Imagine The Practice Of Your Dreams When We Go Back To Work

Being home is getting frustrating. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE spending time with my kids and wife and things like longer workouts and 3 meals with my family every day. However, I want to be an orthodontist again. Well, I guess I am an orthodontist but I want to be a practicing orthodontist again.
The good news is that we seem to be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and we can start anticipating a time when we should be back in the office. I have one BIG question for you: What will you do differently than before you left the office?
I do NOT mean “what are you going to do related to the virus” or “how are you going to do virtual consultations”. I mean, specifically, how are you using your down time to come up with ways to serve your patients and teams better?
I was reading Marshall Goldsmith’s legendary book “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”. From correcting annoying habits that undermine our leadership credibility to becoming our “own press secretary”, Goldsmith explains that we must be evolving or we tend to go backwards.

Think of it. How many orthodontists do you know who had amazing practices 10, 15 or even 20 years into practice only to stop working on their own development and then, as a friend of mine coined “ride their dinosaurs into extinction”. You know those practices and everyone has the right to do (or not) what they want, but is that really what you want? Do you want your legacy diminished? Do you want to see your practice slowly diminish and NOT see the kids of your current patients as patients as well?
It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen in the long run. So. spend time thinking about -even just a few ways-that your practice will be different when you go back to work. Maybe there are some great books you want to read on leadership or management. Maybe you want to contact some mentors and work out how to do things better. Remember, most of us practice alone and it’s nice to have another set of ideas to help you along.
But whatever you do, do NOT be satisfied with the status quo. Time, like money, has an inflationary-like effect. Doing nothing DOES mean going backwards. Be motivated. Be inspired. Make your practice everything you want it to be.
If you’re tired of being where you are, reach out to me and I can offer some great solutions ranging from my experience with certain consultants or our geographically exclusive OrthopreneursRD group where we discuss these kinds of ideas (pending geographic availability).
But whatever you do, do something!
So, tell me…what is the one thing you will do to make you or your practice better starting right NOW?
Wishing you the best,

If you want to be a part of a geographically exclusive Facebook group (OrthopreneursRD) where we come together to help each other build better practices and lower stress, please message me. To learn more about your region’s availability and what it’s all about, click HERE.

GLENN KRIEGER IS AN ORTHODONTIST WITH 20 YEARS OF RESTORATIVE AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY EXPERIENCE BEFORE HE RETURNED TO ORTHODONTIC RESIDENCY. DR. KRIEGER LEARNED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WELL-DESIGNED PRACTICE POLICIES AND SYSTEMS DURING A YEAR AT THE SCHUSTER CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SCOTTSDALE ARIZONA, AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF GENERAL ACCOUNTING PRACTICES AND INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL’S “DENTIST AS CEO” PROGRAM. HE IS THE HOST OF “THE ORTHOPRENEURS PODCAST”, MANAGES THE ORTHOPRENEURS FACEBOOK GROUP AND RUNS THE ANNUAL ORTHOPRENEURS SUMMIT.