Happy Thanksgiving! Kiera is so thankful for the Dental A-Team podcast listener family. This episode is a reminder to check the vitals of service in your life — personally and professionally. Be grateful, look for opportunities to serve, and watch yourself and your team grow.
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Transcript:
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0:00:05.9 Kiera Dent: Hey everyone, welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. I'm your host Kiera Dent, and I have this crazy idea that maybe I could combine a doctor and a team member's perspective, because let's face it, dentistry can be a challenging profession with those two perspectives. I've been a dental assistant, treatment coordinator, scheduler, filler, office manager, regional manager, practice owner, and I have a team of traveling consultants where we have traveled over 165 different offices coaching teams. Yep, we don't just understand you, we are you. Our mission is to positively impact the world of dental, and I believe that this podcast is the greatest way I can help elevate teams, grow VIP experiences, reduce stress, and create A Team. Welcome to the Dental A Team podcast. Hello Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera and you guys. Oh my gosh, happy Thanksgiving to you. I had to get on the podcast today and wish you guys the happiest Thanksgiving because as my Dental A Team podcast family, you guys make my life amazing. And for me, the holidays, they are all about family and fun and being together and it just wouldn't feel like the right day if I didn't jump on here and say happy Thanksgiving and so much gratitude for this Dental A Team podcast family.
0:01:23.9 KD: It's interesting going back and thinking back to starting the podcast. I think if you are new to the podcast, this will be new to you and if you are an OG, which guys I used to think was an oldie but goodie, it actually stands for original gangster for any Kieras in the world that didn't know. But I started the podcast, I decided to do this when my husband and I were actually hiking Half Dome in Yosemite, and I said, Jace, there's a big need. I don't feel like there's anything out there for teams and doctors. I feel like everybody kind of targets the doctors and there's not really a lot to elevate teams out there. So I'm going to start a podcast and I'm going to speak on both sides of the coin and give different perspectives and really elevate team members and doctors together. So that was kind of the inspiration for this and I think back of, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that this podcast would break over a million downloads in just over three years. I never imagined that I would get to meet so many of you in real life to hear your stories of how the podcast has lifted you up, how it has boosted you, how it has given you talking points with your team to hear and to meet a lot of you and bring you into our Dental A Team, in-person consulting family.
0:02:42.7 KD: Our platinum clients are some of my favorite people in the entire world. You've become friends, you've become family. And so today as you guys are doing whatever you're doing, let's give you guys some juicy nuggets of really how can you show that appreciation? Because guys, gratitude, I believe is the lifeblood of life. I remember I went to Tony Robbins. Guys, I just love that man. I'll have to share another day about my intervention. Guys, I met TR, he did an intervention with me. I got to give the man a hug. It was like the greatest day of my life. I'll share about that at another time. But I remember going to my very first event and there was a really prominent theme of the secret to living is giving. And so I made a portion of our company called Dental A Teams Live to Give. And just how when we give and we serve and we show forth that gratitude, that is really the secret to living, guys. That is where joy and fulfillment rise. And I often forget about it. I get so stuck in my head about, Oh my gosh, I've got to hit production. We've got to hit collections. And what's my overhead and how many team members and are my team members happy? And Oh my gosh, I've got to like, I haven't even talked to my spouse. And it's all the I have to, I have to, I have to, which are part of life. But I feel like do I actually schedule in time to give, time to serve, time to look for other people beyond myself?
0:04:17.5 KD: There are so many different things that you guys can do. This year as a company, we set it as a goal. I really believe in Dental A Teams Live to Give. And this year our company decided to set a goal to do a Make-A-Wish. And guys, Make-A-Wish is really hard to get in touch with, in case you're wondering. But I was really committed to wanting to make this happen this year. I didn't know how, but I know for me that if portions of our consulting can go to a cause greater than myself, greater than our company, greater than our clients, I know that that's a secret for fulfillment for me. And so just a, I won't share all the details, but I had a friend in Arizona and her son was diagnosed with stomach cancer. And I was reading up and saw that he just turned 12 and his dream was to go to Italy. And I talked to my team and I said, guys, I think I may have found our Make-A-Wish and we're going to do it on our own. And I actually have no idea how to do this. How do you go up to a friend and family that you haven't seen in years and say, hey, we want to send you guys to Italy. But it was just a really, really magical experience. And one of our team members actually is a stomach cancer survivor. And I hadn't even put the dots together, but what I realized is, when you plan giving in your company, in your life, your life changes.
0:05:48.2 KD: We were able to go and surprise this little boy to take him and his entire family to Italy. We were able to get a travel agent. Part of it, we were able to have our team be part of it and to watch my team give and love and serve and have portions of the clients that we have. Part of your consulting that you pay goes to opportunities like this. They go to change people's lives. And so today's you guys are celebrating and taking time, hopefully away from the office, whatever you choose to believe. But I feel like Thanksgiving, regardless if you choose to celebrate or not, is a day for us to remember to be grateful and look for opportunities where we can serve and give. I believe that every person listening to this podcast has been blessed beyond measure. And so really looking to see how can you live to give? How could you give to your team a little bit more? And I'm not talking monetary. I'm talking about opportunities to serve. How can you serve your community a little bit more? How can you serve your family a little bit more? And guys, this podcast is probably more for me than it is for you. Because I really do, I get wrapped up in the tangibles of a business. I get wrapped up in the number of clients that we're able to help and being able to serve so many people.
