THE SAVVY DENTIST PODCAST WITH DR JESSE GREEN

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EP 16 10 KEY HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS OWNERS

JesseGreen: Ladiesandgentlemen,welcometotheSavvyDentistPodcast,theshowwheregreatdentistrymeetsgreatbusiness.

Todaywe'regoingtobehavingaconversationsabouthabitsandmorespecificallywe'regoingtobehavingaconversationabout10keyhabitsthatI'veobservedthatsuccessfuldentalpracticeownerstakeintotheirpracticedayinanddayout.Nowthisisofcourse,really,really,important.There'sacoupleofthingsaroundthis.Oneisthatweknowtheenvironmentinwhichwe'repracticingcontinuestochangeataneverincreasingpace,andweknowthatwherethereischange,wherethereischaos,andevenalittlebitofturmoil,thereisplentyofopportunity.Iwantedtohavethisconversationwithyouguystodaysothatyoucantakethesehabits,learnfromthefactthatsuccessfuldentalpracticeownersaredoingthingsreallywell,becausesuccessleavescluesandyourselvesupforthemostamazing5to10yearsaheadofyou.

Thepeoplethatsucceedwillbetheonesthatareconscientiouslythinkingabouthowtheyruntheirbusiness.Thetimesthatweregone,youknowthegoldenyearsastheysay,beforetheGFC,whentherewastoomanypatientsandnotenoughdentists,thosedayhavegoneandsoit'snowreallyimportantthatdentist,ofcoursetheypracticegreatdentistry,butbeingagooddentistinandofitselfisnotreallyenoughtoguaranteeasuccessfulpractice.It'smoreimportantthaneverthatdentistsanddentalpracticeownersspecificallyhavesomegreatbusinessskillstocomplimenttheirgreatclinicalskills.Solet'sgothroughsomeofthesehabits.There's10thatI'dliketogothroughtoday,inabitofdetailandwe'llhaveadiscussionaboutthose.

NowthefirsthabitIwanttodiscussistheabilitytofocus.Buildingapractice,buildingabusinessofanykindtakesconsiderableeffortandfocus.Ittakesyourenergy.Ittakesyourtime.Ifyouwanttobuildagreatpracticeithastobecomesomethingthatyouconscientiouslyanddeliberatelyfocusyourenergyondayin,dayout.Buildingagreatpracticecomesdowntobuildingamission.You'rehavingamissiontobuildyourpractice.WhatIknowisthatmany,manydistractionsexistandthosedistractionswillholdyouback.WhatIfoundisthatmanydentistsbouncearoundlookingforthenextshinyobjecttohelpthembuildthepracticeandintoday'ssocietywherethere'salotofinstantgratification,orIwantabsolutelyfantasticresultsinthefirst30daysofmybusiness;thatmightbegreatandifithappens,goodlucktoyou,butmysuggestiontoyouisthatisnotthetypicaljourney.Successusuallytakestimeandasustainedamountoffocus.

Oneoftheproblemsthatdentistfaceissometimestryingtotakeontoomanythingsatonce.It'sareallycommonthing.Lotsofballsintheairtheirjugglingandmightbetakingonanewclinicalskill,andmightbetryingtolearnthelatestmarketingtactic,oritcouldevenbemanagingstaff,orsomethingalongthoseline;butinanycase,everysinglepersonhasafiniteamountofenergyandwhatIcallafiniteamountof

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bandwidthtotakethingson.Whenweexceedthatbandwidthwetendtofeeloverwhelmedandsomeoftheballsthatwe'vebeenjugglinghittheground.Again,myfirstcommentwouldbetrynottotakeontoomuchatanygiventime.InourpracticeandcertainlywhenIworkwithmypracticemakesclients,Isuggesttakingonnomorethan3projectsatanygiventime.That'sbecauseanymorethanthattendstoexceedmostpeople'sbandwidth.

