What a difference!!
First only corporate executives had coaches. Gradually, as the concept became more known and accepted, and the results spoke for themselves, small business executives, salespersons and business owners began to see the advantages. Now it is not the slightest bit unusual for realtors and consultants and shop owners to talk about their coaches!
Are dentists being left out?
Dentists get plunged into the world of business. They are often reluctant entrepreneurs. Just as in any other business, they have to pay attention to marketing, managing staff, and keeping a vigilant eye on the bottom line. They do it all without business training, entrepreneurial spark, nor any real desire to be a business owner! If there is anyone who could use the partnership of a coach, it’s a dentist!! I see all too often the ‘deer in headlights’ look in their eyes. The smart ones are beginning to realize the tremendous advantages of working with a coach to get through the hard stuff, reduce stress and anxiety, and have smooth-running profitable practices. There is still a marked reluctance in the industry in general. Why?
Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. I have heard many times “I’m not broke, so I must be doing it right?” Really? How’s your cash flow? What’s your A/R turnover rate? How’s your staff turnover and what is it costing you? Do you really know what’s going on in your business? Do you know what to look for and what questions to ask? Who do you brainstorm ideas with? What keeps you up at night? A coach works with you to direct your energy and resources, hash out solutions to your challenges and keep you on track so you can sleep at night!
I am an island. My experience is that many dentists are reticent to ask for help. They have been through long, grueling years of dental school and the rocky road of early practice years. It’s a little like being a minnow in a shark tank. But they’ve survived this far by themselves and rather than appear weak, they are determined to stumble through by themselves. A coach provides a partnership and a safe place where you can voice your deepest fears and concerns in confidence with someone who really understands your business and your challenges. Seeking help and support is not weakness; rather, it is the realm of the strong, insightful, committed dentist.
I get what I need from my buddies. Ya right. I’ve heard you chatting with your colleagues, moaning and groaning about your staff issues. They are really bitch sessions with no real value or concrete solutions resulting from them. I’ve heard your buddies give you advice – bytes of information they have learned by trial and error, with no real measurement of their success, logic or reasonableness. If you have a trusted mentor, that is one thing; if you believe that you will learn solid business acumen from your colleagues who are in the same boat, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you (not that kind of bridge!). A coach keeps you focussed, clear, moving forward, and helps you find resources that are going to benefit you.
Yes, coaching is coming to dentistry because of a real need, and there is a new generation of dentists in the industry who have ‘grown up’ with the concept of coaching and realize that if the high level business executives need one, then a dentist plunged into business with no business experience certainly deserves one! These are the dentists who are going to do well, despite downturns in the economy, student loans and debt. Don’t leave all the coaches to them – find a coach for yourself now and start feeling the difference
