleagues and rave about your service at their dinner tables, social gatherings and family events. These advocates have a level of access and a credibility that no salesperson could ever match. What’s more, they’re free to you if you deliver a great customer experience.

Of course the opposite is true. Deliver a mediocre or poor customer experience and your business will suffer. Instead of talking your business up, people will ask their friends, family and colleagues for suggestions on where to find a better experience. So you’ve not only lost that one customer – but everyone else they talk to.

When developing that customer experience, look at all of it. From your appointment system to the cleanliness of your washrooms to the magazines in your waiting room, all of it is about delivering the ideal customer experience.

Design, develop and deliver. Turn that into your business mantra, your business culture and you’ll see the results in your bottom line.

If you’re a dentist or other healthcare professional and you’d like to discuss how to lead a business that works for you please get in touch.

Is your business in the good profit or bad profit game?

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In dentistry as in most businesses, how your business operates says more about your company than you might suspect.

The culture of your workplace reflects your company values. If staff attend carefully to patients instead of rushing them in and out, then you have a more healthy culture.

 

Your people are your company’s greatest asset. In order to find continued success you need a hardworking, dedicated and motivated team. But if you do not have a great people-culture, it’s your responsibility to improve it.

I have been in this game a long time.  I have found that one of the key factors in  success has been the positive relationships with team members, leaders and managers have internally and also with patients. It doesn’t happen overnight. You have to cultivate this over time with excellent processes, procedures and outstanding communication.

Why bother?

Good relationships lead to what I call ‘good profits.’ This is a continuous revenue stream that comes from good customer interactions and relationships. In essence you’re building customer loyalty not on price, but service based on a personal touch. People want to stay with you. When this is done they will tell their friends and family members.

Of course the opposite can true. Bad profits are those revenues earned when you chase after every dollar and squeeze employees at every opportunity. They won’t like you. It will show in the way they act around patients and each other. As they say “you can’t fake authenticity.”

The result is patients don’t feel loyalty and they don’t return. Worse still they may also tell their friends about the experience they had. An unsatisfied customer is more than a missed opportunity – it’s multiple lost opportunities.

Unsurprisingly, what you need to do is treat your customers the way you’d want to be treated.

Good profits are earned when customers or patients continually come back for additional services and products and rave to friends and family about their excellent experience.

These customers become promoters of your business and they’re worth far more than any advertising dollars you’ll spend. People trust word-of-mouth and they are the most cost-effective growers of your business you’ll ever have.

The ultimate question is how do you create the appropriate processes and procedures? Start by measuring what makes your customer or patient satisfied and happy. This comes with quality assurance and quality assessment on every point of service. Review and improve your existing processes and procedures and focus on your customers and patients, plus team members, leaders and managers. All areas of an organization need constant improvement and that will come with continual organizational communication.

The goal is you want your team members and patients to (BLT) Believe, Like and Trust you and your organization.

So what does your business focus on: bad or good profits?

If you’re a dentist or other healthcare professional and you’d like to discuss how to lead a business that works for you please get in touch.

 

E6: Podcast: The Administrative Scale

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Hello and welcome to Ascent Dental Radio. A program dedicated to the balance between the clinical aspect of health care and the business of health care. And now here is your host, Dr. Kevin Coughlin.

kevin-transparentWelcome. My name is Dr. Kevin Coughlin, creator and owner of Ascent Dental Solutions, with a focus on developing your team, product and service, education, knowledge, training and the creation of the appropriate processes and procedures to make your product, service or organization better.

I hope you enjoy the following podcast, which I’ll refer to as the Administrative Scale. This is basically a scale or a system for success. It is made up of goals, purposes, policies, plans, programs, projects, orders, ideal scenes, statistics.

All of these processes and procedures are to create a valuable final product, whether this is a product, a service, but ultimately the goal is to improve your organization and help your team members for success. The final valuable product can be either good services, but the ultimate goal is a total package or end result that provides value.

My expertise in health care is simple patient satisfaction, which is based on a high quality and a valuable final product, which in all cases simply means your patient or customer has found value in your care, service, product or some combination.

The final product has a series of sub-products that can either make or break you for success. Whether it’d be a patient or a customer, value is simply something that is worth something to someone and exchange is the process of offering something valuable in return for some other valuable product or service. Sales and delivery, always deliver what you promise. And finally agreements, always honor what you’ve agreed upon.

To emphasize this, focus on value, exchange, sales and delivery and agreements. In most cases, there are four basic conditions of any exchange. There is a criminal exchange, a partial exchange, a fair exchange, and the ultimate best is an exchange in abundance, which is almost unknown in today’s society but is the key to success and expansion not just in your business, but in your life. There are similar scales for various conditions and these conditions have power, power change, affluence, normal, emergency, danger and non-existence.

In non-existence, this is an area that doesn’t produce any valuable final product. The group, the organization, the product, the service is not producing, it is non-existent and it means your business has failed.

Prior to this you go through a stage of danger. Danger simply means the end is near and immediate action is needed. Things must be handled now and immediately. Statistics show a continually steady decline in product, service and ultimately the decline in your organization. Statistics will plunge down very steeply. Senior executives or so called leaders find themselves doing the job of another activity because the areas are in trouble.