Nowtheotherthing,justtomention,isthatsomedistractionsarealotmoreinsidiousandthiscomesdowntoalittlebitabouttime,whichwe'regoingtotalkaboutlater;butsomeofthosedistractionscouldbegettinginvolvedinlotsofdiscussionsinvariousFacebookthreadsandotherthingslikethat.Imean,whohasn'tbeenonFacebookandthensuddenlyrealizedanhour'sgoneby?Thesolutiontogetbetteratthisistodoless.Lessbutmorequalitythings,solessbutbetter.WhatI'mgoingtosuggestisyoucreateaplanandsticktoit.Belikearacehorserunningdowntheracetrack,putyourblinkerson,focusonyourdestination,andrunstraightdownthatpathinastraightline,withoutlookingouttotheleftortotherighttoomuchbecauseweknowthatdistractiontakesyouoffcourse.Habitnumber1istofocuseverysinglepartofyourenergyonbuildingagreatpractice.Builditandtrytonotbedistractedbyotherthingsandagainremembernottotakeontoomuch.

Habitnumber2isrelatedtotheabilitytofocusandoneofthethingsthatI'mgoingtosuggestaroundhereisthatit'sonethingtofocusbutit'sanotherthingtoknowwhattofocuson.WetalkinourpracticemanagementseminarsandwithmyclientsaboutkeydriversandkeydriversareverydifferenttoKPIs.KPIstendtobetheresultafterthefact.Whereasthekeydriversarethosehandfulofactivities,the80/20rule,theParetoprinciple,thehandfulofactivitiesthatproducetheresults.Whatwemeasureinourpractice,ofcoursewemeasureresults,butwealsotrackhowwe'reperformingagainstourkeydriversofourpractice.

WhatI'mgoingtosuggestiswhenI'vesaidtoyoufocusyourenergyonyourbusiness,I'mgoingtoaddthatupanotherlittleappwithhabitnumber2andthatisfocusingonwhatmatters.Dolessstuff,butdoitbetter.It'scomingdownunderstandthekeydrivers,thecriticalthingsthatmoveyourbusinessforwardonadailybasis.Letmegiveyouanexampleofthat.IfoneofyourKPIs,yourkeyperformanceindicatorswasthenumberofnewpatientsthatyourreceiveeverysinglemonth,thekeydriveraroundthatcouldbethenumberoftimesthatyourreceptionistpicksupthephoneandwhenshe'smakinganappointment,shegetstotheendoftheconversation,andsay,"Mrs.Jones,whileI'vegotyouonthetelephoneanditaneasyandconvenientforyou,isthereanyoneelseinthepracticethatneedsanappointmentwhilewe'reatit?"SotheactofactingbecomesthekeydriverandtheKPIbecomesthenumberofnewpatients.Lookattheactivitiesthatdrivestheresultsandfocusyourenergyandeffortonthoseactivities.

Again,relatedtohabit1and2,istimemanagement,habitnumber3.WhatIknowisthatsuccessfulbusinessowners,successfulpracticeownershaveanabilitytousetheirtimevery,veryeffectively.Theyonethingthatuniteseverysinglepersonontheplanetiswehave24hourseverysingledaytogetstuffdoneandit'sreallyinterestingwhenyoulookatdifferentpeople'sliveshowitissomepeoplemanagetoachievesomuchandyetotherpeopleachieveacomparativelymoremodestamountofthings.Itcomesdowntohowwelltheyusetheirtime.I'mgoingtosuggestthatthatistheonethingthatmostdentalpracticeownersprobablytakealittlebitoftimetomaster.I'm

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certainlyinthatcategoryaswell.Ittookmealongtimetofigureouthowtogetthemostoutofmydayandthere'sacoupleofthingsI'dliketosharewithyouaroundthat.

Thefirstthingistofocuson,againcomingbacktowhat'simportant.Understandthatthekeydrivers,asImentionedintheprevioushabit,butlookingatthingsliketheimportant,urgentmatrixlikeStephenCovey'sgridinhis7HabitsofHighlySuccessfulPeoplebook.That'safantasticlittlewaytomakesureyou'refocusingonthethingsyouneedtofocuson.Ifyoulookatthatgrid,andyoucanfindthatanywhereontheinternetorpreferableinhisbookwhichisaterrificread,you'llseethatonthelefthandaxisthere'stheimportant,theverticalaxisisimportanceandonthehorizontalaxisisurgencyandtypicallythingsinwhathecallsquadrant2arehighimportancebutlowurgency.

