Episode 780: How To Sustain Excellence

Transcript:

Kiera Dent (00:01.03)

Hello, Dental A Team listeners. This is Kira and I am so grateful to be podcasting with you today. It has been a while since I've podcasted and to be able to work with all of you guys and to connect with you across the nation and across the globe is so fun for me. So thank you for being a part of the Dental 18 Podcasts family. And you guys know my mission is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. And this year I decided let's make it a bit more tactical.

I'd like the Dental A Team podcast to be in every dental practices office. So every single dentist, I would love them to be a Dental A Team podcast listener because I believe that if I can impact that many dentists, our world's gonna be way better and it's gonna be a really awesome place to be a part of. And so you guys are gonna be the ones to help out with that. So I kind of gave a challenge earlier just for every single listener to share this podcast with one person every single month. So if you guys can go in.

and share this podcast with one other dentist, one other dental office, so teams, doctors, every person who's listening, because I believe if we're able to do that, we will truly be able to get into the hands of every single dental practice. So have them download it, have them listen, have them leave reviews, because that's going to help us be able to truly be in the hands of every single dental office and truly, truly be able to change this world of dentistry that we're a part of. So get on the mission with me, share it with one friend every single month. I'll keep reminding you guys.

Once you do it, tag me on Insta. Yeah, I just said Insta guys. Is that still a thing? I'm worried I'm getting older. So tag us and that way we will know that you have shared it with someone, tag your new friend and that way we can welcome them to the Dental Lateen podcast family. It'll be a fun time. So today I wanted to drive, wow, jump right in. You guys know that this is not an edited version of me. I wanted to jump right in because I attended a really cool event and they had a like.

a little scavenger hunt for people to come and meet the sponsors. And so I was a sponsor and there were all these different questions and people came and asked me questions. And I thought those questions would be fun ones to talk about on the podcast today. So these will be questions like shout out to that company that had them come around. So they had to have us like sign off on it and give them an answer. And the question that one that I want to talk about today on the podcast are what are the patterns of people who are able to sustain excellence?

Kiera Dent (02:19.226)

And this question I loved, it really made me think differently and I loved because I work with so many people and so patterns are something I'm obsessed with. And so I just started thinking like, okay, what are the patterns of people who are able to sustain excellence? Like we're talking sustain, not just get to excellence, but to sustain, because I think that there is a point of, we can get to a level.

but to sustain that level. I mean, you think about it, people are able to like run marathons, but for them to sustain that, I think is a whole different game. So it's like one is achieving it, but the sustaining part I think is a tricky part. So I'm gonna give you guys a couple of things that I've found from these offices who are able to sustain excellence. So number one, I think that the biggest differentiator is those offices who are able to sustain excellence, like they just, that's just the standard that they are.

So it's like a mindset, it's an identity. There's no question in their mind of who they are. They know that they are this office who is going to sustain excellence. Like it's no ifs, ands, or buts. I think that they just believe that they are this way and they achieve it. There is no changing of it. And so it's them just like owning that is something that I found like we are an excellent practice and these are the standards that we will live by. So that's like number one that I found with these practices. The second thing is they're really, really

really good at keeping things simple and consistent. So when I talk about simple and consistent, they find ways like when I go to an office, I'm not there to hope and wish that you guys are going to remember these things. I'm not here to hope and wish that what I'm giving you and what I'm teaching you is going to sustain long-term. I'm here to put into place a very simple system.

So that way everyone can do it and maximize it. And that's what these offices do. They find a system and they stay consistent. So if we're gonna put in a new way to do the phone calls, we don't do it today and then forget and go away from it. That becomes a standard and we stay consistent with it. And I think the reason why that helps them maintain and sustain excellence is because they're not constantly going back and re-implementing things that they've already done. It's just how it is.

Kiera Dent (04:33.994)

It's how we are, this is what we do, these are the standards that we live by. So if their team is focusing on fluoride, well, forever fluoride is a thing. It's not, well, now we're gonna talk about laser, so we let fluoride go. Fluoride is a part of it and it's built into the system and it's done consistently every single time. But I find that these offices who are able to sustain excellence, keep things simple. So again, you put the systems into play and they stay forever.

but they were very intentional on the systems we put into play. Like, is this really moving us forward or is this a fad? And I think the owners are super intentional on making sure that whatever is implemented moves the business forward as opposed to just being busy. It's very intentional mindsets. It's very intentional things that they're doing. And I'm really thinking about an office that I coached for gosh, six years. And it was crazy because six years later, the things that I implemented on their first visit sustained.