Following danger is emergency. You know the production and the collection is not what it should be. Stats are unchanging and the trend is going downhill. If no action is taken, things will fall apart. Always remember that nothing stays the same. They are either expanding or contracting.

Normal conditions, things aren’t neither stellar nor poor. They’re fairly normal or static. And keep in mind that this condition is rare. In most cases, a business is either expanding or contracting. And normal conditions are, in my opinion, a thing of the past.

We then move through affluence. This is a steep increase in statistics, whether it be the number of new patients, increase in valuable final products, an increase in revenue, things seem to be going very good. This is important. You and yourself, and your organization should strive to maintain affluence and push above and beyond this particular condition.

The next is a power condition. This is even better than affluence. The statistics have gone into a very high range. There is such an abundance of production that the momentary halts and/or dips cannot pull it down. Your business and organization is flowing quickly and successfully.

The next condition is power change. There are only two conditions for a change when you are so successful. One change is it’s time to turn over to someone else, or you’re so very successful that you’ve decided it is time to sell or retire.

The next condition is formulas. The emergency formula is to create a better product, a final product that offers value. You must constantly, when you evaluate your business, promote it, continue to produce, look to change your operating basis, economize, deliver and stiffen discipline.

If you follow these rules of engagement, your business will always stay in a state of affluence or better than affluence. And that is the goal, not only in life, but in business.

If you’ve enjoyed this podcast and you are interested in more information, please go to my website www.ascent-dental-solutions.com or email me at info@ascent-dental-solutions.com. Thanks, I hope you enjoyed the following podcast and I look forward to speak with you in the future. My name is Dr. Kevin Coughlin.

Dentistry is changing: do you know where you fit in?

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Dentistry as we know it is changing right before our eyes. The data is clear: fewer and fewer dentists are practicing as solo practitioners and more of us are moving toward group practice. While everyone has their own reasons, the biggest draw seems to be creating a better work-life balance.

 

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It’s an understandable choice. On one hand your are expected to be an excellent healthcare provider, leader, and business person. While at the same time you have a family and all the obligations that come along with it.

For the majority of us who are not superhuman, something has to give. And most of the time the hit is taken on the family side of the ledger.

So it’s no surprise that many of us look to corporate dentistry – specifically DSO’s and or MSO’s – to even out the personal balance sheet.

Dental Service or Support Organizations or Managed Service or Support Organizations are markedly different from ordinary ‘mom and pop’ solo dental corporations.

The biggest benefit to the dentist looking for a bit of balance and structure is that MSOs come with built in processes, marketing, education and support that eliminate many of the headaches solo practices have to deal with.

But there is also a cost. That cost comes from the loss of control to equity partners, more interested in profits than patients. In many instances these groups are only in the game for 3 to 7 years after which the investment arm cashes in it’s chips and moves on.

At that point another group will step in with it’s own ideas about how things should be done.   

This invariably causes disruption and a lack of continuity within the organization. On the positive side process and procedures will be put in place that could perhaps reduce waste and control some costs. But that doesn’t entirely offset other factors such as additional layers of management, and an emphasis on short term profits at the expense of long term failure.

This isn’t an issue for discussion anymore. We must adapt and modify our practices and prepare team members and the public for these changes.

There is room for both business models. And the hope is that each model will force the other to become better not just in care but in service.

In the end patients are attracted to a particular dental practice based on their needs, finances and education. A majority will be moved by slick marketing, convenient hours and numerous locations. But others will value the continuity of care specialized services and BLT: an office they Believe In, Like and Trust.

If you’re a dentist and you’d like to discuss how to create a practice that works for you please get in touch.

Leadership is about building up the people around you

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customer-service-and-dental-practicesLeadership is such a commanding term that it’s easy to overlook that at its best, it’s simply influence. People in your organization want to know what direction to go and your cues often tell them everything they need to know.

I’d like to share a recent story of an instance when a change in leadership definately didn’t work and why. The new regime, quickly shifted focus to immediate bottom line results. What followed was a wave of cost-cutting terminations of some excellent,  long term employees.

This type of short term thinking is almost always guaranteed to result in long-term headaches.

Sometimes the term leader is misused. I’ve seen individuals placed in leadership positions without the skills, knowledge, ability and personalities to truly lead.

In many cases, these individuals come into the role with little confidence or were blinded by power and greed. It would be laughable if the end results weren’t so awful. Leaders have to look out for those they lead. And those who don’t quickly lose the commitment of employees to the organization.  

The true success of any business is not the bottom line, but the ability to create a service and product people clamour for and want. And creating this kind of success requires that employees believe  the organization is doing the right things at the right time for the right reasons.

In the particular situation noted above, I watched as individuals who developed a magnificent business based on trust, belief and likeability were shown the door, as the business itself slowly fell apart.

For those of you that think you’re leaders, or those of you who hope to be leaders, or those of you who have been put in leadership positions, consider what your ultimate goal is. Your goal should be to build a great business, not for the short term, but for the long term. Your goals should be to bring the people around you up, not down.