Thosethingstendtobeoverlooked,somysuggestionaroundthatistomakesureyourscheduletimeforthat.Itcouldbethingslikeplanningoritcouldbethingslikelookingafteryourownhealth,doingsomeexerciseandthingslikethat.Makesureyouputsometimeinyourdiaryandschedulethosethingsthatarereallyimportant.Thedifferencebetweenthesuccessfulpracticeownersorsuccessfulpeopleingeneral,andthosethatachievelessistheirabilitytoprioritizetasksandthatcomesdowntotheabilitytotemplateyourdiary,partitiontime,puttimeasideforthosethingsthatarereallyimportant,thebigrocksinlife.

Mygrandmother,whenshewasstillalive,shealwaysusedtosaytome,"YouknowJesse,theimportantthingsinlifeareseldomurgentandtheurgentthingsinarelifeareseldomimportant."Sojustunderstandthatoftentimeswegetdistractedbythenoise,theday-to-daystuffthatpeoplearethrowingatusandallthestuffthat'sdemandingoutattentionandthatoftengetstendedtoattheexpenseofthosethingsthatareimportantbutnecessarilyurgent.Again,I'mgoingtosuggestthatasyoulookatyourtimeyoucreateathingcalledadefaultdiary,whichmanyofyouwilldoinyourpracticesalready,you'llhavesomestructureinyourappointmentbooksatthepractice.I'mgoingtosuggestthatsamelevelofstructureinthetimethatyou'renotinthepracticeaswellsothatyoucanachievethethingsthatyouwanttodo.That'shabitnumber3.

ThefourthhabitthatI'veobservedisthatsuccessfulpracticeownersexecuteonideasandtakeaction.Thisareallykeything.It'safundamentaldifferencebetweensuccessfulpeopleandthosethatarenotsuccessful.ThiscameupinpreviousepisodeofthepodcastwithTheFlightDoc,Dr.DarrenDelaney,soyoumightwanttogobackandhavealistentothat.It'sepisode12,Ithink.Gobackandhavealistentothataswell,butinthatparticularepisodewetalkabouttheaction,imperfectaction,massiveimperfectaction.Thechallengethatmanypracticeownersface,isthatthey'reconstantlythinkingthattheyneedmoreinformation.Moreinformationisnotnecessarilythekey.Youlearnmorebydoingthingsandthecommonmistakeistoresearch,research,research.Ofcoursehavingalittlebitofresearchisfine,butresearchattheexpenseofactionstillresultsinnothingreallybeingdone;sotakemassiveimperfectactionandgetthingsdone.Youdon'tneedtoseethetopofthestaircasetotakethefirststep.Makesureyousetyourselfinmotionandtakeaction.Oneofmymentorsisveryfondofsayingthatprolificbeatperfecteverysingledayoftheweek.Takeaction,takeanideaandrunwithit.

Nowfollowingonfromhabitnumber4ishabitnumber5,whichisbewillingtofail

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fromtimetotime.OneofthethingsthatI'mgoingtosayisaskyoutakemassiveimperfectaction,wellthekeywordthereisimperfect.There'llbethingsthatdon'tworkoutthewayyouexpectthemtoorwantthemtoandthat'sokay.ThemostdentistsIknowareperfectionistbynaturewetendtosweatoverourmarginsandthatreallyholdsusingreatsteadforourclinicalworkandofcourseI'mtalkingaboutdoingahighqualityclinicalworkbutwhenitcomestorunningyourbusinessyoucanaffordtotakemassiveimperfectactionaslongasyou'rewilltofailandmakeafewboo-boosalongtheway.

