Too Poor to Buy Cheap
As a young boy growing up in the fifties, I remember helping my dad fix things. Whether it was the car, the furnace, or the sink, my dad could fix it, and – by working beside him – I learned to fix things too. We weren’t well-to-do by any stretch of the imagination. We ate the heels of every loaf of bread, drank each gallon of milk to the last drop, and packed bologna and cheese sandwiches every Sunday afternoon for our school lunches for the coming week. But when it came to fixing things, my dad had the finest tools money could buy. One day...
read moreBeat Stress with Simple Steps!
As health-care professionals, we’re frequently so driven to serve others, we add unnecessary stress to each day. As I’ve noted before, a little stress is a good thing because it helps us respond successfully to life’s many challenges, but chronic stress is truly life-shortening and robs us of the joy of existence. It goes without saying that solid systems of management are critically important to minimize practice stress. Knowing how long it takes to provide a given service can help the team stay on time. Providing proper training and...
read moreChoose Happiness!
When I was eight years old, I joined the Boy Scouts, and looked forward to many adventures, including hiking, camping, and – of course – competing in the soap box derby! I still remember how excited I was to enter my first race and how devastated I was when I finished dead last! The members of my troupe laughed at me, and I cried as I walked home from the meet. I decided to “get even” with them and quit Scouts. But doing so didn’t hurt anyone but me as I gave up the opportunity to grow as a person through a time-honored youth organization. As...
read moreMake the Most of What You Have
It troubles me that many young practitioners incur unnecessary debt by buying more than they need to establish their practice. They should begin with the basics and add the bells and whistles as the practice grows. My first office was quite modest and furnished with secondhand equipment. It wasn’t much, but it’s what I could afford, and it served as the foundation for my ultimate success. I’m reminded of a memorable weekend of boating, fishing, and camping with Dad and my brother during the mid-sixties. We departed Florida’s southwest coast...
read moreThe Donut Man
I don’t have a picture of him. I wish I did, for he was the poster child for industry, determination, and entrepreneurialism. To us, he was simply, “the Donut Man.” A daily fixture each morning at the intersection of North Avenue and Techwood Drive, just on the edge of the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology, he sold Krispy Kreme donuts for a dime. We students could, of course, buy one for a nickel at Krispy Kreme’s bakery a half-mile away, but we paid the Donut Man a dime for a sweet burst of breakfast as we trudged up “the Hill”...
read moreService, Knowledge, Relationship
While visiting my daughter, I was advised that the toilet paper holder in the guest bathroom kept falling off the cabinet. My son-in-law took everything apart and quickly recognized that the hardware had been improperly installed and needed replacement. As we entered the local ACE Hardware store for the items needed, I held the components in the air and jested, “Toilet paper emergency! Toilet paper emergency!” The clerk laughed and said, “Welcome to ACE! Aisle 22 on the right!” Compare that to the rather typical experience encountered...
read moreForever Friends. . .
Dentistry is a relationship-driven business, and those who don’t understand that will never experience sustained success. When we enjoy a personal relationship with those for whom we care, trust is more easily established which naturally leads to greater treatment acceptance and a commitment to continuing care. As a young dentist, my focus necessarily shifted from boyhood friendships to patient relationships. In truth, I lost contact with numerous friends as my professional responsibilities and life’s many challenges became increasingly...
read moreAccelerated Hygiene. . . ?
During the 1980’s, a concept known as “accelerated hygiene,” still embraced today, became popular. It was based upon the principle that, like the dentist, the hygienist’s activities and services should be limited for maximum profitability to only those the hygienist was licensed to perform. All others should be delegated. To be clear, I’m a firm believer in appropriate delegation. Empowering employees to contribute to the success of the practice at the highest level not only builds their self-esteem but contributes to practice efficiency...
read moreBucket List. . . ?
Remember when you were a kid and couldn’t wait until you were old enough to get your driver’s license or your first job? And how about high-school graduation? Couldn’t come soon enough! “Just wait until….” seemed to be a recurring theme. Truly, life’s early years seemed to last an eternity. Why is it then, that the years seem so much shorter as we age (see my archived blog, “Relatively Speaking…June, 2015)? With my fiftieth high school reunion rapidly approaching, I’m left to wonder...
read moreMake the Investment
When I speak to doctors in transition, I remind them of the importance of keeping their office “current.” For some, that’s as easy as having their landlord repaint as part of their lease renewal agreement or upgrading the furniture in their perhaps, dated reception area. For others, however, it might require a significant financial investment to add computer work stations, digital radiographic sensors, and intra-oral cameras to their operatories. In either case, there is a payoff. Repainting heavily trafficked hallways or adding a new...
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