0:07:13.0 KD: My goal is to positively impact the world of dentistry in the greatest way possible. So I'm constantly looking at our metrics, looking at our reputation, looking at the metrics which I think are vital. Guys, like that's the vital pieces of your company. But yet, do I also check the vitals of my service, of my fulfillment of life, of giving back? Do I encourage my team to serve each other? Do I create an atmosphere where giving and serving and being grateful is our core focus? And if not, I might encourage you guys today to look for how you can do that. I know for us in our company, I really like each other, our team to look out for each other and to give shout outs to each other. I love to highlight people on Friday of ways that they've gone above and beyond. But I think beyond that, looking for ways you can serve, looking for ways that you can find little ways to make a big difference. I know last year, a lot of you helped participate in our coat drive where we had a bunch of coats and we took them around. I don't know where you live, but I live in Reno and today it is actually snowing outside. And thinking of those people who don't have the luxuries of life that we have. And I feel like I've been so blessed and I feel like every person listening to this podcast has been so blessed that how can you today go have a magic moment where you change someone's life?
0:08:48.4 KD: Again, it doesn't need to be monetary. It doesn't need to be a stranger. It doesn't need to be a family member. It can be whomever you choose. It can be a family member. It can be a stranger. It can be a team member. But really looking inside yourself of how are you and are you, do you live to give? Do you live to serve? Do you have that grateful heart that's so thankful for what you have? There's a dentist that I really respected and admired. At the bottom of his email, he says, if you feel called to serve, many hands can serve and has it where they help their community. And you guys can do it through dentistry. You can do it through food drives. You can do it through that. But whatever it is, I will say one of the highlights of 2022 was being able to make a wish come true. Next year, I don't know what it's going to be. We'll set something else out there for Dental A Team to contribute to give back in a way that I feel is changing people's lives for the better. Hey Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And you guys, I am beyond giddy about the fact that we are having a way for you guys to kick off your 2023 in the most epic way.
0:09:58.3 KD: That's right. I want you guys to go into 2023 with direction, with a plan, and to actually get something done, done, and done. If you've been looking at that operations manual, it is time guys. For three months, every single week, I'm going to be doing a workshop with you and your team in January to get that operations manual done in three months. Guys, this is a value of over $10,000 that I know you're going to freaking love because you're actually going to get it done. So if you want to get your ops manual done in three months and kick off your January ultra strong, head on over to thedentalateam.com/opsmanual. And I will see you January 5th for our kickoff. So today I just want to thank you guys for changing my life, for being part of my life and allowing me the opportunity to serve you to create this podcast, to give you hopefully encouragement, tactical tips, things that can elevate you personally, professionally, and really raise you to your next level. I would encourage all of you to, whether you're a team member or an owner to reach out to your team and tell them thank you.
0:11:12.2 KD: Team members, I'll tell you as an owner, it's kind of lonely. You don't get thanked a lot. You don't get praises or recognition. You just as an owner, you give out all the time and you don't expect anything in return. So I will say team members giving genuine heartfelt thanks and gratitude to your employer, I think could go a long ways today. Doctors, it goes beyond anything I think you could ever do monetarily to genuinely thank your team in specific ways today. And throughout I have some people that compliment alarms on their phones, but truly your people, the people around you giving them thanks and gratitude today. Also being just grateful for the universe to God, to soul, to whatever you believe in that you get to live this incredible dream that you get to call your life, and to give yourself gratitude for the things that you've gone through, for the things that you have overcome and being proud of yourself. I think about if you only had one week left to live, how would you live that week? You'd probably live in like pure ecstasy. You'd be taking in every possible moment. You'd be spending time with friends. You'd be thanking people. So why wait? Why not do it today?
0:12:36.0 KD: And with that, I obviously could not go today publicly Thanking my team. My team is my life, guys. They are, we've tried the IVF journey and I wonder if there are higher powers that be that just know I need to give the love to my team and they're my family. They're my "kids." They're not really kids. They're people that inspire me. And so publicly I would like to just thank them all. You guys know Spiffy Tiffy. Tiff has been with me since the beginning guys and this company would not be here today without that woman. She is all things fire and spice and passion and she keeps me going. She is my one of my best friends. She's a confidant and she, truly, she loves her clients so much guys that it's impressive. She has raving fans across the nation and I am beyond thankful for her. There's also Shelby. Shelby being my next door neighbor and jumping right in and you guys, she has changed my life. I could not imagine life without Shelby. She makes my life organized. She makes our company flow with ease. She loves our clients. She's got incredible customer service, organization beyond and she's truly one of the sweetest kindest people, and I am so thankful for being the glue of our company that she is.