Thekeythingtounderstandisthatasyoumakethesemistakes,tolearnfromthemandcorrectthecoursethatyou'retraveling.Makingmistakesoverandoverandoverisokayprovidedyou'renotmakingthesamemistakesoverandoverandoverandyou'renotrelivingthatexperience.Twentyyearsofexperienceisonething.Twentyyearsofoneyearofexperienceiswhollydifferentthing.Makesurethatifyouarewillingtofail,youtakethelessonsandrunwiththem.That'sareallykeything.

ThepeopleIhangoutwithinthevariousbusinessgroupsandentrepreneurialgroupsthatIobserveasbeingreallysuccessfularetheonesthathavefranklymadethemostmistakesandthatreallycomesdowntothedefinitionofanexpert.Anexpertissomeonewhoknowsalotofstuffaboutaparticulartopicandtypicallytheygettolearnthatstuffbymakingmistakesandfiguringoutwhatdoesn'tworkandmovingforwardfromthem.Yes,dobewillingtomakesomemistakes.Makesuretherenotcatastrophicandthenlearnthelessonsandmoveon.

Pointnumber6orhabitnumber6istheabilitytodevelopresilienceandpersistenceaswellastheabilitytoidentifyopportunities.Imentionedatthebeginningofthisepisodethatwe'relivingintimesthatarechangingrapidly,theconditionswithinwhichweoperatechangealmosteverysinglemonth.That'snotquitethecasebutthey'rechangingveryquicklyandwherethereisrapidchangethereiscertainlyopportunity.ThesuccessfulpeopleA)havetheabilitytoidentifythoseopportunitiesandtheactuponthem.Thesecondthingiswhentheydomakemistakestheyareresilient,theypickthemselvesup,andtheycontinueon,andthepersistuntiltheyreachtheirgoal.

Therearemany,manypeoplewhogiveupontheirgoal,ontheirdreamwhenthey'rejustsoclosetoachievingit,they'vetakenafewknocksandtheycan'tpullthemselvesupoffthedeckonemoretime.WhatI'mgoingtosuggesttoyou,likeoneofthosedolls,whenitgetsknockedoveryoubouncebackup.Youknowthosedollsthatthekidspunch,fallsbackanditbouncesstraightbackup?Haveresilience,beresilient,bepersistent,identifytheopportunities,actonthem,bepreparedtofail,butgetupwhenthingsdon'tgoyourway,getupandtryagain.ThomasEdisonwasfamousforinventingthelightbulbbutsomepeoplewould'veheardthestorythathetried10,000timestoinventitand1particularpersoncameandsaidtohim,"GeewhizMr.Edisonyoumustfeellikesuchafailure.You'vetried10,000timestoinventthelightbulbandyouhaven'tdoneityet."AndThomasEdisonreplied,"Well,I'vefound10,000waysnottobuildalightbulb."Andofcoursehethenwentontodevelopthelightbulbongeneralelectric,whichisoneofthebiggestcompaniestoday,sodoberesilient.

Pointnumber7isaroundmarketing.Learntoenjoymarketing.Marketingisactuallyreally,reallyfun.There'ssomuchmentalstimulationthatcancomefrommarketing.Mycommenttoyouisthatmarketingiseverythingandeverythingismarketing.

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Marketingisnotjustaseriesoftactics.Marketingisunderstandingpeopleandasdentistsweareinthepeoplebusiness.It'saboutpsychologyandwhypeopledothethingsthattheydo.Asyougoaboutyourmarketing,you'reratherthanthinkingofI'mgoingtobedoingsomepaperclickadvertisingorSEOthisordoinganadhereorthere;whichisfinewhenitcomestotacticsIwantyoutotakeamorestrategicviewonthatandgettoenjoy,understandthepsychologybehindit.Whenyouseesomesuccessfulmarketing,I'mgoingtoencourageyounottoslavishlycopythatmarketing.I'mgoingtoencourageyoutomodelthethinkingratherthancopythetactic.Asyougoaboutyourmarketing,behelpfulwhenitcomestoyourmarketing.Begenerouswiththethingsthatyoudo.

