Jane Lelean continues her series of articles exploring the pros and cons of running the practice encumbered with tunnel vision

Having looked closely at what can happen when the clinician and then the manager take charge of the dental practice in previous issues of Implant Practice US, we now explore  the visionary entrepreneur.

A few months ago, we met Richard, who almost destroyed himself by primarily focusing on the clinical aspects of the business and not allocating the time or learning he needed to become a skilled business owner.

In the last issue, we got to know Karen, who almost destroyed her practice by initially abdicating responsibility and then micromanaging. 

This time, I would like to tell you Harry’s story and introduce you to some of the concepts that will enable you to run a successful, profitable business that leads to a fulfilling personal and professional life.

Harry’s story

Harry had a fairly ordinary upbringing; however, he had an uncle named Peter, with whom he had a close relationship but who had passed away.

Uncle Peter had owned a prosperous manufacturing business, and he had lived a good life. Harry’s uncle had been an inspiration; Peter spent time with his family, went on great holidays, had lots of friends, was an accomplished sportsman, achieved success in business, and always seemed to be learning new things and having fun. He was healthy, wealthy, active, fun to be with, and happy. As a child, Harry wanted to be just like Uncle Peter.

As Harry grew up, he was drawn to dentistry. He qualified, did a VDP (Vocational Dental Practitioner) year and went into practice. In fact, he worked in several practices, and when I first met him, Harry was still working as an associate.  

 

As he relayed his story, I noticed that Harry seemed different than  many other dentists I have met. Harry was circumspect, and had an ability to look at situations from an outsider’s perspective. Harry revealed to me how he really wanted to set up a practice of his own, and yet all the practices he worked in were run by principals similar in personality to Richard or Karen. Harry wanted to have a practice that gave him the type of life  that Uncle Peter had experienced, but he was not around to show him how. I was struck by Harry’s entrepreneurial instinct, and I knew that his practice would be a success from the start.

The grand plan

Harry continued to work as an associate, and as he did, he planned his successful business.Initially, Harry clarified the details of his ideal life. We spoke about what was important to Harry, his values,  the skills he already had and those he would need to develop to emulate his uncle’s business. As we continued to speak about this, Harry became really clear about what he was doing and why. He wrote a clear mission statement for his business and life. It was at this early stage, before he had even set up his practice, that Harry decided when he would sell it and retire.

Now that Harry had designed his life, he set about designing his perfect practice. Harry started by considering where he wanted to practice, contemplating the area’s demographics and how they would likely change during the lifetime of his practice. He thought about the dental needs and wants of the local population, and how that would dictate the services he would offer.

As he started planning, Harry became an avid “mind mapper,” using a very large sheet of paper pinned to his study wall on which he would write notes and link ideas. Harry considered many areas in relation to his ideal practice, including:

•    Vision
•    Ideal patients
•    Time organization
•    Finances
•    Customer service
•    Team members
•    Selling
•    Marketing
•    Work/life balance
•    Physical environment
•    Leadership skills

As we continued to speak, I noticed that no matter where Harry was, he noticed what was happening around him and picked up on what he liked!

He noticed when he bought things and when he didn’t, and questioned why. He noticed the difference between great and poor customer service. He noticed excellent and atrocious branding. He started noticing what successful businesses did well and what poor businesses did badly.

Harry recognized that the companies he admired provided a consistent and predictable service, while those that he did not want to emulate were inconsistent. 

I encouraged Harry to increase his curiosity to find out what made the businesses that he considered successful to be so. Harry became an investigator and discovered that every single one of the businesses that he considered successful had very clear systems that everyone followed.

Harry had a “eureka moment,”  realizing what Uncle Peter had done. He had a business that ran like clockwork because all the systems were designed so that it would be so. Harry knew that was all he needed to do in his business, and wrote an operational manual that defined every aspect of his ideal practice. Once it was written, it was time to test it.

Harry opened his operations manual and began at the first chapter, which covered how to set up a new practice. He followed his own instructions – identifying the best location, designing the building, recruiting and training staff, marketing, recruiting new patients, customer experience, clinical protocols, and so on.

As he followed his manual, Harry realized he was testing and measuring, noticing what worked well and what didn’t. He did more of what worked and stopped doing what didn’t, and continually refined his manual.

Harry had developed a skill to switch between the mindsets of clinician, manager, entrepreneur, banker, supplier and patient, enabling him to look at his practice from each perspective and identify what everyone needed the practice to deliver to be successful. Before he knew it, he had started his own practice, and it was working like clockwork. There were some “teething problems,” but he was able to deal with them easily and predictably.

Mission accomplished

Harry introduced me to a friend of his, Michael, who was impressed with Harry’s new practice and wanted to do the same thing.
The three of us got together and agreed that Michael would write his own personal and professional mission statement, and then follow Harry’s manual on how to set up a practice. Michael followed it to the letter and was able to create a practice that was as successful as Harry’s.

At this point, Harry’s horizons broadened, surmising that since his manual enabled him to start his practice, as well as Michael’s, and they both had avoided the experiences of Richard and Karen, he could do it again and again. He could run a business at multiple sites that would deliver him a truly healthy and wealthy personal and professional life.



Bio

Dr.  Jane Lelean is an experienced general dental practitioner and business coach and trainer. Jane ran her successful mixed practice in Buckinghamshire for 13 years before setting up her business coaching and training practice, Healthy and Wealthy, specializing in working with dentists and other small business owners in the UK and Ireland, the rest of Europe and as far away as Australia. Dr. Lelean has considerable experience dealing with the changing climate and regulations within the world of dentistry and assists her clients in taking full advantage of the opportunities that others may consider to be problems. She is the only dentist in the UK and Ireland to hold both a dental qualification and an accreditation from the International Coach Federation. If you would like to discuss any of the issues she has raised, you can contact her by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone on 01296 770456. Alternatively, you can contact her via her website at www.healthyandwealthy.co.uk.