And it's interesting when I consult offices, because some offices I go in and I implement cool things and I come back and guess what? I re-implement the exact same thing. Literally, you're paying me to come in and implement the same thing again and again and again. And sometimes repetition is mastery. So there isn't a negative around that. But the offices who sustain excellence, I'm not going back and re-implementing the thing I taught them six months ago or two years ago.

because that's become a system, it's become a standard, it's become a way of life that we don't have to relearn and reimplement. And that's where I just feel like they're able to sustain that excellence. The other thing I found, so that would be number two. The next thing would be number three is, these offices are super intentional with watching their numbers. So tracking is a non-negotiable. They track all their stats. They track the things that are going to move them forward.

consistently. So every single week, the numbers are being reported because numbers don't lie. And then they're able to find their problem areas and they're able to fix those sooner and easier. And so this is something that I feel offices don't do often we don't track our numbers, we don't look for it, we don't look for the patterns. And the numbers are going to help you know, where do we need more training? Where do we need to change something? Where is there a broken system? And so to sustain that excellence, you've got to believe that this is who you are, you keep it simple and stay consistent.

Kiera Dent (06:54.622)

And then you track your numbers and metrics to make sure that these things are actually driving you forward. Don't be afraid to cut something if it's not working. If it's not working, don't do it. And that's just something I really feel. And then the fourth thing that I found with these offices who sustain excellence is, I think, I'm trying to think of how do I put this in a simple phrase, but they genuinely love and have a passion for what they're doing. So it's not just a job, but it's their legacy.

So they want the patient experience to be amazing. They want the team experience to be amazing. And they're not just dragging the team along. The team's a part of it. The team's a part of making this experience amazing. Because I think when you have a whole team bought into it, you're able to then have more fun. You're able to have more leverage to lean into this and to really get it to grow because it's a marathon. It's not a sprint. We're not sprinting this out. We're not trying to get these things really, it's your legacy. And I think the legacy mindset,

is why they're able to sustain this excellence long term. But like, I'll give you an example. So this practice I'm thinking about, I coached them for six years and I would go see them at the beginning. It was, oh gosh, like three or four times a year. And then after that, we got it down to two times a year. And a lot of what I taught them was repetition, but it was repetition to take it to the next level. So it was teaching them how to treatment plan. And they didn't just say, Keira, we know this. It was, let's refine it for that one or 2% to make it better.

And when I would come in, like I said, so many things were there. They had the systems dialed in, they stayed consistent. It wasn't like, oh, this patient gets a bottle of water and we just are haphazard. It was very, I don't wanna say military because there was so much love in it, but patients got checked in on time, patients were taken back on time, patients, we had like little forms. So questions were asked the same time every single time. The information was input in the front office the same every time. We presented treatment plans the exact same way every single time.

our exams were done the same way every single time and we had a lot of fun. And so what I found is the systems made it simple for them. The systems made it to where they were able to just do things without having to think about it because it was on autopilot and they were able to then add the human element to it. And every morning they showed up for morning huddle. Every time they had their meetings, they reported their numbers every single week. And it was, it wasn't, oh, well, we're out of the office this week, so we're not gonna do it.

Kiera Dent (09:11.798)

There was none of that. It was very, very consistent. And I think the sustaining is, the simplicity comes when we don't have to remember to do it. And it's not, well, do I do it this week? Do I not do it this week? We do it every single time. And another part of their culture, I remember their office manager telling me, she said, our culture is we don't just walk on the field, like we run. And so there was that hustle mentality as well that we all work and we're all.

bringing our best A game to it. Like when we're here, we hustle and we get it done. And then we go home and we're with our families. And I think that there's a really beautiful balance. These owners didn't just obsess about the business. They had lives outside of the business. They had their kids and they would leave and they'd go pick them up. And their whole team had a life outside of the office. And I wondered if that's like helping to sustain that excellence as there was a good balance between business and work.

or business and personal. There was a good balance for them to be able to go and to work out and to engage themselves. But things I noticed is they didn't miss their workouts as human beings. They didn't miss time with their kids. They didn't miss their meetings with their CPAs. So they just built cadences in and they held themselves to a strict standard of we don't miss these things. And I think that just takes true, true discipline.