InoneoftheepisodesIrecentlyrecordedwithTimReidfromSmallBusinessBigMarketing,wehadawholeconversationabouthelpfulmarketing.InfacthiswholebookcalledTheBoomerangEffectisabouthelpfulmarketing.Ifyouhaven'tgotthatbookalready,I'mgoingtosuggestthatyougoandgetit.ItisoneofthebestbookseverthatI'vecomeacrossisrecentyearsaroundmarketing.

Equally,whenitcomestogreatmarketing,I'mgoingtosuggestthatyoulookoutsideofdentistryforinspiration.Crossindustryinnovationiswhereit'sat.AllthesinglebestideasI'veeverhadwhenitcomestomarketinghavecomefromlookingoutsideofdentistry,seeingwhatsomeoneelseisdoing,andtakingthatidea,andadaptingittomyownpurposes.Thinkoutsidethebox,lookatotherindustries.Whataretheydoingwell?Whatcanwelearnfromthem?Whataren'ttheydoingwell?AndhowwouldIdoitdifferently?AndhowcouldItakethatintomypractice?Makesureyoulearntoenjoymarketing,asIsaidit'sreallyaboutpeoplehelpingotherpeopleandkeepthatattheforefrontofyourmindwhenyou'reconstructingyourmarketingplan.Asapposedtosimplyfocusingonaseriesoftactics,whichofcoursehavetheirplace,buttheyneedtobeunderpinnedbyastrategyratherthenjustaseriesoftacticsthrowntogetherinanadhopfashion.

Thatwashabitnumber7.Habitnumber8issuccessfulbusinessownerstaketimetorecharge.WhatImeanbythatisrunningabusinessandinvestingyourtimeandeffortandenergyintoabusinesscanbeafairlyconsumingprocess.It'sreallyimportanttotakesometimeouttoinsurethatyou'recontinuingtonurtureyourrelationshipswithyourfamilyandyourfriends.Makesureyou'regettingadequatesleepandthisisnotreallyaconversationaboutsleepingeneral,butthereisagrowingbodyofevidencearoundthattakingthetimeouttogiveyourbodytimetorechargethrougheffectivesleep,improvesyourproductivityandyoureffectivenessmassively.Makesureyou'renotoneoftheseguysthatsays,"I'mworking20hoursadayandaren'tIahero?"That'scrazy!Makesurethatyou'retakingthetimeforyourbodytorecharge.Whetherthat'sthroughsleep,whetherit'sthroughexercise,takesometimeoutwithyourfamily,withyourfriends.Continuetoenjoythehobbiesthatyou'vealwaysenjoyedandmakesurethatyouhaveawellroundedlifeaswell.

Habitnumber9comesdowntobuildingateam.Successfulbusinessownersbecomeverysuccessfulbecausetheyareabletogetotherpeopletohelpthemachievetheirsuccess.MostofthebusinessownersthatIcomeacross,whoareverysuccessful,managetoextricatethemselvesfromtheday-to-daydeliveryofserviceprettyquickly.Whattheirfocusbecomes,insteadofbeingthepersonwhodeliversagreatoutcome,forthiscase,patientsorcustomersingeneral,theybecomethepersonwhobuildsgreatteamswhodelivergreatoutcomesforpatients.There'sasubtlebutreallyimportantshift.Successfulbusinessownersbecomefocusedonbuildinggreatteams

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whodelivergreatoutcomesforpatients,sotheirnumberonecustomerbecomestheirteam.

That'sgoingtorequireacoupleofkeypiecesofajig-sawpuzzlewhichI'dliketogothroughinamoment.Rememberingthough,however,ifthedentistorthebusinessownersupporttheteam,theteamsupportsthepatient,thepatientsupportthebusiness,andthebusinessinturnsupportsthebusinessowner.That'sreallywhereit'sat.

