Dr. Todd Franklin
Hello again! It seems that it was just a few months ago that I was sitting down to write my last article. By the time you receive this we will have just completed our latest PAC Live Patient course in Sacramento. This course was filled with new docs who are just starting their careers and their leap to doing more comprehensive dentistry in their practices. It was exciting to see the enthusiasm in their eyes and the anticipation of completing their first anterior aesthetics course.
The PAC is all about mentorship. There were so many questions these young doctors had. Many of our PAC Instructors are seasoned doctors and possess a wealth of knowledge. Listening to the questions and answers reminded me of my early days of my career. Many of the doctors had a similar question. “Where do you think I should set my practice up?” This is a tough question but it reminded me of an interview I did a few years back for one of my good friends Gary Takacs and his Thriving Dentist Show.
The title of the interview was ‘How to be successful no matter where you practice’. In that interview, I explained that as a young dentist it was more about where I wanted to live than where it was that I practiced. You have to look into the future and plan what you want your future to look like. At the end of the interview, it was evident that you can create a successful practice almost anywhere but you have to enjoy where you live. So as we help young doctors navigate the early stages of their careers, encourage them to find out where they want to live, recreate and raise a family.
As I reviewed the interview there were so many good comments made that I wanted to share those as well to the young dentists in an effort to help them be successful. Gary Takacs asked me about three things in the practice that could immediately help an office be successful. First and foremost is starting your day off right with a morning huddle. I am a firm believer that the average office can find an additional $500 of daily production in a morning huddle. If you calculate that out over the number of days your office is open that month, it can add up to a substantial amount of extra production. It can be an easy system to implement and I can share a simple outline for anyone interested.
Secondly, an office needs to have a team meeting once a month. You can spend about 90 minutes and cover everything that needs to be covered. Review how your last month went. Did you meet the goals that you and the team laid out? If not, where were the roadblocks to reaching that goal? If you did then it gives you a chance to celebrate your efforts. Successful teams celebrate their victories!
A third strategy was to seek out a mentor. As I mentioned in the interview, I have been mentored by some amazing colleagues. I have also been given the opportunity to mentor colleagues of mine. Our profession is a journey of constant learning. A slide I show in one of my lectures talks about identifying someone who is having success that you seek. Allow them to mentor you and do exactly what they tell you to do. Just about everything we teach in the PAC has been handed down to us from others who have been successful.
As a final reminder to all. Are you where you want to be? Are you unsure of where you are going? Surround yourself with those who are going where you’d like to go. Many of you reading this have yet to jump into a PAC program. Start off slow and join a local study group. Send out an email to a PAC mentor with questions you may have. Just don’t sit and wait for something to happen. You need to take action.
Take a moment out of your busy day and listen to the interview that Gary Takacs did. There may be something in there just for you. Visit www.takacslearningcenter.com, under podcasts you will find our interview dated 3/13/2013. You’ll be glad you did.
If you have questions about my article or if you would like to send a case, please contact the Pacific Aesthetic Laboratory Group at www.pacificaestheticdentalstudio.com, Gary Vaughn, CDT, CTO (916) 786-6740, or via email [email protected].