0:13:54.1 KD: There's also no BS Brit, guys. You know Brit, you love Brit. I'm super grateful for Brit and for her dedication to her clients and to our team. She brings a calm Zen brilliance about her that really is inspiring to me and to our team and I'm super thankful for her dedication to her clients and for what she has brought to our company. There's also Dana, guys. If you know Dana, you love Dana. I am so thankful for Dana's jump in yes can attitude. She is always willing to help no matter what I have changed. If you guys are part of our platinum, you know we've just rolled out our first beta masterminds for all the different departments of the practice and they're awesome, and Dana will tell you that that product and experience has changed probably 20 times and she has smiled. She has changed PowerPoint. She has changed models and Dana just truly is someone I am so thankful for her dedication to clients and also her ability to just change and morph and evolve and all the different things that we ask her to do.
0:15:00.5 KD: You guys don't know her, but Tina is new to our team and she is an incredible consultant. Tina and I have a pretty long history of trying to work together and now I'm super excited to be introducing her to you guys, having her come in and I'm grateful for her dedication. I will say Tina is someone with tenacity, guys. She knows what she wants and she's going to get it and I love that about her. I love that she is driven for her clients and really just brings a high level of professionalism, grit and also just organization beyond that I'm so grateful for. We're going to pivot over to our HQ side. Our HQ side, I'm super grateful for Pat. Pat is new to our company and Pat is all things marketing and growth and for him to bring in a vision and a plan and to be able to help our team elevate in ways that I didn't even know has been super inspiring for me. Pat also brings a lot of fun and joy. He can make everybody on our team laugh harder than just about anybody I've ever met and I'm super thankful for his wit, for his charm, for his charisma and for his dedication yes can attitude. He really does jump all in and give so much of his heart and soul and I'm beyond thankful for him.
0:16:19.3 KD: We also have Allison. Allison does all things of our marketing and she does a lot of our graphics and our videos, and I have to just massively thank her for coming in and getting a team that was not doing video content to do video content. And I'm just grateful for her and appreciative of her organization and her tenacity and that she will work until it becomes perfect, and I know she's had a lot of different challenges starting with us and having to change her design or style to fit our niche but she always does it with a smile and makes it fun. And then we also have Kylie. Kylie has jumped in and she has helped Shelby and is really in between all the different pieces behind the scenes doing research for us, editing and making your guys' operations manual more user friendly and changing it so it's in an easier format for you and doing just so many little things that drive our company forward. I am super thankful for her. I'm also grateful for our podcast team guys. Our podcast team is Alex and Sissy, and grateful for them for the show notes and for putting it together and making sure that you guys have the podcast. I am really thankful for them.
0:17:28.1 KD: Alex has been with me for so long and she makes the most beautiful show notes and puts into words what I try to express in feeling, and she does such a beautiful job of that, and Sissy is so organized. I'm so thankful she's still with us on the podcast side keeping me organized and put together, I'm just grateful for her. And then I would be super sad if I didn't thank Liz, my coach. Liz has been with me for so long and Liz brings a balance and direction and guidance that I am so incredibly thankful for, guys. When you have a coach like Liz who is in it to win it with you, I think that there is no greater gift for you. So I'm super thankful for Liz, and last but not least, he is behind the scenes all the time. He is actually an employee of Dental A Team, a very small employee of Dental A Team, but my husband Jason and his love and dedication, guys, he keeps me sane. He keeps me going. He will run in the middle of the night to pick up items. He'll go pick up our team. He helps make sure our productions are put together and more importantly, he keeps me sane, balanced and listens to me early in the morning and late at night, and I am beyond thankful for him.
0:18:37.7 KD: So guys, if you didn't know, that is our Dental A Team and it's as simple as just thanking them for making your company, your practice, what it is. Your people are the people that make your company. Yes, you bring the vision. Yes, you took the risk, but your people are who make you great and so really thanking them, serving, finding ways you guys can give together as a team. I would invite you to explore that, to explore having more giving in your life, to schedule it to have it as almost like a KPI that you check to see, how is my giving bucket? Am I giving? Am I feeling fulfilled? And if not, I would encourage you guys today to choose one thing, one area to make your life just a little bit more about giving because I will promise you the secret to living is giving. And as always guys, I hope you have the most magical day today. I hope you have a ton of fun and I hope you know how much I value and cherish each and every one of you. Whether I know you personally or if it's just you and me hanging out on this podcast, I just want you to know how much I value and appreciate you and I hope you know that. I hope you feel loved. I hope you feel appreciated and I hope you remember that you are so freaking blessed to be doing what you're doing, living the life you're living, no matter how great or how hard it is today.
0:20:02.3 KD: Your life was something you dreamed of and now you get to live. So guys go have a magical day and as always, thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team podcast. And that wraps it up for another episode of the Dental A Team podcast. Thank you so much for listening and we'll talk to you next time.
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