WhatsortofthingsdoneedtohaveinplacetohaveateamthatisreallyAgrade,who'sdeliverygreatoutcomesforpatientsandreallyhelpingsupportthebusiness?Thefirstthingis,youneedtobeabletorecruitreallyeffectively.Youneedtohaveasystematicapproachtorecruitment.That'sgoingtomeanthatyouneedtoknowwhatthejobdescriptionisthatyou'rerecruitingfor.Youneedtoknowpreciselywhatthatroleentails.It'sgoingtorequireyoutohavetheabilitytoevaluatecandidatesandsoon.Itrequiresyoutobeabletoemployeepeoplewithclaritysoyou'vegotallyouremploymentstructuresinplace,whetherit'scontract,enterpriseagreements,allthosesortsofthings.Youneedastructuredwayoftrainingyourstaff.Youneedastructuredwayofonboardingyourstaff.Thekeythingaroundthisisthatteamsthatperformthebestaretheonesthathavethemostamountofclarity.

There'sacoupleofthingsIwouldmentioninallthiswhenitcomestobuildingateam.Oneofthethingsthatslowsteamsdownthemostiswhenthey'renotreallysureofwhat'sexpectedofthem.ComingbacktothepointImadejustamomentagoismakesureyouhaveeitherjobdescriptionsorpositiondescriptions.Mostpracticeswillhavethoseinplacealready.Themissingpieceofthepuzzle,however,iscomingbacktothekeydriversIspokeaboutearlyandthereisaphilosophyherethatsaysthatifyoutellmehowyou'regoingtomeasuremyperformance,IwillthentellyouhowI'mgoingtobehave.Makesure,aspartofyourpositiondescriptionorjobdescription,yououtlineverydistinctlythekeydriversthatyouwantthatparticularteammembertofocusonaswellasthekeyperformanceindicatorsyou'reexpectingthemtoachieveandmakesureyouhaveaprocessinplacetobeabletomeasurethoseandcheckinagainstthatregularly,maybeweeklyorfortnightlysothatifthingsgoofftract,youcanaddressthemquicklyandeasily.ThatbecomesreallyimportantwhenIcomedowntomanagingtheperformanceofyourteam.Besurethatifyou'rehavingadiscussionwithyourteamaboutperformance,youhavethisinformationathand.It'sreally,reallyimportant.

Nowequally,oneofthekeythingsIwouldsuggesthere,ispracticeownerswhosucceedareverygoodatdelegating.Delegatingisabsolutelyverydifferenttoabdicating.TheykeychallengeIseethatmany,manypracticeownersface,iswhentheydelegatethetask,theyseemtodelegatetheresponsibilityaswell.Thatcanhappeneitherwithyourinternalteam,thepeoplewhoworkdirectlyforyouwithinthepractice,orequallyitcanhappenwiththeexternalteam.Yourpeopleyoumighthaveasthirdpartiessupplies,whetherit'smarketingpeople,lawyers,accountants,orwhoever.It'sreallyimportantthatyouasthebusinessowner,actasthegeneralandnotthesoldier.Whenyou'rethegeneral,eventhoughyoumightnotbedoingtheindividualtasks,youneedtotakeresponsibilityandhaveoversightofallthat'sgoingoninyourbusiness.That'sareallykeythingtolearn.

Whenitcomesdowntothinkingaboutyourteam,there'sanotherlittleactivitythatI

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thinkisreallyhelpfulwhenthinkingaboutwhatyouneedtohaveinplace.TheactivityI'mgoingtosuggestisthat,imaginethatyou'resettingupapracticeinacitythat'sinterstateorfarawayfromwhereyourcurrentlyresideandyou'resettingupapracticeandyou'rethinkingabouttheteamthatyou'regoingtobebuildingtosupportthatpractice.Youareonlyabletovisitthepracticeonceamonth.Whatarethethingsthatyouwouldneedtohaveinplaceintermsofjobdescriptions,positiondescriptions,thecriticaldrivers,theKPIs,whatresourcesneedtobeinplaceforthattooccur?Whatcommunicationchannelsneedtobeinplace?Allthosethings,thinkaboutthatyouwouldneedtohaveinplaceifyou'rebuildingaremotepractice.Thenofcourse,thekeythingthen,istogobackbuildingtheminyourexistingpractice,theoneyouhaverightnow,inyourcurrentlocation.Makesureyouhaveallthatinfrastructureinplacewhereyoucurrentlyare.