You have to be constant in your commitment to communication, fairness and honesty. Following these basic tenants will certainly make you feel better, and ultimately create an excellent product and long term success.

I offer one-on-one coaching to help busy professionals develop the leadership skills to succeed in any workplace. If this sounds like something you could use please get in touch.

The factors behind Successful Leadership Part 4

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Leading makes a leader. I discovered this a number of years ago when I found myself the head of my dental practice.

And like many, leading was an unexpected byproduct of heading up a dental team.

I knew what I wanted but I had to learn to become a leader for my partners, colleagues and staff. Leadership wasn’t about me: it was about them. Helping them to do their jobs at the highest level they could do by providing them with the encouragement, guidance and example to follow.

I did a lot of research and learning along the way and found that it came down to 17 areas that contributed to becoming a successful leader.

They are motivation, tolerance, trust, purpose, vision, attitude, awareness, determination, commitment, endeavor, tenacity, belief, faith, inspiration, self-control, willpower and patience.

I’ve covered many of them in three previous blog posts.

Here’s the rest….

Inspiration

Where do your ideas come from? Where do your team members’ ideas come from? In business you will always need new and fresh ideas. They could come from all walks of life, all different types of people, all different ideas, but you constantly need to renew your ideas and come up with fresh ones. Many times I find I get inspiration from the people around me. It can be an inspiring story or something I’ve learned about a team member or partner that I fully didn’t understand or was aware of. Think about those who inspired you, why they did, and work to create that same atmosphere so that the people around and near you walk away inspired.

Self Control

Self-control is critical. In the heat of battle, it’s difficult, even at time almost impossible to have self-control. But it is a crucial part of success and leadership.

Self-control starts first by understanding yourself, knowing the buttons that can trigger your reactions, and trying to maintain your personal self-control.

And in the end, it’s willpower, the constant drive to be the best at what you’re doing and to instill that willpower in the team members around you.

If you are struggling with becoming a leader in your organisation – whether it be in healthcare environment or not, the principles remain the same.

I offer one-on-one coaching to help busy professionals develop the leadership skills to succeed in any workplace. If this sounds like something you could use please get in touch.

E5: Podcast: Following the bottom line right to the bottom

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Description: In this episode Dr. Coughlin explores what it really takes to be a leader, and shares a story about what can happen when there is a lack of effective leadership.

In this episode Dr. Coughlin discusses how focusing on the bottom line can shatter lives and the business itself.

Hello and welcome to Ascent Dental Radio. A program dedicated to the balance between the clinical aspect of health care and the business of health care. And now here is your host, Dr. Kevin Coughlin.

kevin-transparentWhen does bottom line sometimes make your business reach the bottom? My name is Dr. Kevin Coughlin and welcome to the next podcast. One of my recent podcasts dealt with a series of factors that in my opinion create great leaderships and great leaders.

In truth, leadership is simply influence. The ability to influence people in your organization to go in a specific direction. The significant factors are motivation, tolerance, trust, purpose, vision, attitude, awareness, determination, commitment, tenacity, belief, faith, inspiration, self-control, willpower and patience.

I’d like to share with you a story of a recent transaction where there was a change in leadership and the corporate leadership felt that the bottom line was critical. Actions were being duplicated, people were being duplicated. And best friends who were excellent employees were terminated, lives were terminated, parents were terminated. In the end, reaching the bottom line also caused the business to reach the bottom.

Sometimes leaders, and in my opinion, the term leader is sometimes misused. Many times individuals are place in leadership position but lack the skills, knowledge, ability and personalities to truly be leaders.

In many cases, these individuals are rather small people who have little confidence and are many times blinded by power and greed. Ultimately, things have a tendency to self-correct, and those people that are put in leadership either by lack, financial reasons, or serendipitously by simple mistakes, those businesses will ultimately be destroyed.

The true success of any business is not the dollar bottom line, but the ability to create a service and a product that people clamour for and they want, and knowing that that organization is doing the right things at the right time for the right reasons.

Failure to follow those basic tenants will ultimately lead to self-destruction and ultimately to the ruin of a good business.

Sometimes I think that people are clouded many times by greed and lack of support or confidence. In this particular situation, I watched a family be ruined. I watched individuals who have developed over time a magnificent business with trust, belief and likeability, I saw individuals hurt and I see the business being destroyed piece by piece.

For those of you that think you’re leaders or those of you who hope to be leaders, or those of you who have been put in leadership positions, consider what your ultimate goal is. Your goal should be to build a great business, not for the short term, but for the long term. Your goals should be to bring the people around you up, not down.

The ability to be constant in your commitment to communication, fairness and honesty. Following these basic tenants will not only make you feel better, but will ultimately create an excellent product and excellent long term success.

If you’d like to listen to additional information, you can hear it and see it on my website www.ascent-dental-solutions.com or you can email me at info@ascent-dental-solutions.com. Thanks for listening and I look forward to sharing with you additional podcasts in the near future. My name is Dr. Kevin Coughlin. Thank you for listening.