I think it's fun because it was a husband wife duo and so they're able to work together and hold themselves together and to be able to have that there. But just thinking about that, how often do we stay consistent? How often do we just have cadences there? I think about myself like journaling, I'm super on when I'm on the road and I'm super off when I'm at home. But the people, the offices who sustain excellence, stay consistent. They don't make the excuses, they don't waiver.

I loved consulting that practice because I knew every time I went and met them, we'd build upon the next thing. It was challenging for me as a consultant because I'm like, I've literally taught them everything. But they were concerned about the one, two, 3% better every single time as opposed to, hey, let's just do this and it's gonna be a fad. Their team also stayed very accountable because they knew whatever we implemented, they would stay true to it, period. It wasn't like, oh, we implemented it, now we're not going to do it. It stayed consistent.

Kiera Dent (11:26.75)

And so I think about for long-term excellence, it's that consistency, but it's the simplicity too. And then it's just holding yourself truly accountable internally as people. And I think for me, like that's your, how you're able to sustain excellence because it's no longer making a decision of, are we going to do this or are we not? It's simple and we're going to do it. It's simple that yes, we will stay accountable. It's simple that whatever we learn, yes, we will put this into play. It's simple that these are the things that we're going to work on. And there's no question of will we do it or not. And so,

That's what I'm obsessed with is making simple systems in practices, making simple things that are repeatable. I think about Walt Disney and they always said like, we're able to produce magic from the predictable systems behind the scenes. And I think about that, like it's a journey, it's a legacy, it's the passion, it's knowing that this is where we wanna go, but it's the systems of simplicity behind the scenes. So there's no questions that are we going to do this or not.

that takes all the guesswork out, it takes the accountability to the next level, it's we do this no matter what. And I think so many people listen to podcasts, but we don't execute, we don't implement. I also think these offices are good at weeding through to figure out what's gonna grow their practice versus what's going to just make busy work. And they're very intentional on what they implemented. And it was always driven to, let's go for the bottom line, let's go for what the patient experience is, period.

And if it didn't fit in that category, in that filter, it didn't happen. And so this is my passion. This is what I'm obsessed with is how can we sustain excellence for longterm? One, you gotta believe that that's who you are and that's just your standard. Two, simplify, really simplify that up. Make sure it's simple and stay consistent. Have it be your passion, what you guys live for, and then make sure that your team knows that we're gonna stay accountable to these items. Make sure the whole team's rowing in the same direction as opposed to you trying to force the whole team to be there.

So for you guys, that's what I say. I thought it was such a fun question, a great way for you guys to get the insights from other practices I've seen across the nation of what they do, but I will tell you every single time, I will know if a practice is going to be successful or not, 100% dependent upon that leader. Do they follow through on what they say they're going to do? Do they hold their team accountable? Can I count on them when I show up for a coaching call that they stay consistent, that they fill out their agendas? If they do and they stay consistent with me, I know they're going to be successful.

Kiera Dent (13:48.674)

because I know they're doing that with their team and that's the culture for their team. If not, I know it's a short run and it's gonna be a lot harder. So improve that muscle and ways to improve that are stay consistent in your personal life. If you say you're gonna work out, work out. If you say you're gonna eat healthy, eat healthy. If you say you're going to do route slips, do it for six months. If you say you're gonna do this, do it for six months and make it a habit. Don't constantly change and make it hard to sustain. Make it simple and make sure everything you implement is really truly pushing you towards your ultimate goals.

So if I can help you guys reach out, hello at thedentallateam.com, I would love to help you. I'd love to help you guys get on the path and to get that path to long-term sustainable excellence because at the end of the day, that's what we're all striving for. And it truly can be easier if we do it in this way. So reach out, hello at thedentallateam.com. I'd love to help you. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental Late Team podcast.