Okay,sohabitnumber10.LastoneisthepeoplethatIknowwhoaresuccessfulaskforhelpearly.Whenthey'restuck,theyseekhelptogetunstuckasquicklyastheycanandtheyaskforhelp.Theycontinuallylearn.Thatmightmeanthattheygetamentorifthat'sthecaseandthatmentorcanactasaknowledgebaseormightevenactasashepherdtoguidethemupthemountain.Perhapsthatmentor'swalkedaheadoftheminthatpathalready,andcanguidethemupthepathofthejourneyaswell.That'sagain,really,reallyimportant.

Also,themostsuccessfuldentalpracticeowners,successfulbusinessowners,aregreatreaders.LeadersarereadersandI'mgoingtosuggesttothatyoureadlotsandlotsofbooks.Gotocourses,listentopodcasts,allofthosethings.Makesureyou'reconstantlylearningandmakesureyouhavethisattitudeofwantingtocontinuallygrowanddevelopyourbusinessskills,yourbusinessacumenandyourleadershipskillsaswell.

Thereyouhaveitguys.Thereare10habitsthatI'veobservedfromthemostsuccessfulbusinessowners,themostsuccessfuldentalpracticeownersthatIwantedtosharewithyou.Rememberingthatsuccessleavescluesandfortheguysandgirlswhoaregoingtoenjoysuccessoverthenext5to10years,itwillbethoseguysthattakethese10habitsandreally,reallyimplementthemonaday-to-daybasisandintegratethemintotheiroperationsofwhattheydo.

Let'sthinkaboutthisfromapracticalpointofview.Someofyou'llbelisteninggoing,"whatdoIdonow?What'ssomeactionstepstohelpmegetstarted?"Well,I'mgladyouasked.Ihave3actionstepsthatI'dliketosharewithyouandhere'sactionstepnumberone.

Everysingleday,conscientiouslyassignyourfocus.NowIhaveatoolthatIuseinmyday-to-daylifecalledTheMostImportantThingDailyPlanner.I'mgoingtoattachitasalinkintheshownoteshere.Pleasefeelfreetotakethat.Assignyourfocuseverysingledayandthatwayyou'llgettheimportantthingsdone.Makesurethatyouputtimeasideforthosethings.

Asactionstepnumber2,istopartitionyourtime.Structureyourdiary,structureyourcalendarsoyoucanputsomeconsciencetimeasidetofocusonwhatreallymatters.Thosethingsthatareofhighimportanceandlowurgency.Planningallthosesortsofthings.MakesureyoumaketimeforitbecauseIguaranteeyouthatifyoudon't,yourtimewillbegobbledupwithalotofincidentalthings.

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ThethirdthingthatI'mgoingtosuggestyoudo,isthatexercisethatIjustdescribed.Thinkaboutthepracticeyou'dbuildifitwasinaninterstatecityandyoucouldonlyvisitonceamonth.Whatneedstobeinplace?Doyouneedanorganizationalchart?Whatjobdescriptionsdoyouneedtohaveinplaceforeachoftheroles?Whatkeydrivers?Whatkeyperformanceindicatorsorthemeasuresofsuccessneedtobeinplace?Whatresourcesneedtobeinplace?Whatcommunicationchannelsneedtobeinplace?Andsoon.Pleasegoanddothatexercise.Thatwillholdyouinsuchgoodsteadifthere'snothingelseyoutakeoutofthisexercise,that'sit.That'sareally,reallyimportantone.

Ladiesandgentlemen,thereyouhaveit.10habitstogetyoustartedonyourjourneytosuccessandmakesurethatthenext5to10yearsinyourpracticeareasfantasticastheycanbe.Ireallyhopeyou'veenjoyedtoday'sepisode.IfIhaveenjoyedit,please,I'dreallyappreciateitifyoucouldtakethetimetoheadacrosstoiTunes,leaveusacomment,leaveusareview.I'malwayscheckinginonthosethings,soI'dbegratefulifyoutakeamomenttodothat.HaveagreatdayandIlookforwardtoaboutyoursuccesssoon.